This thesis studies different aspects of firm decisions by using a dynamic model. I estimate a dynamic model of the firm based on the trade-off theory of capital structure that endogenizes investment, leverage, and payout decisions. For the estimation of the model I use Efficient Method of Moments (EMM), which allows me to recover the structural parameters that best replicate the characteristics of the data. I start analyzing the question of whether target leverage varies over time. While this is a central issue in finance, there is no consensus in the literature on this point. I propose an explanation that reconciles some of the seemingly contradictory empirical evidence. The dynamic model generates a target leverage that changes over time and consistently reproduces the results of Lemmon, Roberts, and Zender (2008). These findings suggest that the time-varying target leverage assumption of the big bulk of the previous literature is not incompatible with the evidence presented by Lemmon, Roberts, and Zender (2008). Then I study how corporate income tax payments vary with the corporate income tax rate. The dynamic model produces a bell-shaped relationship between tax revenue and the tax rate that is consistent with the notion of the Laffer curve. The dynamic model generates the maximum tax revenue for a tax rate between 36% and 41%. Finally, I investigate the impact of financial constraints on investment decisions by firms. Model results show that investment-cash flow sensitivity is higher for less financially constrained firms. This result is consistent with Kaplan and Zingales (1997). The dynamic model also rationalizes why large and mature firms have a positive and significant investment-cash flow sensitivity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/145397 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | MENICHINI, AMILCAR ARMANDO |
| Contributors | Lamoureux, Christopher G., Gowrisankaran, Gautam, Jiang, George, Klasa, Sandy |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Dissertation, text |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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