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Optimal Debt Contracts and Moral Hazard Along the Business Cycle

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  • Reichlin, Pietro
  • Siconolfi, Paolo

Abstract

We analyse the Pareto optimal contracts between lenders and borrowers in a model with asymmetric information. The model is a generalization of the Rothschild-Stiglitz pure adverse selection problem to include moral hazard with limited liability contracts. Entrepreneurs with unequal ``abilities" borrow to finance alternative investment projects which differ in degree of risk and productivity. We determine the endogenous distribution of projects as functions of the amount of loanable funds, when lenders have no information about borrowers' ability and technological choices. Then, we embed these results in a general equilibrium overlapping generations economy with production and show that, for a wide set of economies, equilibria are characterized by multiple steady states and persistent endogenous cycles such that the average quality of the selected projects is high in recessions and low in booms.

Suggested Citation

  • Reichlin, Pietro & Siconolfi, Paolo, 2000. "Optimal Debt Contracts and Moral Hazard Along the Business Cycle," CEPR Discussion Papers 2351, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:2351
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    Cited by:

    1. Yunan Li & Cheng Wang, 2022. "Endogenous Labor Market Cycles," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 63(2), pages 849-881, May.
    2. Kikuchi, Tomoo & Stachurski, John & Vachadze, George, 2018. "Volatile capital flows and financial integration: The role of moral hazard," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 170-192.
    3. Gunnar Bårdsen & Kjersti-Gro Lindquist & Dimitrios P. Tsomocos, 2012. "Evaluation of Macroeconomic Models for Financial Stability Analysis," Chapters, in: The Challenge of Financial Stability, chapter 3, pages 32-58, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Martin, Alberto & Taddei, Filippo, 2013. "International capital flows and credit market imperfections: A tale of two frictions," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(2), pages 441-452.
    5. Attar, Andrea & Campioni, Eloisa, 2003. "Costly state verification and debt contracts: a critical resume," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(4), pages 315-343, December.
    6. Nicolas Figueroa & Oksana Leukhina, 2008. "Information Asymmetries and an Endogenous Productivity Reversion Mechanism," 2008 Meeting Papers 563, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    7. Figueroa, Nicolás & Leukhina, Oksana, 2015. "Lending terms and aggregate productivity," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1-21.
    8. Matsuyama, Kiminori & Sushko, Iryna & Gardini, Laura, 2016. "Revisiting the model of credit cycles with Good and Bad projects," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 525-556.
    9. Taddei, Filippo, 2018. "Financial frictions, international capital flows and welfare," Working Paper Series 2167, European Central Bank.
    10. Chong Lai & Rui Li & Yonghong Wu, 2020. "Optimal compensation and investment affected by firm size and time-varying external factors," Annals of Finance, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 407-422, September.
    11. Figueroa, Nicolás & Leukhina, Oksana, 2018. "Cash flows and credit cycles," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 318-332.
    12. ATTAR, Andréa, 2003. "Financial contracting along the business cycle," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2003069, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    13. Martin, Alberto, 2009. "A model of collateral, investment, and adverse selection," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 144(4), pages 1572-1588, July.
    14. Filippo Taddei, 2013. "International Capital Flows, Financial Frictions and Welfare," 2013 Meeting Papers 1160, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    15. Alberto Martin, 2004. "Endogenous credit cycles," Economics Working Papers 916, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Aug 2008.
    16. Azariadis, Costas & Choi, Kyoung Jin, 2013. "Credit crunches as markov equilibria," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 38(PA), pages 2-11.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Business cycle; Financial intermediation;

    JEL classification:

    • A10 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - General
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General

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