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Implicit contracts and acquisitions: An econometric case study of the nineteenth century Australian banking industry

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  • Andrew J. Seltzer

Abstract

It has been argued that hostile takeovers redistribute wealth from workers to shareholders by enabling the acquiring firm to revoke implicit contracts. This paper uses micro-data from personnel records to examine the consequences of the Union Bank of Australia’s 1892 takeover of the Bank of South Australia. The evidence confirms that the lifetime earnings of older workers at the BSA declined because of the merger. They faced a high probability of losing their jobs immediately following the merger, lost specific human capital due to the closure of branches, faced a flatter salary profile over the remainder of their career, and received a reduced pension.

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  • Andrew J. Seltzer, 2016. "Implicit contracts and acquisitions: An econometric case study of the nineteenth century Australian banking industry," CEH Discussion Papers 048, Centre for Economic History, Research School of Economics, Australian National University.
    • Handle: RePEc:auu:hpaper:048
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    File URL: https://cbe.anu.edu.au/researchpapers/CEH/WP201605.pdf
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    1. Lazear, Edward P & Rosen, Sherwin, 1981. "Rank-Order Tournaments as Optimum Labor Contracts," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 89(5), pages 841-864, October.
    2. Gokhale, Jagadeesh & Groshen, Erica L & Neumark, David, 1995. "Do Hostile Takeovers Reduce Extramarginal Wage Payments?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 77(3), pages 470-485, August.
    3. Marianne Bertrand & Sendhil Mullainathan, 1999. "Is There a Discretion in Wage Setting? A Test Using Takeover Legislation," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 30(3), pages 535-554, Autumn.
    4. Sanjai Bhagat & Andrei Shleifer & Robert W. Vishny, 1990. "Hostile Takeovers in the 1980s: The Return to Corporate Specialization," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 21(1990 Micr), pages 1-84.
    5. Jeffrey Pontiff & Andrei Shleifer & Michael S. Weisbach, 1990. "Reversions of Excess Pension Assets after Takeovers," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 21(4), pages 600-613, Winter.
    6. Lazear, Edward P, 1979. "Why Is There Mandatory Retirement?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 87(6), pages 1261-1284, December.
    7. Seltzer, Andrew J. & Simons, Kenneth L., 2001. "Salaries and Career Opportunities in the Banking Industry: Evidence from the Personnel Records of the Union Bank of Australia," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 195-224, April.
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    9. Seltzer, Andrew & Merrett, David T, 2000. "Personnel Policies at the Union Bank of Australia: Evidence from the 1888-1900 Entry Cohorts," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 18(4), pages 573-613, October.
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