Skip to main content

Are Corporate Financing Policies Different in Old and New EU Member States?

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Contemporary Trends and Challenges in Finance

Part of the book series: Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics ((SPBE))

  • 373 Accesses

Abstract

The research aim is to verify whether and how corporate capital structure and its determinants vary between the old and new EU member states. The empirical research based on the BACH-ESD database provided by the European Commission covers private firms from 12 countries in the period 2000–2017. Apart from considering the length of EU membership, a number of firm-specific determinants and industry features are captured in order to identify the main differences in corporate financing patterns. The methods employed include analysis of variance as well as panel data modelling performed on the two subgroups of countries. Findings reveal that although corporate financing patterns differ significantly across the compared groups, with companies in old member countries more heavily dependent on debt, the determinants of corporate financing choices are less varied and provide more support for the pecking order theory. The results also indicate that the relevant importance of the country, industry, and firm size effects depends on the length of EU membership.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Acedo-Ramirez MA, Ruiz-Cabestre FJ (2014) Determinants of capital structure: United Kingdom versus continental European countries. J Int Finance Manage Account 25(3):237–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aggarwal R, Kyaw NNA (2009) International variations in transparency and capital structure: evidence from European firms. J Int Finance Manage Account 20(1):1–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alves PFP, Ferreira MA (2011) Capital structure and law around the world. J Multinat Finance Manage 21:119–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antoniou A, Guney Y, Paudyal K (2008) The determinants of capital structure: capital market-oriented versus bank-oriented institutions. J Finance Quant Anal 43(1):59–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baltagi BH (2008) Econometric analysis of panel data. Wiley, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  • Bancel F, Mittoo UR (2004) Cross-country determinants of capital structure choice: a survey of European firms. Financ Manage 33(4):103–132

    Google Scholar 

  • de France B (2018) Bank for the accounts of companies harmonised—European sectoral references database. https://www.bachesd.banque-france.fr. Accessed 13 Apr 2017

  • Bradley M, Jarrell G, Kim E (1984) On the existence of an optimal capital structure. J Finance 39(3):857–878

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brounen D, De Jong A, Koedijk K (2006) Capital structure policies in Europe: survey evidence. J Bank Finance 30(9):1409–1442

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiou J, Cheng L, Wu H (2006) The determinants of working capital management. J Am Acad Bus 10(1):149–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Črnigoj M, Mramor D (2009) Determinants of capital structure in emerging European economies: evidence from Slovenian firms. Emerg Markets Finance Trade 45:72–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Degryse H, de Goeij P, Kappert P (2012) The impact of firm and industry characteristics on small firms’ capital structure. Small Bus Econ 38:431–447

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demirgüç-Kunt A, Maksimovic V (1999) Institutions, financial markets and firm debt maturity. J Finance Econ 54(3):295–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan JPH, Twite GJ, Titman S (2012) An International comparison of capital structure and debt maturity choices. J Finance Quant Anal 47(1):23–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frank M, Goyal V (2009) Capital structure decisions: which factors are reliably important? Finance Manage 38(1):1–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham JR (2003) Taxes and corporate finance. https://ssrn.com/abstract=264516

  • Graham JR, Harvey C (2001) The theory and practice of corporate finance: evidence from the field. J Finance Econ 60(2–3):187–243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham JR, Leary MT, Roberts MR (2015) A century of capital structure: the leveraging of corporate America. J Finance Econ 118(3):658–683

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall GC, Hutchinson PJ, Michaelas N (2004) Determinants of the capital structures of European SMEs. J Bus Finance Account 31(5–6):711–728

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hussain MI, Hussain MA (2015) Determinants of capital structure and testing of theories: a study on the listed manufacturing companies in Bangladesh. Int J Econ Finance 7(4):176–190

    Google Scholar 

  • Jensen NS, Uhl FT (2008) Capital structure in European SMEs. An analysis of firm- and country specific variables in determining leverage. Aarhus School of Business, University of Aarhus. https://pure.au.dk/portal/files/3244/Capital_Structure_in_European_SMEs.pdf

  • Joeveer K (2006) Sources of capital structure: evidence from transition countries. CERGE-EI working papers wp306. The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education—Economics Institute, Prague

    Google Scholar 

  • de Jong A, Kabir R, Nguyen T (2008) Capital structure around the world: the roles of firm- and country-specific determinants. J Bank Finance 32(9):1954–1969

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kędzior M (2012) Capital structure in EU selected countries—micro and macro determinants. Arg Oecon 1(28):69–117

    Google Scholar 

  • La Porta R, Lopez-de-Silanes F, Shleifer A, Vishny R (1997) Legal determinants of external Finance. J Finance 52(3):1131–1150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • López-Gracia J, Sogorb-Mira F (2008) Testing trade-off and pecking order theories financing SMEs. Small Bus Econ 31(2):117–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Modigliani F, Miller MH (1958) The cost of capital, corporation finance, and the theory of investment. Am Econ Rev 48(3):261–275

    Google Scholar 

  • Mokhova N, Zinecker M (2013) The determinants of capital structure: the evidence from the European union. Acta Universitatis Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis 61(7):2533–2546

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers SC, Majluf N (1984) Corporate financing and investment decisions when firms have information that investors do not have. J Finance Econ 13(2):187–221

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pepur S, Ćurak M, Poposki K (2016) Corporate capital structure: the case of large Croatian companies. Econ Res - Ekonomska Istraživanja 29(1):498–514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rajan RG, Zingales L (1995) What do we know about capital structure? some evidence from international data. J Finance 50(5):1421–1460

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sayilgan G, Karabacak H, Kuçukkocaooglu G (2011) The firm-specific determinants of corporate capital structure: evidence from Turkish panel data. Int J Econ Financ Issues 1:1–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Sibindi AB (2016) Determinants of capital structure: a literature review. Risk Gov Control Financ Markets Inst 6(4):228–237

    Google Scholar 

  • Titman S, Wessels R (1988) The determinants of capital structure. J Finance 43(1):1–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Venanzi D (2017) How country affects the capital structure choice: literature review and criticism. Int J Econ Finance 9(4):1–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julia Koralun-Bereźnicka .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Koralun-Bereźnicka, J. (2020). Are Corporate Financing Policies Different in Old and New EU Member States?. In: Jajuga, K., Locarek-Junge, H., Orlowski, L., Staehr, K. (eds) Contemporary Trends and Challenges in Finance. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43078-8_10

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics