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Survival of the Fittest or the Fattest? Exit and Financing in the Trucking Industry

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  • Zingales, Luigi

Abstract

This paper studies the impact that capital market imperfections have on the natural selection of the most efficient firms by estimating the effect of the pre-deregulation level of leverage on the survival of trucking firms after the Carter deregulation. Highly leveraged carriers are less likely to survive the deregulation shock, even after controlling for various measures of efficiency. This effect is stronger in the imperfectly competitive segment of the motor carrier industry. High debt seems to affect survival by curtailing investments and reducing the price per-ton-mile that a carrier can afford to charge after deregulation.

Suggested Citation

  • Zingales, Luigi, 1998. "Survival of the Fittest or the Fattest? Exit and Financing in the Trucking Industry," CEPR Discussion Papers 1778, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:1778
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Capital Structures; Product Market Competition; trucking industry;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance
    • L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance
    • L9 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities

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