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Wealth constraint and contractual arrangements

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  • Chifeng Dai

Abstract

We examine how a project owner optimally selects a project operator and motivates him to deliver an unobservable effort when potential operators are wealth constrained. We show that, when potential operators' abilities are common knowledge, an operator's share of realized profit can be increasing, invariant, or decreasing in his ability depending on the nature of production technology. However, when potential operators are privately informed about both their abilities and their effort supply, a bunching contract arises in equilibrium for a general class of production technology. In the case of bunching, all potential operators are selected equally often and awarded an equal share of realized profit. The finding provides an explanation for the relative uniformity of contract terms in many practical settings.

Suggested Citation

  • Chifeng Dai, 2009. "Wealth constraint and contractual arrangements," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 42(1), pages 226-243, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:cje:issued:v:42:y:2009:i:1:p:226-243
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5982.2008.01506.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Frank Stähler, 2014. "Partial ownership and cross-border mergers," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 111(3), pages 209-237, April.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D44 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Auctions
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation

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