The Equitable Economy

Richard Thaler and the Science of People

Richard Thaler's thought process and perspective on human behavior have influenced how we view economic phenomena and how they affect and are effected by people.     Earlier...

Does Environmental Crime Pay?

A new Stigler Center working paper conducts a cost-benefit analysis of DuPont's emissions of a toxic chemical dubbed C8. The Trump administration has shown clear signs that it...

To What Extent Do Political Considerations Affect Finance?

In June, the Stigler Center brought together top academics for a conference on the impact of politics on finance. Ahead of our second annual...

Turning Corporations into Democracies

The problem with encouraging firms to maximize shareholder welfare is how to prevent managers and special interests from diverting corporate resources in the name of shareholder...

Let Data Guide Legislation: Stifling Shareholders in the CHOICE Act?

In improving the current shareholder proposal process, legislators should trade the butcher knife for the scalpel.   What influence, if any, should shareholders have over...

A Small Step for Theory, a Leap Forward in Corporate Governance

Moving from shareholder value maximization to shareholder welfare maximization may be a small step in theory, but it could trigger a leap forward in...

Where Friedman Was Wrong

A new paper by Oliver Hart and Luigi Zingales argues that a company’s objective should be the maximization of shareholders’ welfare, not value.  In 1970,...

Does Empowering Shareholders Also Empower Special Interests?

The merits of increasing shareholder power are less obvious than reforms that increase companies' exposure to pressure from activist shareholders, since increasing shareholder power tends to...

Enhancing Competition? The Role of Governance in Increasing Exposure to Competition

Contemporary corporate governance reform has been a mixed bag: reforms that increase a company’s exposure to competition through the control market have been helpful,...

Does Whistleblowing Work?

Whistleblower reward laws work, and they work remarkably well. Congress, the executive branch of government, and the business community should enact, support, and nurture strong...

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