Cross-border mergers and acquisitions: Evidence from the Indochina region

We study cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in ten countries in the Indochina region during the period 1993-2015. Countries with a French colonial history showed markedly lower levels of cross-border M&As (value as well as volume) than other countries, whether previously colonized or not. This difference persists even after accounting for the known drivers of cross-border M&A activity, including legal origin, trade openness, and labor cost levels. Together, these findings suggest that the colonial past of a country plays an important role in cross-border M&A activity.