Category Archives: Economics

Business Succession Planning Using a Purpose Trust

By | December 13, 2023

With nearly 2.7 million U.S. businesses owned by baby boomers,1 succession planning for these businesses has become critically important. For some owners, the next generation of the family has both the interest and the ability to continue to manage the business. For other owners, the sale of the business to a third party will be… Read More »

Are public health policies associated with corporate innovation? Evidence from U.S. nonsmoking laws 

By | December 12, 2023

Fostering a culture of innovation is paramount for the sustained growth of the global economy. Achieving innovative outcomes, however, is not easy. Prior research has extensively examined the effect of various regulations, firm characteristics, and incentive structures that are designed to increase innovation, many of which have limited effect. We add to this research by… Read More »

After the “Partner Run”: the Dewey & LeBoeuf Diaspora 

By | December 11, 2023

Law firms are distinctive creatures. The worker-owned governance structure, mandated by law’s professional responsibility rules, accidentally enables a distinctive type of business collapse known as a “partner run.” Partner runs are total liquidations, never reorganizations, and deeply feared by any law firm of scale. In my recent paper, I test whether a partner run can… Read More »

Bringing two worlds together: The investor-policy maker interface in collaborative sovereign engagement initiatives

By | September 28, 2023

The importance of public policy has increased for investors since 2015, when governments committed to shifting trillions of dollars to be consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement and to increase investments in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Further, investors have accepted the influence of ESG factors on delivering financial returns, recognizing the need… Read More »

The Keys to Sovereign Development Fund Success 

By | September 19, 2023

Demand for infrastructure investment continues to ramp up amid growing commitments to a low-carbon future and rapid economic growth in developing countries. The nature of this “scaling up” challenge requires capital that governments cannot provide alone, necessitating the utilization of private capital. Institutional investors collectively possess the financial resources ($16 trillion in “direct” investment capacity)… Read More »

Is Sustainable Finance a Dangerous Placebo? 

By | August 30, 2023

In recent years, the financial industry has been increasingly pressured to actively contribute to addressing critical societal challenges, such as climate change. Now, many investors expect their money to be managed in a way that promotes positive environmental and social change. Given these expectations, there is a growing interest in understanding the real impact of… Read More »

The Consequences of Rising Healthcare Costs and the Role of Private Equity 

By | August 29, 2023

In the U.S., the rise in healthcare costs has been the subject of intense public and regulatory scrutiny. Average health insurance premiums have risen steadily over the past few years, outpacing inflation. However, the negative consequences of this economic rise are not fully understood. In particular, a significant portion of the rise in healthcare costs… Read More »

The Contagion Risk of Cryptocurrency Markets 

By | May 18, 2023

Since the inception of Bitcoin in 2008, crypto assets, have long been perceived as one of the riskiest assets.1 Unlike traditional assets, many cryptocurrencies are decentralized, limited in supply, and difficult to value, leading to speculation, high divergence of opinion, and extreme price volatility. These features, combined with the rapid growth of crypto markets during… Read More »

ETF Rebalancing, Hedge Fund Trades, and Capital Markets

By | May 16, 2023

Over the past decade, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have transformed the investment industry with total net assets skyrocketing to $6.73 trillion by February 2023. As a passive investment product, ETFs track a particular index and aim to replicate its performance. To maintain low tracking error, ETFs rebalance portfolios following underlying index reconstitutions. With the rise in… Read More »

Long-Run IPO Performance and the Role of Venture Capital 

By | May 1, 2023

IPOs only offer a partial exit to Venture Capitalists (VCs). When a VC-backed company goes public, the VC typically refrains from selling all shares at the IPO. Due to the high levels of information asymmetry at the IPO, selling a large fraction of the holdings sends a negative signal concerning the company’s valuation. Iliev and… Read More »