Journal of Economic Literature
ISSN 0022-0515 (Print) | ISSN 2328-8175 (Online)
Financial Contracting
Journal of Economic Literature
vol. 39,
no. 4, December 2001
(pp. 1079–1100)
Abstract
This paper discusses how economists' views of firms' financial structure decisions have evolved, from treating firms' profitability as given, to acknowledging that managerial actions affect profitability, to recognizing that firm value depends on the allocation of decision or control rights. The paper argues that the decision or control rights approach is useful, even though it is at an early stage of development, and that the approach has some empirical content: it can throw light on the structure of venture capital contracts and the reasons for the diversity of claims.Citation
Hart, Oliver. 2001. "Financial Contracting." Journal of Economic Literature, 39 (4): 1079–1100. DOI: 10.1257/jel.39.4.1079JEL Classification
- G32 Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure
- M13 New Firms; Startups