Do Family Firms Use Dividend Policy as a Governance Mechanism? Evidence from the Euro zone Julio Pindado*, Ignacio Requejo, and Chabela de la Torre ABSTRACT Manuscript Type: Empirical Research Question/Issue: This study investigates whether family firms use dividend policy as a corporate governance mechanism to overcome agency problems between the controlling family and minority investors. We further account for deviations between ownership and control and consider the presence and identity of other large shareholders in family companies. Research Findings/Insights: Based on a sample of firms from nine Eurozone countries and using a panel data method, we find that family firms distribute higher and more stable dividends to alleviate expropriation concerns of minority investors. However, the higher dividend payments are mainly explained by family firms with no separation between the largest owner’s voting and cash flow rights and those with non-family second blockholders. Theoretical/Academic Implications: We contribute to the literature by shedding light on how the family business model affects companies’ dividend preferences. Our research also highlights the importance of taking into account the identity of large shareholders, especially in a context in which concentrated ownership structures are commonplace. The reported differences in dividend policies between family and non-family firms help to clarify the variant performances of family businesses found in previous studies. Practitioner/Policy Implications: Family firms should regard dividend policy as a governance tool that allows them to attract prospective investors and enlarge their shareholder base. Simultaneously, minority investors can benefit from family firms’ dividend decisions. Our evidence also suggests that European policy makers should lay the necessary foundations to prevent controlling families from adopting ownership structures that serve their own personal interests. Keywords: Corporate Governance, Family Control, Dividend Policy, Second Blockholders, Euro zone INTRODUCTION T he current downturn in the economy has revived the importance of family firms for society as a whole because of the peculiarities associated with this type of corporation, such as owner families’ concerns over the continuity of the business (see, e.g., Kanekrans, 2009; Miller, Le Breton-Miller, & Scholnick, 2008; Prencipe, Bar-Yosef, Mazzola, & Pozza, 2011). Interestingly, some anecdotal evi- dence suggests that family firms may have a greater commit- ment to distributing dividends (Hall, 2005). In addition, prior research widely accepts the view that family control can lead to agency problems between the controlling family and minority shareholders under specific circumstances (Anderson & Reeb, 2003; Mishra, 2011; Villalonga & Amit, 2006, 2010; Wong, Chang, & Chen, 2010). However, the literature on whether family-controlled corporations use dividends as a trust-generating device to alleviate minority shareholders’ concerns over wealth expropriation is scarce. In this context, we address two main research questions: (1) Do family firms use dividend policy as a corporate gov- ernance mechanism to overcome agency problems with minority shareholders and to alleviate expropriation con- cerns, and (2) do family firms’ dividend decisions depend on their specific ownership structures (i.e., separations between family’s voting and cash flow rights, the presence of second blockholders)? Therefore, our study covers two issues that *Address for correspondence: Julio Pindado, Department of Business Administration, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, Universidad de Salamanca, Edificio F.E.S., Salamanca, E37007, Spain. Tel: +34 923 294763; Fax: +34 923 294715; E-mail: pindado@usal.es 413 Corporate Governance: An International Review, 2012, 20(5): 413–431 © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd doi:10.1111/j.1467-8683.2012.00921.x