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Incentives, Information, and Organizational Form

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Author Info
Eric Maskin
Yingyi Qian
Chenggang Xu

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Abstract

February 6, 1999

We model an organization as a hierarchy of managers erected on top of a technology (here consisting of a collection of plants). In our framework, the role of a manager is to take steps to reduce the adverse consequences of shocks that affect the plants beneath him. We argue that different organizational forms give rise to different information about managers' performance and therefore differ according to how effective incentives can be in encouraging a good performance. In particular, we show that, under certain assumptions, the M-form (multi-divisional form) is likely to provide better incentives than the U-form (unitary form) because it promotes yardstick competition (i.e., relative performance evaluation) more effectively. We conclude by presenting evidence that the assumptions on which this comparison rests are satisfied for Chinese data.

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Paper provided by Stanford University, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number 99009.

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Date of creation: 06 Feb 1999
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Handle: RePEc:wop:stanec:99009

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  1. Edward P. Lazear & Sherwin Rosen, 1981. "Rank-Order Tournaments as Optimum Labor Contracts," NBER Working Papers 0401, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. Bolton, Patrick & Farrell, Joseph, 1990. "Decentralization, Duplication, and Delay," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(4), pages 803-26, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  3. Jacques Cremer, 1980. "A Partial Theory of the Optimal Organization of a Bureaucracy," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 11(2), pages 683-693, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Aghion, Philippe & Tirole, Jean, 1995. "Some implications of growth for organizational form and ownership structure," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(3-4), pages 440-455, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Kim, Son Ku, 1995. "Efficiency of an Information System in an Agency Model," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 63(1), pages 89-102, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Andrei Shleifer, 1985. "A Theory of Yardstick Competition," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 16(3), pages 319-327, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Holmstrom, Bengt & Milgrom, Paul, 1994. "The Firm as an Incentive System," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(4), pages 972-91, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Aoki, Masahiko, 1986. "Horizontal vs. Vertical Information Structure of the Firm," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(5), pages 971-83, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Yingyi Qian & Gerard Roland & Chenggang Xu, 1999. "Coordinating Changes in M-form and U-form Organizations," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series 284, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross Business School. [Downloadable!]
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  10. Eric Maskin & Yingyi Qian & Chenggang Xu, 1997. "Incentives, Information, and Organizational Form," Working Papers 97034, Stanford University, Department of Economics.
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  11. Bengt Holmstrom, 1982. "Moral Hazard in Teams," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 13(2), pages 324-340, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. Hendriks, Jean & Lockwood, Ben, 2005. "Decentralization and Electoral Accountability : Incentives, Separation, and Voter Welfare," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 729, University of Warwick, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  4. Szu-Wen Chou, 2002. "Flattened Resource Allocation, Hierarch Design and the Boundaries of the Firm," Levine's Working Paper Archive 618897000000000056, David K. Levine. [Downloadable!]
  5. Panicaos Demetriades & Jun Du & Sourafel Girma & Chenggang Xu, 2008. "Does the Chinese Banking System Promote the Growth of Firms?," WEF Working Papers 0036, ESRC World Economy and Finance Research Programme, Birkbeck, University of London. [Downloadable!]
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  9. Yingyi Qian & Gerard Roland & Chenggang Xu, 1999. "Coordinating Changes in M-form and U-form Organizations," William Davidson Institute Working Papers Series 284, William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross Business School. [Downloadable!]
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  10. Heski Bar-Isaac & Mariagiovanna Baccara, 2008. "Interrogation Methods and Terror Networks," Working Papers 08-8, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  11. Rene van den Brink & Pieter H.M. Ruys, 2005. "Positional Wages, Market Wages and Firm Size," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 05-020/1, Tinbergen Institute. [Downloadable!]
  12. Yingyi Qian & Gerard Roland & Chenggang Xu, 2003. "Coordinating Tasks in M-Form and U-Form Organisations," STICERD - Theoretical Economics Paper Series 458, Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines, LSE. [Downloadable!]
  13. Heski Bar-Isaac & Mariagiovanna Baccara, 2006. "How to Organize Crime," Working Papers 06-07, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  14. Antoine Renucci, 2008. "Access to financing, rents, and organization of the firm," Post-Print halshs-00365983_v1, HAL. [Downloadable!]
  15. Eric Maskin & Yingyi Qian & Chenggang Xu, 1999. "Incentives, Information, and Organizational Form," Working Papers 99009, Stanford University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  17. Myong-Hun Chang & Joseph E Harrington Jr, 2004. "Agent-Based Models of Organizations," Economics Working Paper Archive 515, The Johns Hopkins University,Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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