Jan Hanousek

Center for Economic Research & Graduate Education - Economics Institute | CERGE-EI

We study 6,083 European firms that were acquired between 1999 and 2015. Soon after the acquisition, the acquired firms promptly and substantially close the gap between their actual leverage ratios and their target (optimal) ratios. Firms that were over- (under-) leveraged at the start of their acquisition year move their debt-to-assets ratio from 3...

We examine the relationship between dividend smoothing and firm valuation across 21 countries using several empirical methods and smoothing measures. Our main results show that dividends are capitalized at significantly larger values for high-smoothing firms than for low-smoothing firms. We also find that dividend-smoothing premiums are higher in c...

In this study, we provide an analysis of federal contractor default. We examine both the predictability and the consequences of contractor default. We discover that a firm's political contributions, size, sales derived from government contracts, and primary industry concentration are positively related to default, while the average quality of firm...

Based on real options theory and institutional factors, we develop a theoretical framework for investment in the presence of corruption and use a sample of private firms in 13 European countries over 2001–2013 to carry out the first large-scale analysis of the impact of the level of corruption and uncertainty about corruption on post-entry investme...

The well-known biases caused by taking the logarithm of a heteroskedastic dependent variable are a potential threat in stochastic frontier analyses (SFA), which are often estimated in log-linear form. This paper shows that while these biases can indeed be substantial, they do not affect the identification of best and worst performing firms, which i...

We develop an estimator of unreported income that relies on more flexible identifying assumptions than those that have been used previously. Assuming only that evaders have a higher consumption–income gap than non-evaders in surveys, our model enables the estimation of both the probability of hiding income and the amount of unreported income for ea...

We examine the persistence of corporate corruption for a sample of privately-held firms from 12 Central and Eastern European countries from 2001 to 2015. Using publicly available information and stochastic frontier analysis, we create a proxy for corporate corruption based on a firm's internal inefficiency. We find that corruption enhances a firm's...

We use a quasi-natural experiment of reciprocal imposition of trade sanctions by Russia and the EU since 2014. Using UNCTAD/BACI bilateral flows data we take this unique opportunity to analyse both sanctions. In particular, we study the effectiveness of narrow versus broadly defined sanctions, and differences in the effectiveness of sanctions impos...

This paper examines payout characteristics of firms in a cultural and political alliance of four Central European nations, the Visegrad Group. The sample consists of more than 100,000 firmyear observations from 2001 to 2015. Our results indicate that smoothing behaviour diminishes among firms with majority ownership and that the total payout charac...

This study identifies systemic break points in a factor pricing model for firms traded on Europeanstock markets around the financial crisis. The aim is to shed light on the systemic risk transferin explaining average stock returns in the fragmented European exchanges. Our analysis takesadvantage of recent development in econometrics and employs mod...

We provide systematic evidence of the effect of alphabetical sorting on corporate performancebased on over a decade of data covering seventeen EU countries in three European languagefamilies. We also measure the effects of using English words in a corporate name in a non-Englishspeakingcountry, of a corporate name containing a ‘national‘ (patriotic...

We analyze the response of tax evasion to the introduction of a flat tax in several transition economies. Using a novel estimator based on household level data, we show that in most of the countries studied there was no discernible effect on the measured size of unreported income following a flat tax reform. This may imply that decreases in margina...

Corporate innovations are a central part of a country’s economic activity. They foster and improve competitiveness, which ultimately leads to economic growth and progress. In this study, we focus on the post-communist European region, where corporations operate under uncertain conditions. Utilizing a sample with almost 100,000 firm level observatio...

The detection of (structural) breaks or the so called change point problem has drawn increasing attention from the theoretical, applied economic and financial fields. Much of the existing research concentrates on the detection of change points and asymptotic properties of their estimators in panels when N, the number of panels, as well as T, the nu...

Using a sample of U.S. firms over the period, 1984 to 2013, this study examines the relation between market and book leverage ratios. Unlike Welch (2004) who contends that changes in market leverage do not induce adjustments in book leverage, we find an asymmetric effect. That is, firms adjust their book leverage only when the changes in market lev...

This study examines the diversion of funds in M&A deals, using over 7,500 deals from coreEuropean countries for the period from 1997 to 2013, sourced from the Zephyr database.Theoretical predictions suggest that in M&A deals acquiring companies may use the target’s assets as collateral to raise funds which is then diverted within the internal capit...

Chapter 6 elaborates on the increasing economic intervention of the state in the post-crisis CEE region. Designs of the transition process relied heavily on neoliberal concepts to produce an efficient institutional framework for multinational business—the “competition state.” The 2008/9 economic crisis undermined trust in the general applicability...

In this paper, we analyze the extent of the impact of FDI on the host economy according totheoretical predictions. Within a broader context of international trade flows, we focus on interindustry interactions between a multinational enterprise (MNE) that enters the domestic market and other firms in the economy. We seek to determine if the MNE uses...

