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How Organizational Hierarchy Affects Information Production

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Listed:
  • Janis Skrastins
  • Vikrant Vig

Abstract

We exploit a variation in organizational hierarchy induced by a reorganization plan implemented in roughly 2,000 bank branches in India. We do so to investigate how organizational hierarchy affects the allocation of credit. We find that increased hierarchization of a branch induces credit rationing, reduces loan performance, and generates standardization in loan contracts. Additionally, we find that hierarchical structures perform better in environments characterized by a high degree of corruption, highlighting the benefits of hierarchies in restraining rent-seeking activities. Overall, our results are consistent with the view that valuable information may be lost in hierarchical structures. Received May 4, 2018; editorial decision April 30, 2018 by Editor Itay Goldstein. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.

Suggested Citation

  • Janis Skrastins & Vikrant Vig, 2019. "How Organizational Hierarchy Affects Information Production," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 32(2), pages 564-604.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:rfinst:v:32:y:2019:i:2:p:564-604.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/rfs/hhy071
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    Cited by:

    1. Berger, Allen & Gao, Haoyu & Li, Xinming & Peng, Yuchao & Xie, Bingyuan, 2025. "The Perils of Speed: Branch Expansion and Bank Performance," MPRA Paper 125305, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Del Gaudio, Belinda L. & Salerno, Dario & Sampagnaro, Gabriele & Verdoliva, Vincenzo, 2022. "Misconduct risk in banking services: Does a propensity to be sanctioned exist?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    3. Geng, Chunxiao & Li, Donghui & Sun, Jian & Yuan, Chun, 2023. "Functional distance and bank loan pricing: Evidence from the opening of high-speed railway in China," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
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    5. Uluc Aysun, 2019. "Centralized versus Decentralized Banking: Bank-level evidence from U.S. Call Reports," Working Papers 2019-03, University of Central Florida, Department of Economics.
    6. Andrea Bellucci & Alexander Borisov & Alberto Zazzaro, 2023. "Authority, Information, And Credit Terms: Evidence From Small Business Lending," Mo.Fi.R. Working Papers 184, Money and Finance Research group (Mo.Fi.R.) - Univ. Politecnica Marche - Dept. Economic and Social Sciences.
    7. Shengrui Li & Leyi Chen & Yushuang Li & Ling Liu, 2024. "Financial Density and Innovation Quality: Evidence from the Geographic Distribution of Financial Institutions in China," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(4), pages 16868-16912, December.
    8. Li, Wanli & Shen, Zhixuan & Wen, Xi, 2025. "Access to banking and corporate dividend policy: Evidence from the distribution of bank branches in China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    9. Hagendorff, Jens & Nguyen, Duc Duy & Sila, Vathunyoo, 2022. "Does marriage equality promote credit access? Evidence from same-sex marriage laws," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    10. Lončarski, Igor & Marinč, Matej, 2020. "The political economy of relationship banking," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    11. Li, Donghui & Li, Yuan & Yuan, Chun, 2025. "Broadband policy and bank loans," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    12. Andrea Bellucci & Alexander Borisov & Alberto Zazzaro, 2025. "Organizational Monitoring Costs And Loan Contract Standardization," Mo.Fi.R. Working Papers 194, Money and Finance Research group (Mo.Fi.R.) - Univ. Politecnica Marche - Dept. Economic and Social Sciences.
    13. John B. Taylor & Volker Wieland, 2016. "Finding the Equilibrium Real Interest Rate in a Fog of Policy Deviations," Business Economics, Palgrave Macmillan;National Association for Business Economics, vol. 51(3), pages 147-154, July.
    14. Francis Osei-Tutu, 2022. "High Corruption, Less Bank Efficiency?," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 64(3), pages 540-561, September.
    15. Kai Tang & Qianbo Chen & Weijie Tan & Yi Jun Wu Feng, 2022. "The Impact of Financial Deepening on Carbon Reductions in China: Evidence from City- and Enterprise-Level Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-15, September.
    16. Giorgio Calcagnini & Rebel Cole & Germana Giombini & Giuseppe Travaglini, 2019. "Bank Loan Deterioration: Is It All Fault of the Crisis?," Working Papers 1907, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Economics, Society & Politics - Scientific Committee - L. Stefanini & G. Travaglini, revised 2019.
    17. Senay Agca & Pablo Slutzky & Stefan Zeume, 2021. "Anti-Money Laundering Enforcement, Banks, and the Real Economy," Working Papers 2021-20, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.
    18. Lai, Shaojie & Chen, Lihan & Wang, Qing Sophie & Anderson, Hamish D., 2023. "Bank competition and corporate employment: Evidence from the geographic distribution of bank branches in China," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    19. Dang, Viet Anh & Lee, Edward & Liu, Yangke & Zeng, Cheng, 2022. "Bank deregulation and stock price crash risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    20. Uluc Aysun, 2022. "Centralized versus decentralized drivers of subsidiary lending: evidence from US Call Reports," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 62(4), pages 1687-1714, April.
    21. Chen Jiachun & Hou Qingsong & Li Shanmin, 2024. "Rent‐seeking or value‐creating? The impact of managerial autonomy from state‐built corporate pyramids on M&A performance," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 64(4), pages 4359-4391, December.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General

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