Managerial Incentives and Voluntary Turnover

We study the issue to managerial retention by examining the relation between managerial incentives and voluntary turnover. Our analysis uses a unique dataset which comprises of over 3,000 managerial turnovers about a third of which are voluntary. We find that firms that have a higher inequality in their compensation schemes are more likely to experience higher resignations. We also find that managers take into account their compensation relative to their peers within the firm as well as those in the market, in their resignation decisions. The likelihood of resignations is also affected by the mix of short-term and long-term compensation, equity ownership in the firm, and the overall level of compensation inequality among top executives