预算软约束与控股股东利益输送:来自我国民营企业的经验证据

Soft Budget Constraint and Expropriation: Evidence from Privately-Owned Firms in China

本文以2002年至2006年深沪所有民营企业的数据为样本,研究了预算软约束对控股股东利益输送的影响。结果发现:大公司能够获得更多的银行贷款,更可能获得政府的财政补贴,但大公司更可能出现控股股东控制权与现金流量权的偏离、控股股东资金占用,其市场价值较低。而且这些效应在财政赤字比较严重的区域更为明显。这表明预算软约束能缓解控股股东的利益输送成本,进而增加控股股东利益输送。

Using the data of privately-owned firms in China’s transition economy, we examine the effects of soft budget constraint on the expropriation of minority shareholders. We find that, compared to small firms, large firms have higher bank loans and are more likely to get government subsidies. However, large firms show higher divergence between cash flow and control rights, more fund occupation by controlling shareholders, and lower market valuation. Moreover these differences between large and small firms become particularly pronounced when the firms operate in the provinces with poorer fiscal conditions. When we substitute firm tax for firm size, we get the similar results. These findings suggest that soft budget constraint can mitigate the expropriation costs of controlling shareholders, and subsequently deteriorate the expropriation of minority shareholders.