Exporting Uncertainty: The Impact of Brexit on Corporate America

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis
Year: 2022
Volume: 57
Issue: 8
Pages: 3178-3222

Authors (4)

Campello, Murillo (not in RePEc) Cortes, Gustavo S. (University of Florida) d’Almeida, Fabrício (not in RePEc) Kankanhalli, Gaurav (University of Pittsburgh)

Score contribution per author:

0.505 = (α=2.02 / 4 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We show that the 2016 Brexit Referendum had multifaceted consequences for corporate America, shaping employment, investment, divestitures, R&D, and savings. The unexpected vote outcome led U.S. firms to cut jobs and investment within U.S. borders. Using establishment-level data, we document that these effects were modulated by the reversibility of capital and labor. American-based job destruction was particularly pronounced in industries with less skilled and more unionized workers. U.K.-exposed firms with less redeployable capital and high input-offshoring dependence cut investment the most. Data on the near universe of U.S. establishments also point to measurable, negative effects on establishment turnover (openings and closings). Our results demonstrate how foreign-born political uncertainty is transmitted across international borders, shaping domestic capital formation and labor allocation.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:cup:jfinqa:v:57:y:2022:i:8:p:3178-3222_10
Journal Field
Finance
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-25