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Contracting for Information under Imperfect Commitment

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Author Info
Vijay Krishna (Department of Economics, Penn State University)
John Morgan (Haas School of Business & Department of Economics, University of California, Berkeley)

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Abstract

Organizational theory suggests that authority should lie in the hands of those with information, yet the power to transfer authority is rarely absolute in practice. We investigate the validity and application of this advice in a model of optimal contracting between an uninformed principal and informed agent where the principal's commitment power is imperfect. We show that while full alignment of interests combined with delegation of authority is feasible, it is never optimal. The optimal contract is 'bang-bang'---in one region of the state space, full alignment takes place, in the other, no alignment takes place. We then compare these contracts to those in which the principal has full commitment power as well as to several 'informal' institutional arrangements.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by EconWPA in its series Microeconomics with number 0504006.

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Length: 38 pages
Date of creation: 14 Apr 2005
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Handle: RePEc:wpa:wuwpmi:0504006

Note: Type of Document - pdf; pages: 38
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Web page: http://129.3.20.41

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Related research
Keywords: Imperfect commitment; optimal contracting; delegation;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Gilligan, Thomas W & Krehbiel, Keith, 1987. "Collective Decisionmaking and Standing Committees: An Informational Rationale for Restrictive Amendment Procedures," Journal of Law, Economics and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 3(2), pages 287-335, Fall.
  2. Bester, Helmut & Strausz, Roland, 2001. "Contracting with Imperfect Commitment and the Revelation Principle: The Single Agent Case," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 69(4), pages 1077-98, July.
  3. Aghion, Philippe & Tirole, Jean, 1997. "Formal and Real Authority in Organizations," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 105(1), pages 1-29, February.
    Other versions:
  4. Bajari, Patrick & Tadelis, Steven, 2001. "Incentives versus Transaction Costs: A Theory of Procurement Contracts," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 32(3), pages 387-407, Autumn.
    Other versions:
  5. Prendergast, Canice, 1993. "A Theory of "Yes Men."," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(4), pages 757-70, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Sappington, David, 1983. "Limited liability contracts between principal and agent," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 1-21, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Gilligan, Thomas W. & Krehbiel, Keith., 1987. "Collective Decision-Making and Standing Committees: An Informational Rational for Restrictive Amendment Procedures," Working Papers 632, California Institute of Technology, Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences. [Downloadable!]
  8. Crawford, Vincent P & Sobel, Joel, 1982. "Strategic Information Transmission," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(6), pages 1431-51, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Dessein, Wouter, 2002. "Authority and Communication in Organizations," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 69(4), pages 811-38, October.
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Helmut Bester, 2005. "Externalities, Communication and the Allocation of Decision Rights," Discussion Papers 69, SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Alonso, Ricardo & Matouschek, Niko, 2005. "Relational Delegation," CEPR Discussion Papers 4870, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Alonso, Ricardo & Matouschek, Niko, 2005. "Relational Delegation," IZA Discussion Papers 1454, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  4. Susan Athey & Ilya Segal, 2007. "An Efficient Dynamic Mechanism," Levine's Bibliography 122247000000001134, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  5. Helmut Bester & Daniel Krähmer, 2008. "Exit Options in Incomplete Contracts with Asymmetric Information," Discussion Papers 251, SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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