Investors and the business media may be vexed about rich executive pay plans, but "golden parachute" severance packages stir particular outrage. Too often, it seems, this departure pay rewards failure, is based on inflated numbers, and loses "say on parachute" investor votes. How can your board...

We examine the relations between golden parachutes (GPs), pay-performance sensitivity (delta), and managerial risk-taking. We find an insignificant effect of GPs, but a negative and significant interaction of GPs with delta, on risk-taking. These results are consistent with the “takeover...

Using hand-collected data, we document the details of the ex-ante severance contracts and the ex-post separation pay given to S&P500 CEOs upon departing from their companies. We analyze what determines whether or not a departing CEO receives separation pay in excess of her severance contract. We...

Using hand-collected data, we document the details of the ex-ante severance contract and the ex-post separation pay given to S&P500 CEOs upon departing from their companies. We analyze what determines whether or not a departing CEO receives separation pay in excess of her severance contract. We...

This paper provides highly significant evidence that golden parachutes spur innovation in concentrated-ownership corporations and State-Owned-Enterprises (SOEs). Taking advantage of China's institutional features, we find that golden parachutes lead to higher levels of innovation quantity and...