Executive Compensation: A Modern Primer
Journal of Economic Literature 54(4), 1232-1287
European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) - Finance Working Paper No. 450/2015
79 Pages Posted: 13 Mar 2015 Last revised: 10 Feb 2020
There are 3 versions of this paper
Executive Compensation: A Modern Primer
Executive Compensation: A Modern Primer
Executive Compensation: A Modern Primer
Date Written: June 26, 2017
Abstract
This article studies traditional and modern theories of executive compensation, bringing them together under a simple unifying framework accessible to the general-interest reader. We analyze assignment models of the level of pay, and static and dynamic moral hazard models of incentives, and compare their predictions to empirical findings. We make two broad points. First, traditional theories find it difficult to explain the data, suggesting that compensation results from “rent extraction” by CEOs. However, more modern “shareholder value” theories that arguably better capture the CEO setting do deliver predictions consistent with observed practices, suggesting that these practices need not be inefficient. Second, seemingly innocuous features of the modeling setup, often made for tractability or convenience, can lead to significant differences in the model’s implications and conclusions on the efficiency of observed practices. We close by highlighting apparent inefficiencies in executive compensation and additional directions for future research.
Keywords: Executive compensation, contract theory, principal-agent problem, rent extraction, optimal contracting
JEL Classification: D86, G34
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation