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Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis Vol. 51 No. 6 2016

Urban Agglomeration and CEO Compensation

Bill B. Francis1; Iftekhar Hasan; Kose John; Maya Waisman1

1 Fordham University

Abstract

We examine the relation between the agglomeration of firms around big cities and chief executive officer (CEO) compensation. We find a positive relation among the metropolitan size of a firm’s headquarters, the total and equity portion of its CEO’s pay, and the quality of CEO educational attainment. We also find that CEOs gradually increase their human capital in major metropolitan areas and are rewarded for this upon relocation to smaller cities. Taken together, the results suggest that urban agglomeration reflects local network spillovers and faster learning of skilled individuals, for which firms are willing to pay a premium and which are therefore important factors in CEO compensation.

DOI
10.1017/s0022109016000752
Volume
51
Issue
6
Pages
1925-1953
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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