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A theory of supervision with endogenous transaction costs

Author

Listed:
  • Faure-Grimaud, Antoine
  • Laffont, Jean-Jacques
  • Martimort, David

Abstract

We propose a theory of supervision with endogenous transaction costs. A principal delegates part of his authority to a supervisor who can acquire soft information about an agent's productivity. If the supervisor were risk-neutral, the principal would simply make the better informed supervisor residual claimant for the hierarchy's profit. Under risk-aversion, the optimal contract trades-off the supervisor's incentives to reveal his information with an insurance motive. This contract can be identified with the one obtained in a simple hard information model of hierarchical collusion with exogenous transaction costs. Now, transaction costs are endogenous and depend on the collusion stake, the accuracy of the supervisory technology and the supervisor's degree of risk-aversion. We then discuss various implications of the model for the design and management of organisations.

Suggested Citation

  • Faure-Grimaud, Antoine & Laffont, Jean-Jacques & Martimort, David, 1998. "A theory of supervision with endogenous transaction costs," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 19356, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:19356
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    File URL: https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/19356/
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    Cited by:

    1. Philippe Bontems & Pierre Dubois & Tomislav Vukina, 2004. "Optimal Regulation of Private Production Contracts with Environmental Externalities," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 287-301, August.
    2. Faure-Grimaud, Antoine & Laffont, Jean-Jacques & Martimort, David, 1999. "The endogenous transaction costs of delegated auditing," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(4-6), pages 1039-1048, April.
    3. Jonathan Treussard, 2005. "Life-Cycle Consumption Plans and Portfolio Policies in a Heath-Jarrow-Morton Economy," Boston University - Department of Economics - Working Papers Series WP2005-033, Boston University - Department of Economics.
    4. Celik, Gorkem, 2009. "Mechanism design with collusive supervision," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 144(1), pages 69-95, January.
    5. Migrow, Dimitri, 2021. "Designing communication hierarchies," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    6. Scholz, Julia, 2008. "Auswirkungen vertikaler Kollusionsprobleme auf die vertragliche Ausgestaltung von Kreditverkäufen," Discussion Papers in Business Administration 4581, University of Munich, Munich School of Management.
    7. Laffont, Jean-Jacques, 1999. "Political economy, information and incentives1," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(4-6), pages 649-669, April.
    8. Ling‐Chieh Kung & Ying‐Ju Chen, 2011. "Monitoring the market or the salesperson? The value of information in a multilayer supply chain," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 58(8), pages 743-762, December.
    9. Billy Jack, 2003. "Comparing the distortionary effects of alternative in-kind intergovernmental transfers," Working Papers gueconwpa~03-03-17, Georgetown University, Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading

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