Distorted performance measures in compensation contracts elicit suboptimal behavioral responses that may even prove to be dysfunctional (gaming). This paper applies the empirical test developed by Courty and Marschke (2008) to detect whether the widely used class of Residual Income based performance measures —such as Economic Value Added (EVA)— is distorted, leading to unintended agent behavior...

Using more than 112,000 firm-year observations in 33 countries, we find that two Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation, remain significant in the determination of dividend policy even after controlling for governance and firm-specific factors. When uncertainty avoidance is high, only firms in countries with stronger investor protection pay more dividend...

We study the leverage of firms making large dividend increases. Over the five years following the dividend increase they raise leverage enough to finance the entire dividend increase for that period with debt. This is not explained by trade-off variables or the pecking order. The effect is greatest for big firms with low-powered incentives, suggesting an agency effect whereby they make large di...

This paper examines how control and ownership structure affect share repurchases in an emerging market where controlling families derive large private benefits. Whereas firms with concentrated ownership often pay cash dividends, firms with weak control rights often repurchase shares. The magnitude of repurchase increases with weak control rights, but decreases with strong foreign ownership. The...

We develop an agency model of financial contracting. We derive long-term debt, a line of credit, and equity as optimal securities, capturing the debt coupon and maturity; the interest rate and limits on the credit line; inside versus outside equity; dividend policy; and capital structure dynamics. The optimal debt-equity ratio is history dependent, but debt and credit line terms are independent...

G00–G09, Inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system G10–G14, Systemic atrophies primarily affecting the central nervous system G20–G26, Extrapyramidal and movement disorders G30–G32, Other degenerative diseases of the nervous system G35–G37, Demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system G40–G47, Episodic and paroxysmal disorders G50–G59, Nerve, nerve root, and plexus disorders G...

The purpose of this paper is to examine the financing behaviour of Dutch corporations and its impact on firm performance. First, I present some stylised facts of corporate financing in the Netherlands. I show how the Dutch financial system differs from other major financial systems. Second, I analyse the valuation effect of different types of security offerings made by Dutch quoted firms. An ev...

Managers, consultants, and the financial press assert that compensation plans based on residual income change managers’ behavior. This assertion is empirically tested by selecting a sample of firms that began using a residual income performance measure in their compensation plans and comparing their performance to a control sample of firms that continue to use traditional accounting earnings-ba...