Firm Specific Human Capital Investment in an Agency Relationship
49 Pages Posted: 10 May 2017
Date Written: April 16, 2017
Abstract
This paper considers the twofold problem of compensation contracting and the design of a human capital investment scheme. Before contracting the principal and the agent can engage in a joint stochastic production process of exerting effort to raise the agent’s productivity in the firm. The principal can employ synchronous effort exertion or either actor can assume a leadership role. We determine which organizational design is best for the principal at the endogenously optimal compensation contract, depending on how the efforts interact. We also determine when it is optimal for the principal to subsidize the agent to improve profitability.
Keywords: Firm Specific Human Capital, Investment Design, Agency
JEL Classification: L20, L21, L22, L23
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation