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Contribution Details

Type Working Paper
Scope Discipline-based scholarship
Title Private Predecision Information and the Pay-Performance Relation
Organization Unit
Authors
  • Robert Göx
  • Beatrice Michaeli
Language
  • French
Institution University of Zurich
Series Name SSRN
Number 3984383
ISSN 1556-5068
Number of Pages 44
Date 2021
Abstract Text We study how the precision of managers’ private post-contract predecision information affects the pay-performance relation. Taking into account that the information environment in decentralized firms is often endogenously determined (e.g., by investment in internal accounting systems, hiring of consultants, or learning), we find that firms jointly choosing information precision and incentives may optimally tie executive pay closer to firm performance as agency problems become more pronounced. Specifically, the trade-off between information precision and incentives can render it optimal to provide agents with stronger incentives if agents are less productive, performance measures are less congruent or more susceptible to manipulation, or if agents are more risk averse. Considering that empirical studies frequently take the pay-performance sensitivity (PPS) as a measure of the efficiency of real world compensation arrangements, our results provide relevant insights for empirical research studying the determinants of the relation between executive pay and firm performance. Keywords: incentive contracting, predecision information, information design, pay-performance relation
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Digital Object Identifier 10.2139/ssrn.3984383
Other Identification Number merlin-id:22283
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Keywords incentive contracting, predecision information, information design, pay-performance relation