A multi-divisional firm can engage in quot;winner-pickingquot; to redistribute scarce funds efficiently across divisions. But there is a conflict between rewarding winners (investing) and producing resources with which to reward winners (incentives). Managers in winning divisions are tempted to...

The paper presents a simple model arguing that the pecking order theory is an extreme when there is only asymmetric information about value. We show how asymmetric information about both, value and risk, transforms the adverse selection logic underlying the pecking order into a general theory of...

The paper presents a simple model arguing that the pecking order theory is an extreme when there is only asymmetric information about value. We show how asymmetric information about both, value and risk, transforms the adverse selection logic underlying the pecking order into a general theory of...

Private firms in the U.S. are not subject to public reporting requirements, so relatively little is known about their characteristics and behavior – until now. This Data Appendix describes a new database on private U.S. firms, created by Sageworks Inc. in cooperation with hundreds of...

Can managers influence the liquidity of their shares? We use plausibly exogenous variation in the supply of public information to show that firms seek to actively shape their information environments by voluntarily disclosing more information than is mandated by market regulations and that such...

We document how gathering ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ information helps boards of directors to learn a CEO’s ability over time; test under what circumstances boards fire CEOs; and show that such interventions lead to improved firm performance. Our empirical design exploits detailed hard...

We document sizeable and surprising differences in investment behavior between stock market listed and privately held firms in the U.S. using a rich new data source on private firms. Listed firms invest substantially less and are less responsive to changes in investment opportunities compared to...

We analyze the determinants of buyout funds' investment decisions. We argue that when the supply of capital is lsquo;sticky' in the short run, the timing of funds' investment decisions, their risk-taking behavior, and their subsequent returns depend on changes in the demand for private equity,...

We analyze the determinants of buyout funds' investment decisions. We argue that when the supply of capital is lsquo;sticky' in the short run, the timing of funds' investment decisions, their risk-taking behavior, and their subsequent returns depend on changes in the demand for private equity,...

We analyze the determinants of buyout funds' investment decisions. We argue that when the supply of capital is lsquo;sticky' in the short run, the timing of funds' investment decisions, their risk-taking behavior, and their subsequent returns depend on changes in the demand for private equity,...