Debt Overhang, Gazelles’ Growth, and Fiscal Policy: A Note from the Quantile Regression Approach

The paper aims to examine the relationship between leverage and firm growth and the impact of fiscal policy on this relationship using a panel data quantile regression approach. Employing a sample of gazelles from emerging Europe for the 2006–2014 period, we find that debt overhang negatively affects firm growth only for the lower growth quantiles. In addition, we found that the negative effect is higher for the gazelles located in countries with lower corporate income effective tax rates. However, for the higher growth quantiles, the impact of debt on firm growth is positive and statistically significant. Our results reconcile the mixed results of the previous studies and have practical implications for financing strategies in emerging markets.