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Dynamic Moral Hazard and Risk-Shifting Incentives in a Leveraged Firm

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  • Rivera, Alejandro

Abstract

I develop an analytically tractable model that integrates the risk-shifting problem between bondholders and shareholders with the moral-hazard problem between shareholders and the manager. An optimal contract binds shareholders and the manager, and this contract’s flexibility allows shareholders to relax the manager’s incentive constraint following a “good” profitability shock. Thus, the optimal contract amplifies the upside and thereby increases shareholder appetite for risk shifting. Whereas some empirical studies find a positive relation between risk shifting and leverage, others find a negative relation. This model predicts a non-monotonic relation between risk shifting and leverage and can reconcile these contradictory empirical findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Rivera, Alejandro, 2020. "Dynamic Moral Hazard and Risk-Shifting Incentives in a Leveraged Firm," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 55(4), pages 1333-1367, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:cup:jfinqa:v:55:y:2020:i:4:p:1333-1367_9
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    Cited by:

    1. Yang, Bo & Gan, Liu & Wen, Chunhui, 2021. "Moral hazard, debt overhang and capital structure," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    2. Bensoussan, Alain & Chevalier-Roignant, Benoît & Rivera, Alejandro, 2021. "Does performance-sensitive debt mitigate debt overhang?," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    3. Alain Bensoussan & Benoit Chevalier-Roignant & Alejandro Rivera, 2021. "Does Performance-Sensitive Debt mitigate Debt Overhang?," Post-Print hal-03364891, HAL.
    4. Dirk Hackbarth & Alejandro Rivera & Tak-Yuen Wong, 2022. "Optimal Short-Termism," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(9), pages 6477-6505, September.
    5. Hubert Bruslerie & Luminita Enache, 2023. "The dynamics of leverage of newly controlled target firms: evidence after an acquisition," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 61(2), pages 411-445, August.

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