Manuscript type: Research paper Research aims: This paper empirically examines the effects of ownership and board structure on dividend smoothing in Pakistani listed banks between 2006 and 2014. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study employs random Tobit regression to analyse the effects of ownership and board structure on dividend smoothing. It also applies principal component analysis (PCA) to develop a corporate governance index. Research findings: The findings indicate that Pakistani banks with concentrated and foreign ownership, small size audit committee and less independent boards, exhibit higher levels of dividend smoothing. Interestingly, the study finds Pakistani banks having a joint position of CEO and chairperson, demonstrate lesser dividend smoothing. The study concludes that increasing dividends is an alternative monitoring mechanism for shareholders who are enclosed within a weak corporate governance environment such as Pakistan. Theoretical contribution/Originality: This study contributes to previous literature on corporate governance and dividend smoothing by investigating the role of the boards and the ownership structure. It also fills the research gap by investigating the impact of corporate governance on dividend smoothing by using the CG-Index.
The study analyzes the impact of ownership structure on dividend smoothing via the lens of agency and information asymmetry theory. The study also investigates the impact of ownership on dividend smoothing in the unexamined asymmetric context Dividend smoothing is measured via speed of adjustment and relative volatility. The study documents that higher individual, management, and institutional ownerships are positively associated with increased dividend smoothing. Consistent with the rental hypothesis in foreign-owned firms smooth less also concentrated firms bear with cuts and omissions. Foreign ownership has the opposite impact on dividend smoothing in adjusting dividends from below and above i.e., always prefer high dividends. Individual ownership has also exhibited a different impact in smoothing from below and above. Institutional owners avoid cuts and omissions and negatively affect SOA (smooth more) in case of adjusting dividends from above. Ownership concentration is negatively associated with dividend smoothing irrespective of whether the firm is smoothing from above or below. In contrast, management ownership negatively affected SOA in adjusting from above or below. Family firms in Pakistan smooth more to win minor shareholders' trust and signal that they sacrifice their private benefits to reduce the type II agency problem. Finally, the authors found a negative association between dividend smoothing and corporate governance quality. Over all the findings of the current study provides insight to the investors and regulators by offering dividend smoothing as an alternative monitoring mechanism to corporate governance.
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