We study the effects of corruption on firm efficiency using a unique dataset of private firms from 14 Central and Eastern European countries from 2000 to 2013. We find that an environment characterized by a high level of corruption has an adverse effect on firm efficiency. This effect is stronger for firms with a lower propensity to behave corruptl...

We analyze how efficiency of firms in the Czech Republic is affected by their size, age, competition, capital structure, ownership types, and global financial crisis. We employ the stochastic frontier approach, use a large and detailed dataset, and cover time span 2001–2012. While effects of firm characteristics are small, the effects of ownership...

In this paper we provide a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the multinational enterprises (MNEs) and foreign direct investment (FDI) on domestic firms in Europe. We build on the theoretical model of Markusen and Venables (1999) and modify it to better reflect reality and to capture international industrial linkages. For empirical part we bui...

In this paper we analyze the extent of the impact of FDI on the host economy according to theoretical predictions. Within a broader context of international trade flows, we focus on inter-industry interactions between a multinational enterprise (MNE) that enters the domestic market and other firms in the economy. We seek to determine if the MNE use...

We study the effects of corruption on firm efficiency using a unique comprehensive datasetof private firms from 10 Central and Eastern European countries for the period from 2002 to 2013. We find that an environment characterized by a high level of corruption has an adverse effect on firm efficiency. This effect is amplified for firms with a lower...

We analyze the behavior and performance of multiple price jump indicators across capital markets and over time. By using high-frequency we perform cluster analysis of price jump indicators that share similar properties in terms of their performance in that they minimize Type I and Type II errors. We show that clusters of price jump indicators do no...

We examine the relation between bureaucratic corruption and firm performance in CEE countries. We show that divergent consequences of corruption found in previous studies can be explained by the specifics of the local bribery environment in which firms operate. A higher mean bribery is associated with lower firm performance, while higher dispersion...

Based on the factor-proportion gravity framework, we build a model that identifies the driving forces for trade in parts and components. We test our model empirically by using a detailed and large European data set. We show that trade in parts and components is driven by relative supply-side country differences, proxied by wages and capital labor r...

The geographic distance between a household and financial institutions may constitute a significant obstacle to achieving the benefits of modern financial institutions. We measure the impact of distance-related access to microcredits in Uzbekistan. Residents living closer to microfinance institutions are propensity score matched to those further aw...

We analyze the effect of the large set of theoretically motivated determinants on international trade among European countries during the period 1992-2008. The determinats cover areas of culture, institutions, infrastructure, and geography, including trade directions. We analyze trade in three types of goods: raw materials, parts and components, an...

Using a stochastic frontier model and a comprehensive dataset, we study factors that affect corporate efficiency in Europe. We find that (i) larger firms are less efficient than smaller firms, (ii) greater leverage contributes to corporate efficiency, and (iii) high competition is less conductive to efficiency than moderate or low competition. In t...

Using surveys of the Czech Republic we measure how the percentage of tax evaders evolved from 1995 until 2006. We find that at first evasion rose, leveled off, and then fell along an inverse-U path, suggesting the existence of what we call an evasional Kuznets curve. Part of the curve can be explained by conventional tax evasion theories of persona...

We analyze the impact of the Lehman Brothers collapse on volatility and price jumps using high-frequency data from the Prague Stock Exchange (PSE) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Data spans the period from January 2009 to the end of July 2009. The Type-I error-optimal price jump indicator shows an increase in overall volatility during distr...

We analyze how a set of determinants affect trade among European countries over the period 1992–2008. The factors encompass variables from the areas of geography, culture, institutions, infrastructure, and trade direction. Trade is analyzed for four types of goods: primary goods, parts and components, capital goods, and consumer goods. For each typ...

Určit co ovlivňuje efektivitu fi rem je ústřední otázkou v oblastech ekonomie i podni-kání. Odborná literatura ukazuje, že hlavními faktory určujícími efektivitu fi rem jsou vlastnická a kapitálová struktura (Jensen a Meckling, 1976). Z hlediska vlastnické struktury se ukazuje, že koncentrované vlastnictví má důležité důsledky pro výkon-nost podnik...

We analyze the dynamics of price jumps and the impact of the European debt crisis using the high-frequency data reported by selected stock exchanges on the European continent during the period January 2008 to June 2012. We employ two methods to identify price jumps: Method 1 minimizes the probability of false jump detection (the Type-II Error-Optim...

This paper analyzes the technological effi ciency of companies in the European Union (EU). Our extensive database covers more than 4 million fi rm/year observations from many EU countries including both manufacturing and service sectors in 2001-2007. Methodologically we apply a model of a stochastic production productivity frontier. We show that: t...

