Innovation on the choice of debt financing source: evidence from innovative firms
Studies in Economics and Finance
ISSN: 1086-7376
Article publication date: 2 June 2021
Issue publication date: 18 October 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the innovative firm’s proprietary information has an impact on its debt financing preference. This study also examines the impact of industry-level competition on the debt financing orders and investigates how two exogenous shocks impacted on innovative firms’ financing policies.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses the three types of debt data, including bonds, private debt placements and bank loans and patent application data, in the USA from 1987–2008. The number of patents applications and industry-level competition are used as proxies for a firm’s innovation and industry-level sensitivity. In addition, to minimize endogenous concern, this study uses the propensity score matching analysis and difference-in-differences.
Findings
The patents are the primary determinants for innovative firms to choose the debt types. The paper shows that innovative firms have the debt preference order – public debt, private placement and bank loans. However, as competition increases, innovative firms devise the order reverse. Finally, the paper provides evidence that the American Inventor’s Protection Act (AIPA) and the tech bubble crash made investors depend more on firms with more patents.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to study the impact of the AIPA on innovative firms’ financial policies using the propensity score matching analysis. The findings imply that both patents and industry-level competition are important factors to understand the capital structures for innovative firms.
Keywords
Citation
Na, H. (2021), "Innovation on the choice of debt financing source: evidence from innovative firms", Studies in Economics and Finance, Vol. 38 No. 5, pp. 901-925. https://doi.org/10.1108/SEF-09-2020-0362
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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