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Competing for Ownership

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Abstract

We provide a simple framework for analysing how organizations are designed in a competitive economy. We focus on the allocation of rights of control and show that in the presence of liquidity constraints, transferring authority can serve as an effective means of transferring surplus, although this may entail some efficiency loss. The efficiency and organizational structure of a typical firm will depend on the liquidity of the ?marginal? agent in the market and not just on the liquidity and technology of the members of the firm. Liquidity changes in a small fraction of the population can lead to restructuring of ownership throughout the economy.

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  • Newman, Andrew, 2000. "Competing for Ownership," CEPR Discussion Papers 2573, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:2573
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Contract theory; Mergers; Ownership; Shocks to distribution;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure

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