The bulk of corporate governance theory examines the agency problems that arise from two extreme ownership structures: 100 percent small shareholders or one large, controlling owner combined with small shareholders. In this paper, we question the empirical validity of this dichotomy. In fact,...

We develop a model where insiders' decision to manipulate earnings is linked both to their stake and to corporate governance. We show how earnings manipulation affects analysts' forecasts and institutional trading. More precisely, whenever there is “excessive” earnings manipulation, we...

We document the association between a firm's payout policy and its stock's liquidity. In particular, we show that dividend-paying firms have a more liquid market for their stock and measures of a stock's liquidity is positively linked to its probability of being a dividend payer. Furthermore,...