as originally reported by la porta et al. (1997). shareholder in civil law counties enjoy fewer investor protection than shareholders of firms in corporated in common law countries. la protaet al(1999, 2000), Denis and McConnell (2003), and others, observe that this legal enfeeblement of shareholder produces an agency conflict between the firm's large blockholders who are most typically insiders, and minority shareholders. these insiders con both discipline corporate managers and exploit the minority shareholders. the weaker catering we find among civil law firm's seems to suggest that these controlling shareholders are less interested in exploring transitory market misvaluations of their firm's stock due to dividend policy. perhaps they are unable to exploit these misvaluations because of illiquidity in their hoe stock and market or the presence of a wedge between the block and market prices for their equity