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Restricting CEO pay

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  • Dittmann, Ingolf
  • Maug, Ernst
  • Zhang, Dan

Abstract

We analyze several proposals to restrict CEO compensation and calibrate two models of executive compensation that describe how firms would react to different types of restrictions. We find that many restrictions would have unintended consequences. Restrictions on total realized (ex-post) payouts lead to higher average compensation, higher rewards for mediocre performance, lower risk-taking incentives, and the fact that some CEOs would be better off with a restriction than without it. Restrictions on total ex-ante pay lead to a reduction in the firm's demand for CEO talent and effort. Restrictions on particular pay components, and especially on cash payouts, can be easily circumvented. While restrictions on option pay lead to lower risk-taking incentives, restrictions on incentive pay (stock and options) result in higher risk-taking incentives.

Suggested Citation

  • Dittmann, Ingolf & Maug, Ernst & Zhang, Dan, 2011. "Restricting CEO pay," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 1200-1220, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:17:y:2011:i:4:p:1200-1220
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    7. Atif, Muhammad & Huang, Allen & Liu, Benjamin, 2020. "The effect of say on pay on CEO compensation and spill-over effect on corporate cash holdings: Evidence from Australia," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    8. Cronqvist, Henrik & Fahlenbrach, Rüdiger, 2013. "CEO contract design: How do strong principals do it?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(3), pages 659-674.
    9. Abudy, Menachem (Meni) & Amiram, Dan & Rozenbaum, Oded & Shust, Efrat, 2020. "Do executive compensation contracts maximize firm value? Indications from a quasi-natural experiment," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    10. Colleen M. Boland & Corinna Ewelt-Knauer & Julia Schneider, 2022. "The gift that keeps on giving: corporate giving and excessive risk-taking," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 92(3), pages 355-396, April.
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    12. John Thanassoulis, 2012. "The Case for Intervening in Bankers’ Pay," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 67(3), pages 849-895, June.
    13. repec:eee:jebusi:v:67:y:2013:i:c:p:67-76 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Stacey Beaumont & Raluca Ratiu & David Reeb & Glenn Boyle & Philip Brown & Alexander Szimayer & Raymond Silva Rosa & David Hillier & Patrick McColgan & Athanasios Tsekeris & Bryan Howieson & Zoltan Ma, 2016. "Comments on Shan and Walter: ‘Towards a Set of Design Principles for Executive Compensation Contracts’," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 52(4), pages 685-771, December.
    15. Andrés, Pablo de & Arranz-Aperte, Laura, 2019. "Are European CEOs paid equally? A study of the UK-continental Europe pay gap," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 169-177.
    16. Jiang, Haiyan & Hu, Yuanyuan & Su, Kun & Zhu, Yanhui, 2021. "Do government say-on-pay policies distort managers’ engagement in corporate social responsibility? Quasi-experimental evidence from China," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(2).
    17. Shoham, Amir, 2012. "Managing multinational corporations through compensation: The risk-sharing contract method," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 64(3), pages 231-239.
    18. Igor Benati & Mario Coccia, 2017. "The relation between public manager compensation and members of parliament’s salary across OECD countries: explorative analysis and possible determinants with public policy implications," quaderni IRCrES 201702, CNR-IRCrES Research Institute on Sustainable Economic Growth - Moncalieri (TO) ITALY - former Institute for Economic Research on Firms and Growth - Torino (TO) ITALY.
    19. Hasegawa, Nobuhisa & Kim, Hyonok & Yasuda, Yukihiro, 2017. "The adoption of stock option plans and their effects on firm performance during Japan’s period of corporate governance reform," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 13-25.
    20. Chenli Yin & Dan Li & Maria Paz Salmador, 2022. "Institutional change of compensation policy and its impact on CEO turnover and firm performance," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(8), pages 2527-2552, November.

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