The Interaction of Institutional Quality and Human Capital in Shaping the Dynamics of Capital Structure

This chapter aims to find if trade-off theory or pecking order theory best explain the capital structure of non-state firms during the post-transition process in Vietnam. We investigate the effect of human capital, institutional quality, and their interaction on the capital structure decision. Findings suggest the capital structure of Vietnamese firms is a balance between the trade-off theory and the pecking order theory. Accessing formal debts is tough for young and non-state firms, whereas those with access to formal loans take advantage of their leverage tools to exploit the tax benefits against the costs of financial distress. Other findings include: (i) profitability and debt tax shields are no longer important when entrepreneurs adopt informal debt financing; (ii) high-quality institutions enable firms to reduce reliance on debt financing; (iii) while human capital encourages entrepreneurs to obtain more loans, its interaction with institutional quality deters debt financing and favours other financial sources.