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Do independent directors restrain controlling shareholders’ tunneling? Evidence from a natural experiment in China

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  • Gong, Min
  • Wang, Yanan
  • Yang, Xiandong

Abstract

In response to corporate scandals in the early 2000s, the China Securities Regulatory Commission introduced a new reform requiring an increase in board independence. We find a significant decrease in tunneling by controlling shareholders for firms that are affected by this regulation, compared with firms that are exempt from it. The new added independent directors have an exclusively monitoring effect on controlling shareholders’ tunneling behaviors in state-owned enterprises. Furthermore, the decrease in tunneling behaviors is particularly pronounced in the subset of affected firms with less concentrated equity ownership, worse audit quality, and lower information processing costs. Our results suggest that controlling shareholders reduce the expropriation of minority shareholders under the monitoring of independent directors.

Suggested Citation

  • Gong, Min & Wang, Yanan & Yang, Xiandong, 2021. "Do independent directors restrain controlling shareholders’ tunneling? Evidence from a natural experiment in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 548-559.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:94:y:2021:i:c:p:548-559
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2020.01.023
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    3. Tong Li & Nengsheng Luo, 2024. "Dividend Payments and Persistence of Firms’ Green Innovation: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-29, September.
    4. Hongyan Geng & Maoyong Cheng & Junrui Zhang, 2021. "Effects of wealth management products on bank risk in China: The role of audit committee effectiveness," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(5), pages 575-616, December.
    5. Zhang, Qianqian & Jiang, Chunzi & Liu, Baohua & Chan, Kam C., 2024. "Small but salient: Minority shareholders’ innovation attention in interactive online platforms and corporate innovation," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(PB).
    6. Yike Yu & Danting Cao & Zuogong Wang & Zaijie Zhang, 2021. "Does the fellow‐villager relationship between the independent director and the chairman of the board can inhibit the major shareholder expropriation? Evidence from China," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(6), pages 1374-1393, September.
    7. Yanyan Lin & Xipei Hou, 2024. "Stock market liberalisation and acquisition outcomes: Evidence from a natural experiment," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(3), pages 3344-3371, July.
    8. Donghua Chen & Xuerui Wei & Huimin Wang, 2022. "Controlling shareholder’s ownership, control rights and related-party transactions – analysis of regulatory effects based on board characteristics," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 1577-1604, December.
    9. Sujata Banerjee & Alessandro Zattoni & Abrarali Saiyed, 2023. "Dominant-owner CEOs, board of directors and firm performance in emerging economies: Exploring the moderating impact of quad-qualified directors," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(4), pages 1607-1642, December.
    10. Liang, Xiao & Chen, Xiaomeng Charlene, 2024. "Mandatory corporate social responsibility disclosure and financial constraints: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(PA), pages 954-974.
    11. Ming Chen & Jiao Wu, 2023. "State ownership may not be bad: Based on bibliometric research (2002–2021)," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(2), pages 1285-1304, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Tunneling; Board independence; Corporate governance; Board regulations;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • K22 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Business and Securities Law

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