William W. Bratton

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Nicholas F. Gallicchio Professor of Law Emeritus

3501 Sansom Street

Philadelphia, PA 19104

United States

University of Miami School of Law

de law Cruz Mentschikoff Chair in Law and Economics and Senior Lecturer

P.O. Box 248087

Coral Gables, FL 33146

United States

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

Research Associate

c/o ECARES ULB CP 114

B-1050

Brussels

Belgium

http://www.ecgi.org

  • University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

  • University of Miami School of Law

  • European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

SCHOLARLY PAPERS

42

DOWNLOADS
Rank 309

SSRN RANKINGS

Top 309

in Total Papers Downloads

55,211

SSRN CITATIONS
Rank 5,089

SSRN RANKINGS

Top 5,089

in Total Papers Citations

58

CROSSREF CITATIONS

176

Scholarly Papers (42)

Actions:
Email selected abstracts
1.

Enron and the Dark Side of Shareholder Value

Tulane Law Review, May 2002, Forthcoming
Number of pages: 79 Posted: 02 Mar 2002
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 10,940 (430)
Citation 31

Abstract:

Loading...

2.

Enron, Sarbanes-Oxley and Accounting: Rules Versus Principles Versus Rents

Villanova Law Review, Vol. 48, No. 4, p. 1023, 2003
Number of pages: 35 Posted: 26 Nov 2003
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 5,010 (1,678)
Citation 12

Abstract:

Loading...

Enron, Corporate Governance, Securities Law, Corporate Law, Sarbanes-Oxley

3.

A Transactional Genealogy of Scandal: From Michael Milken to Enron to Goldman Sachs

Southern California Law Review, Vol. 86, pp. 783-868 (2013)
Number of pages: 86 Posted: 15 Aug 2012 Last Revised: 13 Dec 2014
William W. Bratton and Adam J. Levitin
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 3,648 (2,917)
Citation 1

Abstract:

Loading...

securitization, derivatives, CDO, CBO, CDS, Milken, Enron, SIV, Abacus, First Executive, Imperial Corporation, structured finance, firm, fiduciary, scandal, swaps, SPE, SPV

4.

Comparative Corporate Governance and the Theory of the Firm: The Case Against Global Cross Reference

Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, Vol. 38, No. 2, 1999
Number of pages: 62 Posted: 26 Feb 2000
William W. Bratton and Joseph A. McCahery
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Tilburg University - School of Law; European Banking Center (EBC)
Downloads 3,559 (3,036)
Citation 22

Abstract:

Loading...

5.

Hedge Funds and Governance Targets

Georgetown Law Journal, Vol. 95, p. 1375, 2007
Number of pages: 59 Posted: 06 Sep 2006 Last Revised: 22 Jan 2019
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 2,986 (4,116)
Citation 36

Abstract:

Loading...

corporate governance, corporations, dividends, hedge funds, proxy voting, shareholder activism, securities regulation

6.

The New Dividend Puzzle

Georgetown Law Journal, Vol. 93, p. 845, 2005
Number of pages: 51 Posted: 28 Apr 2004 Last Revised: 14 Aug 2010
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 2,593 (5,228)

Abstract:

Loading...

7.

Berle and Means Reconsidered at the Century's Turn

Downloads 2,515 ( 5,484)
Citation 11

Berle and Means Reconsidered at the Century's Turn

Journal of Corporation Law, Vol. 26, No. 3, 2001
Number of pages: 40 Posted: 31 Jan 2001
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 1,437 (13,527)
Citation 8

Abstract:

Loading...

Berle and Means Reconsidered at the Century's Turn

Journal of Corporation Law, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 737-770, Spring 2001
Number of pages: 34 Posted: 16 Nov 2001
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 1,078 (20,965)
Citation 12

Abstract:

Loading...

8.

How Does Corporate Mobility Affect Lawmaking? A Comparative Analysis

ECGI - Law Working Paper No. 91/2008
Number of pages: 44 Posted: 25 Jan 2008 Last Revised: 22 Jan 2019
William W. Bratton, Joseph A. McCahery and Erik P. M. Vermeulen
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, Tilburg University - School of Law; European Banking Center (EBC) and Tilburg University - Department of Business Law
Downloads 2,486 (5,604)
Citation 1

Abstract:

Loading...

corporate mobility, costs of regulation, regulatory competition

9.

The Case Against Shareholder Empowerment

University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 158, p. 653, 2010
Number of pages: 76 Posted: 01 Oct 2009 Last Revised: 04 Apr 2010
William W. Bratton and Michael L. Wachter
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and University of Pennsylvania Law School - Institute for Law and Economics
Downloads 2,143 (7,182)
Citation 33

Abstract:

Loading...

