The religion effect on corporate cash holding in China: Buddhism and Taoism

Abstract

Buddhism and Taoism have been deeply rooted in China for generations and both of them have a profound impact on the local culture and social norms. By employing 23,999 firm-year observations between 2008 and 2018, we examine how local religious norms affect corporate cash policies. We provide strong evidence that religiosity significantly reduces the level of corporate cash holdings, by mitigating financial constraints and earnings management of the listed companies. Managers from religious areas make more effective investments and distribute more dividends. Furthermore, our findings document that religion has a more pronounced influence on cash holdings amongst the firms with the smaller size, lower leverage, higher marketization, effective internal control and facing fierce market competition. Overall, Buddhism and Taoism, constituting the main religious norms in China, significantly optimize the firms' cash holdings and firm value.