Dominant Investors and Strategic Transparency

37 Pages Posted: 29 Dec 2004 Last revised: 18 Jul 2014

See all articles by Enrico C. Perotti

Enrico C. Perotti

University of Amsterdam - Finance Group; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Ernst-Ludwig von Thadden

Universitaet Mannheim; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

Multiple version iconThere are 3 versions of this paper

Date Written: October 2004

Abstract

This article proposes a theory of corporate transparency and its determinants. We show that under imperfect product market competition, the corporate transparency decision affects the value of equity and debt claims differently. We then embed this insight in a model of endogenous investor influence in which banks may emerge as dominant investors. In line with evidence from continental Europe and Japan, we find that dominant creditors seek to decrease transparency below the level preferred by equity holders. The theory predicts a clustering of firm characteristics that emerge when capital markets are not sufficiently investor friendly to allow arm's-length monitoring: bank dominance, opaqueness, uncertainty about assets in place, low variability of profits, and reduced average profits.

Suggested Citation

Perotti, Enrico C. and von Thadden, Ernst-Ludwig, Dominant Investors and Strategic Transparency (October 2004). The Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 76-102, 2005, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=635621

Enrico C. Perotti

University of Amsterdam - Finance Group ( email )

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+31 20 525 5285 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.fee.uva.nl/fm/people/pero.htm

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

Ernst-Ludwig Von Thadden (Contact Author)

Universitaet Mannheim ( email )

Department of Economics
Mannheim, 68131
Germany

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

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