Corporations, corporate governance, financial crisis, law reform, regulatory reform, shareholder wealth maximization, shareholder primacy, risk management, leverage, high risk strategies, balance of power between directors and shareholders, agency costs

10.

Shareholder Primacy's Corporatist Origins: Adolf Berle and 'The Modern Corporation'

U of Penn, Inst for Law & Econ Research Paper No. 07-24
Number of pages: 54 Posted: 16 Oct 2007 Last Revised: 13 May 2009
William W. Bratton and Michael L. Wachter
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and University of Pennsylvania Law School - Institute for Law and Economics
Downloads 2,130 (7,266)
Citation 7

Abstract:

Loading...

Adolf Berle, E. Merrick Dodd, corporate social responsibility, CSR, shareholder primacy, social welfare

11.

Bond Covenants and Creditor Protection: Economics and Law, Theory and Practice, Substance and Process

European Business Organization Law Review (EBOR), Forthcoming
Number of pages: 37 Posted: 17 May 2006
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 1,395 (14,457)
Citation 2

Abstract:

Loading...

agency costs, bank loans, bonds and bondholders, bond covenants, creditors' rights, legal capital, private placements, trust indentures

12.

Venture Capital on the Downside: Preferred Stock and Corporate Control

Michigan Law Review, Vol. 100, No. 5, March 2002, Forthcoming
Number of pages: 76 Posted: 22 Nov 2001
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 1,344 (15,287)
Citation 3

Abstract:

Loading...

13.

Fiscal Federalism, Jurisdictional Competition and Tax Coordination: Translating Theory to Policy in the European Union

George Washington University Law School, Public Law and Legal Theory Working Paper No. 006
Number of pages: 50 Posted: 23 Feb 2000
William W. Bratton and Joseph A. McCahery
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Tilburg University - School of Law; European Banking Center (EBC)
Downloads 1,343 (15,311)
Citation 9

Abstract:

Loading...

14.

Sovereign Debt Restructuring and the Best Interest of Creditors

Vanderbilt Law Review, Vol. 57, Pg. 1, 2004
Number of pages: 79 Posted: 14 Mar 2003 Last Revised: 25 Dec 2014
William W. Bratton and G. Mitu Gulati
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Duke University School of Law
Downloads 1,039 (22,533)
Citation 9

Abstract:

Loading...

15.

Rules, Principles, and the Accounting Crisis in the United States

Downloads 926 ( 26,619)
Citation 2

Rules, Principles, and the Accounting Crisis in the United States

European Business Organization Law Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2004
Number of pages: 32 Posted: 15 Nov 2004
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 926 (26,194)
Citation 2

Abstract:

Loading...

Corporation and securities law, illegal behaviour, enforcement of law, accounting, auditing

Rules, Principles, and the Accounting Crisis in the United States

European Business Organization Law Review (EBOR), Vol. 5, No. 1, 2004
Posted: 30 Sep 2004
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Abstract:

Loading...

Corporation and securities law, illegal behaviour, enforcement of law, accounting, auditing

16.

The New Bond Workouts

University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 166, No. 1597, 2018
Number of pages: 78 Posted: 03 Mar 2017 Last Revised: 11 Dec 2018
William W. Bratton and Adam J. Levitin
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 923 (26,763)
Citation 2

Abstract:

Loading...

Corporations, Bankruptcy, Corporate Finance, Securities, Bonds, Financial Distress, Reorganizations, Debt Restructuring, Trust Indenture Act, Collective Action Clauses, Unanimous Action Clause, Creditor Coercion, Exit Consents, Intercreditor Duty of Good Faith

17.

Shareholder Value, Financial Conservatism, and Auditor Independence

Duke Law Journal, Vol. 53, No. 2
Number of pages: 38 Posted: 10 Oct 2003
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 837 (30,779)

Abstract:

Loading...

18.

A Theory of Preferred Stock

University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 161, P. 1815, 2013
Number of pages: 92 Posted: 10 Feb 2013 Last Revised: 22 Jan 2019
William W. Bratton and Michael L. Wachter
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and University of Pennsylvania Law School - Institute for Law and Economics
Downloads 763 (34,910)
Citation 4

Abstract:

Loading...

Preferred shares, corporate equity, contractual debt, corporate finance, corporation law, securities law

19.

Treatment Differences and Political Realities in the GAAP-IFRS Debate

Virginia Law Review, Vol. 95, p. 989, 2009
Number of pages: 35 Posted: 10 Apr 2009 Last Revised: 13 Aug 2010
William W. Bratton and Lawrence A. Cunningham
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and George Washington University
Downloads 748 (35,880)

Abstract:

Loading...

GAAP, IFRS, FASB, Securities Exchange Commission

20.

