Local Creative Culture and Dividend Policy

32 Pages Posted: 11 Nov 2018

See all articles by Erdem Ucar

Erdem Ucar

California State University, Fullerton - Department of Finance

Arsenio Staer

California State University, Fullerton, Mihaylo College of Business & Economics, Department of Finance

Date Written: October 18, 2018

Abstract

This paper examines the role of local risk-taking propensity on dividend demand and corporate payout by using a novel measure. We empirically investigate geographically varying dividend demand and corporate dividend policies by using local creative culture as a measure of local risk-taking tendency. We find that firms located in areas with a strong creative culture are less likely to pay and initiate dividends. These firms also have lower levels of dividend yield. The empirical findings also remain robust after addressing endogeneity and a series of robustness checks.. In addition, our paper highlights the local component of corporate dividend policies and supports the notion that firms cater to investors’ dividend preferences determined by investors’ risk-taking characteristics through dividend policies. Our results underscore the importance of cultural determinants of investors’ risk-taking for the financial industry participants.

Keywords: Dividend policy, Creative culture, Risk-aversion, Dividend catering

JEL Classification: G35, G40

Suggested Citation

Ucar, Erdem and Staer, Arsenio, Local Creative Culture and Dividend Policy (October 18, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3269560 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3269560

Erdem Ucar (Contact Author)

California State University, Fullerton - Department of Finance ( email )

PO Box 34080
Fullerton, CA 92834-9480
United States

Arsenio Staer

California State University, Fullerton, Mihaylo College of Business & Economics, Department of Finance ( email )

PO Box 34080
Fullerton, CA 92834-9480
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
105
Abstract Views
689
Rank
463,225
PlumX Metrics