In this paper, we employ the high-frequency data from Prague Stock Exchange (PSE) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to analyse the variation in extreme price movements and market volatility around the period of fall of Lehman Brothers. The sample ranges from January 2008 to July 2009. We employ the price jump indicators optimal with respect to Typ...

This chapter examines how the price behavior in new European Union (EU) emerging markets in Central and Eastern Europe relates to macroeconomic news announcements and price jumps. Although the existing literature extensively elaborates the relationship between returns and news announcements, the question of whether the news announcements are causin...

We analyze the potential conflict of interest between analysts and brokers associated with each other. In contrast to the existing literature, we do not analyze prediction accuracy and/or biases in analyst recommendations. Instead, we focus our analysis on brokers and examine whether their behavior systematically differs before and after investment...

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We analyze the behavior and performance of multiple price jump indicators across markets and over time. By using high-frequency stock market data we identify clusters of price jump indicators that share similar properties in terms of their performance in that they minimize Type I and Type II errors. We show that clusters of price jump indicators fo...

By combining and extending the previous literature, we develop and test a gravity specification that views bilateral gravity equations rooted in a Heckscher-Ohlin framework as statistical relationships constrained on countries’ multilateral specialization patterns. According to our results, Heckscher-Ohlin specialization incentives do not seem to p...

Within a higher-dimensional incomplete specialization Heckscher-Ohlin framework, we first develop a gravity model that views bilateral gravity equations as statistical relationships constrained on countries’ multilateral specialization patterns. Second, we test our model empirically by using a uniquely detailed and large European data set. We show...

Based on the gravity model of the trade with imperfect specialization we suggest a testable econometric specification. The model considers bilateral gravity equation as a statistical relationship limited by the multilateral specialization patterns among countries. We test the model on disaggregated bilateral trade data of the European Union (EU) co...

We analyze the dynamics of price jumps and the impact of the European debt crisis using the high-frequency data reported by selected stock exchanges on the European continent during the period January 2008 to June 2012. We employ two methods to identify price jumps: Method 1 minimizes the probability of false jump detection (the Type-II Error-Optim...

We develop an estimator of unreported income, perhaps due to tax evasion, that does not depend on as strict identifying assumptions as previous estimators based on microeconomic data. The standard identifying assumption that the self-employed underreport income whereas wage and salary workers do not is likely to fail in countries where employees ar...

We employ a large panel data set and analyze efficiency in the Czech firms during 1998-2007. We investigate how their efficiency evolves over time and how it is affected by ownership structures. Methodologically we employ a panel version of a stochastic production frontier model. We distinguish several categories of the ownership concentration by d...

We analyze the effects of firm break-up on corporate performance. Our analysis is based on a unique data set for a large number of Czech firms spanning the period 1996–2000. We employ a propensity score matching procedure to deal with endogeneity problems. Our results, which are generally in line with the positive effects of firm break-up found in...

We employ high frequency data to study extreme price changes (i.e., price jumps) in the Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, and Frankfurt stock market indexes from June 2003 to December 2010. We use the price jump index and normalized returns to analyze the distribution of extreme returns. The comparison of jump distributions across different frequencies, pe...

In this paper we analyze the evolution of firm efficiency in the Czech Republic. Using a large panel of more than 190,000 Czech firm/years we study whether firms fully utilize their resources, how firm efficiency evolves over time, and how firm efficiency is determined by ownership structure. We employ a panel version of a stochastic production fro...

We performed an extensive simulation study to compare the relative performance of many price-jump indicators with respect to false positive and false negative probabilities. We simulated twenty different time series specifications with different intraday noise volatility patterns and price-jump specifications. The double McNemar non-parametric test...

Recent empirical studies have been searching for evidence on and driving forces for offshoring. Frequently, this has been done by analyzing gross trade flows related to offshore activities using gravity equations augmented by ad hoc measures of supply-side country differences. This paper suggests that gravity formulations of this sort are mis-speci...

We employ a large panel data set and analyze efficiency in the Czech firms during 1998-2007. We investigate how their efficiency evolves over time and how it is affected by ownership structures. Methodologically we employ a panel version of a stochastic production frontier model. We distinguish several categories of the ownership concentration by d...

This research investigates the emergence of stock market in the Czech Republic. We use Czech mass privatization as an experiment that allows us to analyze under what conditions a viable stock market arises. On the Prague Stock Exchange (PSE), unlike its counterparts in Poland or Hungary, exceptionally large amounts of shares were delisted e.g. excl...

The choice of capital structure firms make is a fundamental issue in the financial literature. According to a recent finding, the capital structure of firms remains almost unchanged during their lives. This stability of leverage ratios is mainly generated by an unobserved firm-specific effect that is liable for the majority of the variation in capi...

In this paper we analyze the evolution of firm financial efficiency in the Czech Republic. Using a large panel of more than 400,000 Czech firm/years we study whether firms fully utilize their resources, how firm financial efficiency evolves over time, and how firm financial efficiency is determined by ownership structure. We employ a panel version...

