Table 6 reports the results of the partial leverage adjustment model. In line with (H3c), the results lend further support to the
demand-side view. In Panel A, target leverage ratios have a negative relationship with creditor rights using both approaches. For
example, when we use the system GMM approach, the target leverage ratio for firms in the strongest creditor rights countries
(i.e., Creditor Rights = 4) is 0.0814, which is substantially lower than the target leverage ratio for firms in the weakest creditor
rights countries (i.e., Creditor Rights = 0) at 0.1289. In Panel B, the results based on the individual components of Creditor Rights
consistently indicate that target leverage ratios are lower for strong creditor rights countries. For example, using the system GMM
approach, target leverage is 0.0982 in countries where No Management Stay = 1, while it is 0.1139 in countries where No
Management Stay = 0.