We test under what circumstances boards discipline managers and whether such interventions improve performance. We exploit exogenous variation due to the staggered adoption of corporate governance laws in formerly Communist countries coupled with detailed 'hard' information about the board's...

Since the beginning of the financial crisis, one of the key challenges of the economic policy has been to boost the growth of firms, particularly in the CEE region. Various research has showed that obstacles limiting and boosters enhancing companies' development potential differ across...

This study of initial public offerings (IPOs) carried out on the Berlin and London stock exchanges between 1900 and 1913 casts doubt on the received law and finance wisdom that legally mandated investor protection is pivotal to the development of capital markets. IPOs that resulted in official...

Während Beteiligungskapital in den anglo-amerikanischen Ländern seit vielen Jahren aktiv ist, hat sich in Deutschland erst langsam eine breite Debatte über seine Chancen und Risiken entwickelt, angetrieben durch mehrere spektakuläre Unternehmenskäufe.Insbesondere viele Beschäftigte...

This paper extends research in the field of private equity investments in family firms. It contributes to the literature by fundamentally analyzing the decision criteria of family firm owners for using minority investments of private equity investors. This type of financing might be of great...

We study the role of private equity firms in cross-border mergers and acquisitions. We find that private equity-owned firms are more likely to become targets in crossborderM&A transactions. This effect is particularly strong in transactions where the target or its shareholders actively reach out...

In this study we examine how Specified Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) were used as a financing tool for companies in the shipping industry in period 2004-2011. We confirm that SPACs focused on acquisitions in the shipping industry have similar characteristics as the population of SPACs...

The welfare effects of private equity transactions are debated controversially. We analyze the impact of expansion financing and buyouts by private equity investors on investment of portfolio firms in the UK and France - two countries with different financial systems. Unobserved heterogeneity...

The empirical finding that entrepreneurs tend to invest a large share of their wealth in their own firms despite comparably low returns and high risk has become known as the private equity premium puzzle. This paper provides evidence supporting the hypothesis that lower risk aversion of...