We treat information acquisition by potential investors in IPOs asendogenous. With endogenous information, the critical question iswhy underwriters would allow investors to spend resources acquiringsuperior information intended solely to effect a wealth transfer. Weshow that institutional...

We characterize the conditions under which firms choose to (i) merge, (ii) form an alliance, or (iii) trade assets. For that prupose, we distinguish between the firms' assets (what can be traded in isolation), thei knowhow (what can be learned but not traded), and their core competencies (what...

When information is costly, a seller may wish to prevent prospective buyers from acquiring information, for the cost of information acquisition is ultimately borne by the seller. A seller can achieve the desired prevention of information acquisition through posted-price selling, by offering...

When information is costly, a seller may wish to prevent prospective buyers from acquiring information, for the cost of information acquisition is ultimately borne by the seller. A seller can achieve the desired prevention of information acquisition through posted-price selling, by offering...

We analyze the role of knowhow acquisition in the formation and duration of joint ventures. Two parties become partners in a joint venture to benefit from each other's knowhow. Joint operations provide each party with the opportunity to acquire part of its partner's knowhow. A party's increased...

For much of the past century, there has been an increased tendency for large infrastructure projects to be funded and operated by governments. Since the early 1980s, however, private-sector financing and management of such projects have experienced a dramatic revival. In some cases, this revival...

We model the role various forms of nonrecourse secured debt play in efficiently redeploying assets whose value is state-specific. Ex ante, an entrepreneur and an asset redeployer make noncontractible state-specific investments in the primary and next-best uses of an asset, respectively. The...