Trust and inter-regional M&As: Evidence from China

Abstract

This paper investigates the economic impact of trust on inter-region mergers and acquisitions (M&As) using a large sample of M&As in China. We find that trust distance among regions negatively predicts frequency of inter-region mergers, merger volume and synergy gains. Economic mechanism analysis shows that trust distance lowers merger gains through imposing transaction cost on the deal. The negative effects of trust distance on inter-region M&As activities and synergy gains are less pronounced when legal institution level distance between regions are smaller, consistent with trust being a substitute for formal institutions; it is less prominent when corporate governance and information disclosure level distance between regions are smaller, suggesting that trust is more important in transactions with higher information asymmetry; it is less salient when financial market development level distances between regions are smaller, consistent with trust is less important with repeated interactions between economic parties. Overall, our results highlight the role trust plays in shaping corporate decisions and economic outcomes.