In this paper we analyze the evolution of firm financial efficiency in the Czech Republic. Using a large panel of more than 400,000 Czech firm/years we study whether firms fully utilize their resources, how firm financial efficiency evolves over time, and how firm financial efficiency is determined by ownership structure. We employ a panel version...

We performed an extensive simulation study to compare the relative performance of many price-jump indicators with respect to false positive and false negative probabilities. We simulated twenty different time series specifications with different intraday noise volatility patterns and price-jump specifications. The double McNemar (1947) non-parametr...

We analyze foreign news and spillovers in the emerging EU stock markets (the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland). We employ high-frequency five-minute intraday data on stock market index returns and four classes of EU and US macroeconomic announcements during 2004–07. We account for the difference of each announcement from its market expectation a...

EI, Karlova univerzita a Akademie věd, Praha, Česká republika; Anglo-americká vysoká škola; The William Davidson Institute, Michigan; CEPR, London* 1. Úvod a motivace La Porta, Lopez-de-Silanes a Shleifer (1999) ukazují, že vlastnická struktura vertikálně organizovaných společností, známá jako korporátní pyramidy, je rozšířená po celém světě. 1 Tyt...

We focus on the extent of information-driven trading originating from order flows to capture the behavior of the market makers on an emerging market. We modified the classical Easley et al. (1996) model for the probability of informed trading using a jackknife approach in which trades of one particular market maker at a time are left out from the s...

In this article we analyze medium- and long-term effects of firm break-up (and subsequent change in ownership) on its profitability and productivity. We use an extensive data-set of the Czech firms for the period 1996-2005. We employ the propensity score based matching methodology to account for potential endogeneity. Our results show that initial...

We test for learning among heterogeneous individuals who are engaged in bidding and who possess limited information about the auctioned assets. We use an extensive dataset taken from an auction through which state-owned enterprises were privatized in the Czech Republic in 1993-94. To test for learning, we develop new measures of individual performa...

We analyze the long-term effects of divesture and ownership change on corporate performance. We employ a unique data set for a large number of Czech firms spanning the period 1996-2005. We employ a propensity score matching procedure to deal with endogeneity problems. Our results, which are generally in line with the positive effects of divestiture...

We review a large body of literature dealing with the effects of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on economies during their transformation from a command economic system toward a market system. We report the results of a meta-analysis based on the literature on externalities from FDI. The studies on emerging European markets covered in our survey re...

In this paper we analyze the dynamics of public investment and public finance in new members of the European Union, and also how these sectors were affected by changes in economic freedom and corruption. In terms of public finance (deficit and debt) we detect mostly improvement when there is less economic regulation. However, the effect of corrupti...

The authors analyze corporate charitable behavior and the motivation for it in the Czech and Slovak Republics. In their quantitative study they distinguish different channels of support: sponsoring and giving. They do not find evidence supporting the usual claim that foreign firms give more than domestic ones, but the results suggest that foreign f...

We analyze effect of intraday information flow in three emerging EU stock markets-the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. We use five-minute intraday data on stock market index returns and 15 types of EU and U.S. macroeconomic announcements during 2004-2007. We measure each announcement as its difference from market expectation. Mean and variance...

In this paper, we evaluate what we have learned to date about the effects of privatization from the experiences during the last fifteen to twenty years in the postcommunist (transition) economies and, where relevant, China. We distinguish separately the impact of privatization on efficiency, profitability, revenues, and other indicators and disting...

We analyze the extent of the integrated control of the state over privatized firms during the post-privatization decade (1995-2005) in the Czech Republic. During this period the integrated control potential of the state resembled a corporate pyramid. While pyramidal control was not fully utilized, the golden share in the hands of the state substant...

The paper evaluates the effects of privatization in the post-communist economies and China. In post-communist economies privatization to foreign owners results in a rapid improvement in performance of firms, while performance effects of privatization to domestic owners are less impressive and vary across regions, coinciding with differences in poli...

We characterize the price discovery in three emerging EU stock markets — the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland — by employing high-frequency five-minute intraday data on stock market index returns and four classes of EU and U.S. macroeconomic announcements during 2004–2007. We account for the difference of each announcement from its market expect...

This paper studies bank-failure models in the context of transition economies. In order to capture the default risk of banks, data on the structure of retail deposit rates is used to improve the prognostic quality of bank-failure prediction. The Czech bank crisis of 1994?1996, during which 14 banks failed, is used to verify the suggested approach....

We use new firm-level data to examine the effects of firm divestitures and privatization on corporate performance in a rapidly emerging market economy. Unlike the existing literature, we control for accompanying ownership changes and the fact that divestitures and ownership are potentially endogenous variables. We find that divestitures increase th...