The Equilibrium Content of Corporate Federalism

Wake Forest Law Review, Vol. 41, No. 3, p. 619, 2006
Number of pages: 78 Posted: 10 Dec 2004 Last Revised: 22 Jan 2019
William W. Bratton and Joseph A. McCahery
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Tilburg University - School of Law; European Banking Center (EBC)
Downloads 740 (36,407)
Citation 7

Abstract:

Loading...

corporate law, corporate federalism, Delaware, shareholder value, fiduciary law

21.

The Political Economy of Fraud on the Market

University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 160, p. 69, 2011
Number of pages: 101 Posted: 28 Apr 2011 Last Revised: 20 Dec 2011
William W. Bratton and Michael L. Wachter
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and University of Pennsylvania Law School - Institute for Law and Economics
Downloads 734 (36,821)

Abstract:

Loading...

Antifraud, class actions, corporate governance, law reform, Securities and Exchange Commission, securities regulation, shareholder rights

22.

Private Standards, Public Governance: A New Look at the Financial Accounting Standards Board

Boston College Law Review, Vol 48, Pg. 5, 2007
Number of pages: 50 Posted: 17 May 2006 Last Revised: 13 May 2011
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 727 (37,297)

Abstract:

Loading...

Accounting, Securities Regulation, Administrative Law

23.

Pari Passu and a Distressed Sovereign's Rational Choices

Emory Law Journal, Vol. 53, p. 823, 2004
Number of pages: 45 Posted: 20 Feb 2004 Last Revised: 14 Aug 2010
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 554 (53,315)
Citation 5

Abstract:

Loading...

24.

The Academic Tournament Over Executive Compensation

California Law Review, Vol. 93, No. 5, 2005
Number of pages: 26 Posted: 08 Mar 2005
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 462 (66,952)

Abstract:

Loading...

25.

Hedge Funds and Governance Targets: Long-Term Results

University of Pennsylvania Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper No. 10-17
Number of pages: 32 Posted: 15 Sep 2010
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 459 (67,502)
Citation 3

Abstract:

Loading...

Corporate Finance, Hedge Funds, Empirical Research, Financial Performance, Changes External to the Investment Target, Value Creation

26.

Hedge Fund Activism, Poison Pills, and the Jurisprudence of Threat

in The Corporate Contract In Changing Times: Is the Law Keeping Up? (William Savitt, Steven Davidoff Solomon, Randall Thomas eds.), Forthcoming
Number of pages: 34 Posted: 08 Sep 2016 Last Revised: 24 Sep 2016
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 416 (76,016)

Abstract:

Loading...

Business Organizations, Corporations, Corporate Control, Corporate Governance, Corporate Voting, Merger, Mergers and Acquisitions Litigation, Proxy Contests, Restructuring, Shareholding, Takeover, Takeovers

27.

The Separation of Corporate Law and Social Welfare

Washington and Lee Law Review, Vol. 74, p. 767, 2017
Number of pages: 24 Posted: 04 Mar 2017 Last Revised: 01 Mar 2019
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 407 (77,963)

Abstract:

Loading...

Corporate governance, corporation law, corporate legal theory, shareholder value, agency costs, shareholder empowerment, wealth maximization, law and economics, social responsibility, legal history, welfare economics

28.

Bankers and Chancellors

Texas Law Review, Vol. 93, P. 1, 2014
Number of pages: 84 Posted: 07 Jun 2014 Last Revised: 13 Dec 2014
William W. Bratton and Michael L. Wachter
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and University of Pennsylvania Law School - Institute for Law and Economics
Downloads 385 (83,146)

Abstract:

Loading...

Corporation law, mergers and acquisitions, M & A, M&A, takeovers, corporate finance, investment banking, conflicts of interest, fiduciary v. contractual relationships, conflict management, reputational marketplace

29.

Welfare, Dialectic, and Mediation in Corporate Law

Berkeley Business Law Journal, Vol. 2
Number of pages: 16 Posted: 08 Mar 2005
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 384 (83,394)
Citation 1

Abstract:

Loading...

30.

Introduction to Institutional Investor Activism: Hedge Funds and Private Equity, Economics and Regulation

Institutional Investor Activism: Hedge Funds and Private Equity, Economics and Regulation (William W. Bratton and Joseph A. McCahery eds., Oxford University Press, 2015)
Number of pages: 49 Posted: 28 May 2016
William W. Bratton and Joseph A. McCahery
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Tilburg University - School of Law; European Banking Center (EBC)
Downloads 365 (88,462)
Citation 1

Abstract:

Loading...

Law and economics, corporate governance and control, securities law and regulation, institutional investors, shareholder activism, European Union, firm financial performance, mergers and acquisitions, M&A, bankruptcy, takeovers

31.

