Download This PaperThe Costs and Benefits of Shareholder Democracy: Gadflies and Low-Cost Activism
Review of Financial Studies, forthcoming
Swedish House of Finance Research Paper No. 18-15
European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) - Finance Working Paper No. 586/2018
80 Pages Posted: 18 Oct 2018 Last revised: 5 Oct 2020
There are 2 versions of this paper
The Costs and Benefits of Shareholder Democracy: Gadflies and Low-Cost Activism
The Costs and Benefits of Shareholder Democracy
Date Written: September 26, 2020
Abstract
We show that there is cross-sectional variation in the quality of shareholder proposals. On average, the proposals submitted by the most active individual sponsors are less likely to be supported by a majority of votes, but they occasionally pass if shareholders mistakenly support them and may even be implemented due to directors’ career concerns. While gadflies’ proposals destroy shareholder value if they pass, shareholder proposals on average are value-enhancing in firms with more informed shareholders. We conclude that more informed voting could increase the benefits associated with shareholder proposals.
Keywords: Shareholder Activism; Shareholder Proposals; Shareholder Voting; Corporate Governance
JEL Classification: G3; D72
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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