We develop an optimal contracting model in which limited enforcement of financial contracts generates dispersion in marginal products of capital across firms. We show that the optimal contract can be implemented using state-contingent transfers and a simple collateral constraint that limits the...

The financial economics literature emphasizes the stress of financial intermediaries (FIs), measured by leverage and collateral constraints, as an important driver of asset prices and quantities. We identify a new and equally important channel through which FIs affect risk and the real sector:...