To shed further light on the importance of demand-side forces in shaping the relation between creditor rights and corporate
leverage, we use quantile regression analysis to examine whether the effect of creditor protection on leverage varies
systematically with different leverage levels. Quantile regressions allow us to estimate the effect of the explanatory variables on
the dependent variable at different points of the dependent variable's distribution (see, e.g., Koenker and Hallock, 2001). We
hypothesize that if the demand-side view is valid, the negative effect of creditor rights on leverage should be more pronounced
for high leverage firms than for low leverage firms (H3d). The rationale is that firms with high leverage face a higher probability of
bankruptcy and thus their managers and shareholders are likely to be more concerned about losing control under strong creditor
protection. The supply-side view does not allow for a similar prediction concerning whether the effect of creditor protection
varies based on the level of leverage.