The influence of governance infrastructure and corporate governance on profit shifting

Abstract

In this article we develop a conceptual model to examine the influence of quality of country-level governance infrastructure and corporate governance effectiveness on profit shifting. We empirically test propositions derived from the model with a unique firm-level data set and using multiple indicators of governance infrastructure quality and corporate governance mechanisms. We estimate that on average about 6% of total pre-tax income is shifted out of foreign-owned firms in India. We show that governance infrastructure that improves collective action and transparency in both the foreign- and host-country reduces shifting. On the other hand, secure property rights and efficient contracting in the foreign country increases shifting. We also find that monitoring by foreign institutional investors restricts shifting.