This paper outlines and tests two corporate social responsibility (CSR) views of dividends.The first view argues that firms are likely to pay fewer dividends because CSR activities lower the cost of equity, encouraging firms to invest or hoard cash rather than to pay dividends. The second view suggests that CSR activities are positive NPV projects that increases earnings and hence dividend payouts. The first (second) view predicts that firms with a stronger involvement in CSR activities should be associated with a lower (higher) dividend payouts. The finding supports the second view and is robust. ABSTRACTThis paper outlines and tests two corporate social responsibility (CSR) views of dividends.The first view argues that firms are likely to pay fewer dividends because CSR activities lower the cost of equity, encouraging firms to invest or hoard cash rather than to pay dividends. The second view suggests that CSR activities are positive NPV projects that increases earnings and hence dividend payouts. The first (second) view predicts that firms with a stronger involvement in CSR activities should be associated with a lower (higher) dividend payouts. The finding supports the second view and is robust.Hong, H., and M. Kacperczyk, 2009, The price of sin: the effects of social norms on markets.

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This paper considers regression techniques for grouped data. In particular, it is shown how regression statistics obtained from individual level data can be replicated by means of grouped data. Three common regression approaches are considered: ordinary least squares, instrumental variables and nonlinear least squares regression. Also provided is code to implement the grouped-data techniques in the econometric software package Stata. An empirical example illustrates that the grouped-data formulas indeed replicate the statistics obtained from the individual level data. It is also argued why grouped data are important for empirical research.

This paper considers the impact of personality traits on the change of the gender wage gap. Using data from the German Socioeconomic Panel (SOEP), we first explore how personality traits affect wage growth rates. Then, a decomposition analysis is performed to analyse the dynamic effects of personality traits on the change of the gender wage gap over time. Our empirical results indicate that gender differences in conscientiousness and emotional stability lead to a widening of the wage gap over time. By contrast, gender differences in extraversion lead to a narrowing of the wage gap over time.

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