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Executive and non-executive employee ownership and bank risk: Evidence from European banks

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  • Lepetit, Laetitia
  • Tran, Phan Huy Hieu
  • Tran, Thu Ha

Abstract

Our study investigates how executive and non-executive employee ownership affects the risk-taking behavior of European banks, which has become an important issue for regulators as supportive policies promoting employee ownership are implemented. The extant literature on banking firms provides mixed results, focusing exclusively on executive ownership. We investigate channels that could shed light on the inconsistent of these findings. Using data from 2005 to 2019, we find that both executive and non-executive ownership are associated with lower bank risk, depending on employee ability and incentives to take risks. We address endogeneity issues related to banking risk and employee ownership by considering employees' long-term orientation. Our results indicate that policymakers should encourage broad-based employee ownership plans in the banking industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Lepetit, Laetitia & Tran, Phan Huy Hieu & Tran, Thu Ha, 2023. "Executive and non-executive employee ownership and bank risk: Evidence from European banks," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 291-319.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:quaeco:v:92:y:2023:i:c:p:291-319
    DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2023.10.009
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Employee ownership; Non-executive ownership; Bank risk;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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