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Corporate governance and incentive contracts: Historical evidence from a legal reform

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Author Info
Bayer, Christian
Burhop, Carsten

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Abstract

This paper proposes to exploit a reform in legal rules of corporate governance to identify contractual incentives from the correlation of executive pay and firm performance. In particular, we refer to a major shift in the legal and institutional environment, the reform of the German joint-stock companies act in 1884. We analyze a sample of executive pay for 46 firms for the years 1870-1911. In 1884, a legal reform substantially enhanced corporate control, strengthened the monitoring incentives of shareholders, and reduced the discretionary power of executives in Germany. The pay-performance sensitivity decreased significantly after this reform. While executives received a bonus of about 3-5% in profits before 1884, after the reform this parameter decreased to a profit share of about 2%. At least the profit share that is eliminated by the reform most likely was incentive pay before. This incentive mechanism was replaced by other elements of corporate governance.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Explorations in Economic History.

Volume (Year): 46 (2009)
Issue (Month): 4 (October)
Pages: 464-481
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Handle: RePEc:eee:exehis:v:46:y:2009:i:4:p:464-481

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Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/622830

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Related research
Keywords: N23 G30 J33 History of corporate governance Germany Pay-performance sensitivity Natural experiment Legal reform;

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  2. Brian J. Hall & Jeffrey B. Liebman, 1998. "Are CEOs Really Paid Like Bureaucrats?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 113(3), pages 653-691, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  3. Kraft, Kornelius & Niederprum, Antonia, 1999. "Determinants of management compensation with risk-averse agents and dispersed ownership of the firm," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 17-27, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  5. Conyon, Martin J & Murphy, Kevin J, 2000. "The Prince and the Pauper? CEO Pay in the United States and United Kingdom," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(467), pages F640-71, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Conyon, Martin J., 1997. "Corporate governance and executive compensation," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 493-509, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  10. Hart, Oliver, 1995. "Corporate Governance: Some Theory and Implications," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 105(430), pages 678-89, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Bittner, Thomas, 2005. "An event study of the Rhenish-Westphalian Coal Syndicate," European Review of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(03), pages 337-364, December. [Downloadable!]
  13. Canice Prendergast, 1999. "The Provision of Incentives in Firms," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 37(1), pages 7-63, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Caroline Fohlin, 1998. "Relationship Banking, Liquidity, and Investment in the German Industrialization," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 53(5), pages 1737-1758, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  16. Jensen, Michael C & Murphy, Kevin J, 1990. "Performance Pay and Top-Management Incentives," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(2), pages 225-64, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  17. Elston, Julie Ann & Goldberg, Lawrence G., 2003. "Executive compensation and agency costs in Germany," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(7), pages 1391-1410, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Sourafel Girma & Steve Thompson & Peter W. Wright, 2007. "Corporate Governance Reforms And Executive Compensation Determination: Evidence From The Uk," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 75(1), pages 65-81, 01. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  19. Vicente Cuñat & Maria Guadalupe, 2005. "How Does Product Market Competition Shape Incentive Contracts?," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 3(5), pages 1058-1082, 09. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  20. Paul Gompers & Joy Ishii & Andrew Metrick, 2003. "Corporate Governance And Equity Prices," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 118(1), pages 107-155, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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