We show that the intuition underlying the supplier-induced demand (SID) hypothesis is reflected in the cheap-talk literature from game theory, and in the credence-good literature from the economics of information. Applying these theories, we conclude that a neoclassical version of the SID...

This paper distinguishes between two scenarios for the physician-patient encounter. In the cure scenario, the patient does not know whether a loss can be recovered. In the prevention scenario, the patient faces a threat but does not know whether this threat is real enough to justify preventive...

The literature on the electronic mail game shows that players' mutual expectations may lock them into requiring an inefficiently large number of confirmations and confirmations of confirmations from one another. This paper shows that this result hinges on the assumption that, with the exception...

Holding companies, which play an important role in corporate finance in Belgium and in other Continental European countries, often trade at a discount to their estimated net asset value (NAV). In the first part of this paper, we provide a structured analysis of possible explanations for the...

Business groups have the potential both to offer benefits to member companies, and to destroy value. A number of studies find that group affiliation creates value for companies in emerging markets like Chile, India, Korea and Turkey. This raises the question whether business groups can also...

In Belgian corporate groups, complex pyramidal structures and interlocking ownership lead to separation of ownership and control. This may generate incentives for the controlling shareholder to divert resources within the group through intragroup equity sales. This in turn could lead to...