Faculty of Economics and Management Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 Bangi Selangor
MALAYSIA

cikmasrusli@gmail.com

Faculty of Economics and Management Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 Bangi Selangor
MALAYSIA

norman@ukm.edu.my

Faculty of Economics and Management Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 Bangi Selangor
MALAYSIA

m_hafiz@ukm.edu.my

Faculty of Economics and Management
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 Bangi Selangor
MALAYSIA

msabri@ukm.edu.my

Abstract

This study examines the pervasive political influence in Malaysian businesses, specifically the investors’ perceived risk of political connection. A sample of 312 firm-year observations between 2014 to 2017 reveals that politically connected Malaysian firms are less likely to be perceived as risky compared with their non-connected peers. In particular, reduction of systematic risk in cost of equity as a proxy to perceived risk is more significant for firms connected through directorship because political figures effectively channel substantial benefits in connecting firms under his/her political power. The link between types of political connections and investors’perceived risk provides a new insight and direction for research about governance factors that affect firm risks.

Keywords

cost of equity, information asymmetries, perception of risk, Political connection, systematic risk

DOI

Bibliography

Rusli, M. N., Mohd Saleh, N., Hafizuddin-Syah, B. A. M, & Hassan, M. S. (2019). Political Connection Types and Investors’ Perceived Risk: Evidence from Malaysia. Journal of Accounting and Governance, 12, 65–76.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/AJAG-2019-12-06