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A Dynamic Theory of Optimal Capital Structure and Executive Compensation

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  • Andrew Atkeson
  • Harold Cole

Abstract

We put forward a theory of the optimal capital structure of the firm based on Jensen's (1986) hypothesis that a firm's choice of capital structure is determined by a trade-off between agency costs and monitoring costs. We model this tradeoff dynamically. We assume that early on in the production process, outside investors face an informational friction with respect to withdrawing funds from the firm which dissipates over time. We assume that they also face an agency friction which increases over time with respect to funds left inside the firm. The problem of determining the optimal capital structure of the firm as well as the optimal compensation of the manager is then a problem of choosing payments to outside investors and the manager at each stage of production to balance these two frictions.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Atkeson & Harold Cole, 2005. "A Dynamic Theory of Optimal Capital Structure and Executive Compensation," NBER Working Papers 11083, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:11083
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    Cited by:

    1. Cao, Dan & Lorenzoni, Guido & Walentin, Karl, 2019. "Financial frictions, investment, and Tobin’s q," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 105-122.
    2. Antoine L. Noël & Amy Hongfei Sun, 2021. "Information Transparency of Firm Financing," Working Paper 1459, Economics Department, Queen's University.
    3. Кокорева Мария Сергеевна & Степанова Анастасия Николаевна, 2012. "Financial architecture and corporate performance: evidence from Russia," Journal of Corporate Finance Research Корпоративные финансы, CyberLeninka;Федеральное государственное автономное образовательное учреждение высшего образования «Национальный исследовательский университет «Высшая школа экономики», issue 2 (22), pages 34-44.
    4. Mele, Antonio, 2014. "Repeated moral hazard and recursive Lagrangeans," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 69-85.
    5. Th'eo Durandard, 2023. "Dynamic delegation in promotion contests," Papers 2308.05668, arXiv.org.
    6. Harold Cole & Felix Kubler, 2012. "Recursive Contracts, Lotteries and Weakly Concave Pareto Sets," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 15(4), pages 479-500, October.
    7. Syed Muhammad Javed & Agha Jahanzeb & Saif-ur-Rehman, 2012. "A Critical Review of Capital Structure Theories," Information Management and Business Review, AMH International, vol. 4(11), pages 553-557.
    8. Lustig, Hanno & Syverson, Chad & Van Nieuwerburgh, Stijn, 2011. "Technological change and the growing inequality in managerial compensation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(3), pages 601-627, March.
    9. Daniel F. Garrett & Alessandro Pavan, 2012. "Managerial Turnover in a Changing World," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 120(5), pages 879-925.
    10. Harold L. Cole, 2008. "Self-Enforcing Stochastic Monitoring and the Separation of Debt and Equity Claims," NBER Working Papers 14480, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Popescu Luigi & Visinescu Sorin, 2009. "A Review Of The Capital Structure Theories," Annals of Faculty of Economics, University of Oradea, Faculty of Economics, vol. 3(1), pages 315-320, May.
    12. Karl Walentin & Guido Lorenzoni & Dan Cao, 2013. "Financial Frictions, Investment and Tobin’s q," 2013 Meeting Papers 634, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    13. Visinescu, Sorin & Micuda, Dan, 2009. "Some aspects regarding the financial structure theories," MPRA Paper 30412, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    JEL classification:

    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance

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