In the nineties, average firm size decreased, organisations decentralized, and workers preferences shifted from large to small firms. Our model identifies the economic forces behind this trend. Small firms with little capital at risk are subject to risk-shifting. They realize more of their...

This paper analyzes workers' choices to sort in large and small firms. Workers care to realize their ideas as they share the associated benefits with the firm. Small firms being less capitalized are more inclined to realize their workers' risky ideas, but better capitalized firms provide safe...

We show that the availability of finance affects firms not only through financial markets, but also through the labour market. In our model, talented workers care for realizing their ideas because this can increase their lifetime income, but they also wish to be insured against income risk....

We show that the availability of finance affects firms not only through financial markets, but also through the labor market. In our model, talented workers care for realizing their ideas because this can increase their lifetime income, but they also wish to be insured against income risk. Large...

Exploiting China's anti-corruption campaign, we show that following a decrease in corruption, firm performance improves. Small and young firms benefit more. We identify the channels through which corruption hampers firm performance. Following the anti-corruption campaign, the allocation of...

In the nineties, average firm size decreased, organizations decentralized, and workers preferences shifted from large to small firms. Our model identifies the economic forces behind this trend. Small firms with little capital risk are subject to risk shifting. They realize more of their...

Public outrage over executive compensation reached an all time high during the financial crisis. Around the world, many argued that CEOs and boards were immoral in setting their pay and pressured governments to impose restrictions on executive pay. Using a unique sample of data on human values...

This paper shows that the quality of laws, by affecting the cost of investment for outside investors, has an effect on risk sharing and, through it, on the availability of external finance to firms. If, because of high investment costs, the provision of finance to projects is concentrated in few...

This paper investigates the relation between financial development and firm size. The model shows that the quality of laws, by affecting the level of monitoring costs, has an effect on risk sharing and, through this channel, on the investor basis and the availability of external finance to...

We proxy for board members' opinions and values using directors' ancestral origins and show that diversity has costs and benefits, which lead to high performance volatility. Consistent with the idea that diverse groups experiment more, firms with ancestrally diverse boards have more numerous and...