This paper provides causal evidence on the effect of ownership structure on firm value and on the impact of large tax incentives on the divestiture decision of equity blockholders by exploiting a quasi-experimental policy change in Germany. The 2000 Tax Reduction Act repealed corporate...

Der Einfluss von Großaktionären auf die Unternehmenspolitik wird unter dem Stichwort Deutschland AG bereits seit langem diskutiert und gewinnt im Zuge der aktuellen Corporate-Governance-Diskussion erneut an Bedeutung. Die Wirkung von Kapital- bzw. Stimmrechtsblöcken auf den Unternehmenswert...

For the last two decades, board diversity is increasingly considered as a significant mechanism of good corporate governance. Thus, the question arises whether a heterogeneously or rather a homogenously composed board contributes to the efficiency of a company's management and monitoring....

The paper investigates the impact of corporate governance on the performance of 361 German corporations over the time period 1991 to 1996. We find ownership concentration to affect profitability significantly negatively. Representation of owners on the board of executive directors does not make...