type="main" <title type="main">ABSTRACT</title> <p>The recent financial crisis shows that financial markets can impact the real economy. We investigate whether access to finance typically time-varies and, if so, what are the real effects. Consistent with time-varying external finance costs, both investment and employment are...</p>

In U.S. counties where more of the population or their ancestors immigrated from countries with more gender-egalitarian beliefs, firms are 20% more likely to have a female director, and almost twice as likely to have a female CEO. In such counties, female directors are also more likely to chair...

U.S. financial development varies significantly over the last half century, primarily increasing since the 1980s. Difference-in-difference tests reveal that financial development has disproportionate effects on industries that depend more on external finance. Higher financial development...

Legal investor protection is associated with how firms choose to issue shares. The likelihood of private placements relative to rights offerings increases with investor protection, as does the likelihood of public offerings relative to both private placements and rights offerings. These findings...

We ask how social media impacts the role of short sellers in financial markets. We find some evidence consistent with manipulation. Prior to high short interest, a stock’s social media tone is abnormally positive, but its traditional media tone is not. Once highly shorted, social media tone...

U.S. financial development varies a good deal over the last half century, primarily increasing since the 1980s. We ask whether this variation had consequences for the real economy. Difference-in-difference tests reveal that increases in financial development have disproportionate effects on...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic comparison of the level of business diversification in China and eight other large economies for the 2001‐2005 period. The reasons why publicly listed Chinese firms are more diversified than companies elsewhere are investigated....