The Incentive Costs of Internalizing Externalities

We present a dynamic agency model in which changes in the structure of a firm affect its value due to altered incentives. There may be disadvantages in merging two firms even when such a merger allows the internalization of externalities between the two firms. Merging, by making unprofitable certain decisions, increases the cost of inducing managers to exert effort.

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Paper Number
02-012
Year
2002