Restoring Trust in America's Business Institutions

Georgetown Law and Economics Research Paper No. 784526
Number of pages: 143 Posted: 24 Aug 2005
William W. Bratton and Margaret M. Blair
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Vanderbilt University - Law School
Downloads 339 (96,215)

Abstract:

Loading...

32.

Tracking Berle’s Footsteps: The Trail of The Modern Corporation’s Last Chapter

Seattle University Law Review, Vol. 33, p. 849, 2010
Number of pages: 28 Posted: 12 Sep 2010
William W. Bratton and Michael L. Wachter
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and University of Pennsylvania Law School - Institute for Law and Economics
Downloads 292 (113,235)

Abstract:

Loading...

Corporations, Adolf Berle, corporatism, corporate social responsibility, social welfare, public interest, deregulation, regulatory state, corporate compliance, separation of ownership and control

33.

Lyondell: A Note of Approbation

New York Law School Law Review, Vol. 55, Pg. 561, 2010/11
Number of pages: 19 Posted: 16 Oct 2010 Last Revised: 02 Apr 2011
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 263 (126,473)

Abstract:

Loading...

corporate law, fiduciary duty, Delaware courts, good faith, Revlon scrutiny, mergers

34.

The Modern Corporation and Private Property Revisited: Gardiner Means and the Administered Price

Seattle University Law Review, Vol. 42, p. 591, 2019
Number of pages: 32 Posted: 12 Sep 2018 Last Revised: 18 Jan 2020
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 237 (140,444)

Abstract:

Loading...

Berle & Means, separation of ownership & control, corporate governance, corporate legal history, corporatism, theory of administered prices, corporate concentration, inflexible prices

35.

Supersize Pay, Incentive Compatibility, and the Volatile Model of the Shareholder

Georgetown Law and Economics Research Paper No. 808027
Number of pages: 46 Posted: 29 Sep 2005 Last Revised: 12 Aug 2010
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 235 (141,578)

Abstract:

Loading...

36.

Shareholders and Social Welfare

Seattle University Law Review, Vol. 36, p. 489, 2013
Number of pages: 40 Posted: 26 Jun 2013
William W. Bratton and Michael L. Wachter
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and University of Pennsylvania Law School - Institute for Law and Economics
Downloads 233 (142,784)

Abstract:

Loading...

Corporate governance, securities, management, shareholder value, shareholder empowerment, agency cost, wealth distribution, financial markets, law and economics

37.

Corporate Law and the Myth of Efficient Market Control

Cornell Law Review, Forthcoming
Number of pages: 49 Posted: 10 May 2019
William W. Bratton and Simone M. Sepe
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and University of Arizona - James E. Rogers College of Law
Downloads 206 (160,528)

Abstract:

Loading...

corporate governance, theory of the firm, management agency costs

38.

Framing a Purpose for Corporate Law

Journal of Corporation Law, Vol. 39, P. 713, 2014
Number of pages: 13 Posted: 08 Sep 2016
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Downloads 201 (164,247)

Abstract:

Loading...

Corporate Governance, Corporation Law, Corporate Legal Theory, Utility Maximization, Shareholder Value, Welfare Consequentialism, Efficiency, Competition

39.

A Tale of Two Markets: Regulation and Innovation in Post-Crisis Mortgage and Structured Finance Markets

U of Penn, Inst for Law & Econ Research Paper No. 19-33 (2019)
Number of pages: 90 Posted: 23 Aug 2019
William W. Bratton and Adam J. Levitin
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Georgetown University Law Center
Downloads 149 (213,321)

Abstract:

Loading...

structured products, financial crisis, securitization, financial regulation, home mortgages

40.

Foreword: Bankruptcy’s New and Old Frontiers

University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. 166, Pg. 1571, 2018
Number of pages: 27 Posted: 11 Dec 2018
William W. Bratton and David A. Skeel
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and University of Pennsylvania Law School
Downloads 95 (296,753)

Abstract:

Loading...

Bankruptcy law, legal history, corporate reorganization, financial distress, 1978 Bankruptcy Code, Trust Indenture Act, Chapter 11, receivership, debtor in possession, securities, judges, judicial oversight, consensual agreements

41.

Deadweight Costs and Intrinsic Wrongs of Nativism: Economics, Freedom, and Legal Suppression of Spanish

Cornell Law Review, Vol. 84, P. 595, 1999
Posted: 23 Jun 1999
Drucilla Cornell and William W. Bratton
Rutgers University School of Law and University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Abstract:

Loading...

42.

Dividends, Noncontractibility and Corporate Law

Cardozo Law Review, Vol. 19, No. 2 (1997) (Symposium on the Essays of Warren Buffett)
Posted: 09 Apr 1997
William W. Bratton
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Abstract:

Loading...