This paper focuses on the ownership and voting structures of limited liability companies in Brazil over the period 1997-2002. Its main contribution lies in measuring the magnitude of deviations between control rights and cash-flow rights for the ultimate shareholder with the largest voting rights. Furthermore, it pinpoints how these discrepancies are generated, evaluating the relative importance of the issuance of preferred stocks with no voting rights, voting agreements, pyramidal arrangements of ownership, and cross-shareholdings. The data set embraces 4,478 reports that companies, complying with a mandatory requirement, filed to the CVM over that period.
