← Search

Journal of Finance Vol. 58 No. 5 2003

Corporate Board Composition, Protocols, and Voting Behavior: Experimental Evidence

Ann B. Gillette1,2; Thomas H. Noe3,1; Michael J. Rebello1,2

1 Russian State University for the Humanities · 2 Georgia State University · 3 Tulane University

open access

Abstract

We examine voting by a board designed to mitigate conflicts of interest between privately informed insiders and owners. Our model demonstrates that, as argued by researchers and the business press, boards with a majority of trustworthy but uninformed “watchdogs” can implement institutionally preferred policies. Our laboratory experiments strongly support this conclusion. Our model also highlights the necessity of penalties on insiders when there is dissension among board members. However, penalties for dissent appeared to have little impact on the experimental outcomes.

DOI
10.1111/1540-6261.00595
Volume
58
Issue
5
Pages
1997-2031
Language
en
Sources
crossref bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex

Cite