We explore why venture capital funds limit the amount of capital they raise and do not reinvest the proceeds. This structure is puzzling because it leads to a succession of several funds financing each new venture which multiplies the well known agency problems. We argue that an inside investor...

Hash-linked timestamping is the key feature behind blockchain. It enhances trust as it enables contracting parties to have common and reliable records of transactions and of their timing. I develop a model of raising external financing where, due to this new technology, some traditional...

We study the relation between innovation quality and managerial time horizon, measured by the time remaining until the end of fixed-term CEO employment contracts. Firms with longer CEO horizons produce more important innovation on average: one additional year in horizon is associated with 8%...

When drafting a contract, it is often impossible for the parties to consider and specify in the contract all kinds of unforeseen circumstances. In particular, the parties may not be able to provide a detailed description of the global situation so that the outsiders (courts) could later verify...

We investigate the relation between tax risk and the cost of private debt. Tax risk can lead to significant negative outcomes, including penalties, interest and additional tax payments, which in turn can increase the uncertainty of future cash flows and make it costlier for a firm to borrow....

We examine the impact of managerial optimism on the inclusion of performance-pricing provisions in syndicated loan contracts (PSD). Optimistic managers may view PSD as a relatively cheap form of financing given their upwardly biased expectations about the firm's future cash flow. Indeed, we find...

This paper develops a dynamic option-based model for the valuation of rental and other similarly structured lease contracts under the conditions of uncertainty that is then solved by statistical simulation (Monte Carlo). The motivation, research background and methodology of the paper follow up...

In order to identify the relevant sources of firms' financing constraints, we ask what financial frictions matter for corporate policies. To that end, we build, solve, and estimate a range of dynamic models of corporate investment and financing, embedding a host of financial frictions. We focus...

We examine whether managerial overconfidence impacts the use of performance-pricing provisions in loan contracts (PSD). Managers with biased views may issue PSD because they consider this form of debt to be mispriced. Our evidence shows that overconfident managers are more likely to issue...

This paper surveys both the theoretical and the empirical archival literature on conservatism when accounting information is used for debt contracting. The theoretical literature shows mixed results whether conservative accounting is desirable, which depends on the underlying agency problem, the...