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Investment decisions and the soft budget constraint

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  • Emilio Colombo
  • Luca Stanca

Abstract

This paper investigates the investment behaviour of a large panel of Hungarian firms in the period 1989–99, in order to assess the impact of institutional and regulatory changes on the efficiency of credit allocation. We find that the role of financial factors for investment decisions has changed significantly after the introduction of major financial reforms, and that firms were affected differently depending on their ownership type. Reforms have hardened the budget constraint of private domestic firms, particularly small ones, and reduced informational problems for foreign‐owned firms. State‐owned firms remained subject to a soft budget constraint. In particular, small state firms became more sensitive to financial conditions, whereas large state firms were unaffected and kept operating under a soft budget constraint.

Suggested Citation

  • Emilio Colombo & Luca Stanca, 2006. "Investment decisions and the soft budget constraint," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 14(1), pages 171-198, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:etrans:v:14:y:2006:i:1:p:171-198
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0351.2006.00238.x
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    2. Le Long Hau, 2017. "What sources of finance constrain Vietnamese listed firms?," HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF SCIENCE - ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY, vol. 7(1), pages 3-11.
    3. Ismail, Mohd Adib & ibrahim, Mansor & zainal, Mohd & Yusoff, Mohammed, 2013. "Was Bail-Out A Success? Evidence from the Investment-Cash Flow Relationship," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 47(1), pages 31-40.
    4. Milos Markovic & Michael A. Stemmer, 2017. "Firm Growth Dynamics and Financial Constraints: Evidence from Serbian Firms," Post-Print halshs-01489222, HAL.
    5. Mykhayliv, Dariya & Zauner, Klaus G., 2013. "Investment behavior and ownership structures in Ukraine: Soft budget constraints, government ownership and private benefits of control," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 265-278.
    6. Zinych, Nataliya & Odening, Martin, 2009. "How Costly are (Agricultural) Investments during Economic Transition? A Critical Literature Appraisal," 2009 Conference, August 16-22, 2009, Beijing, China 50319, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. Carlos Carreira & Filipe Silva, 2010. "No Deep Pockets: Some Stylized Empirical Results On Firms’ Financial Constraints," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 731-753, September.

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