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Relational Contracting, Negotiation, and External Enforcement

Author

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  • Watson, Joel
  • Miller, David A
  • Olsen, Trond E

Abstract

We study relational contracting and renegotiation in environments with external enforcement of long-term contractual arrangements. A long-term contract governs the stage games that the contracting parties will play in the future (depending on verifiable stage-game outcomes) until they renegotiate. In a contractual equilibrium, the parties choose their individual actions rationally, jointly optimize when selecting a contract, and exercise their relative bargaining power. Our main result is that in a wide variety of settings, the optimal contract is semi-stationary, with stationary terms for all future periods but special terms for the current period. In each period the parties renegotiate to this same contract. For example, in a simple principal-agent model with a choice of costly monitoring technology, the optimal contract specifies mild monitoring for the current period but intense monitoring for future periods. Because the parties renegotiate in each new period, intense monitoring arises only off the equilibrium path after a failed renegotiation. (JEL C73, C78, D23, D86)

Suggested Citation

  • Watson, Joel & Miller, David A & Olsen, Trond E, 2020. "Relational Contracting, Negotiation, and External Enforcement," University of California at San Diego, Economics Working Paper Series qt6ts1j6hf, Department of Economics, UC San Diego.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:ucsdec:qt6ts1j6hf
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Nageeb Ali, S. & Chen-Zion, Ayal & Lillethun, Erik, 2024. "Reselling information," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 23-43.
    2. Jin‐Hyuk Kim & Nick Vikander, 2023. "Commitment and discretion in contracts: theory and evidence from retirement plans," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 125(2), pages 461-488, April.
    3. Ola Kvaløy & Trond E. Olsen, 2023. "Balanced Scorecards: A Relational Contract Approach," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 61(2), pages 619-652, May.
    4. Fahn, Matthias & MacLeod, W. Bentley & Muehlheusser, Gerd, 2023. "Past and Future Developments in the Economics of Relational Contracts," IZA Discussion Papers 16427, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Watson, Joel, 2021. "Theoretical Foundations of Relational Incentive Contracts," University of California at San Diego, Economics Working Paper Series qt19f9w2xf, Department of Economics, UC San Diego.
    6. Zhiming Ma & Kirill E. Novoselov & Derrald Stice & Yue Zhang, 2024. "Firm innovation and covenant tightness," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 151-193, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • C73 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Stochastic and Dynamic Games; Evolutionary Games
    • C78 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Bargaining Theory; Matching Theory
    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • D86 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Economics of Contract Law

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