Publications

2024
Working Paper

Deregulation, Market Power, and Prices: Evidence from the Electricity Sector

By: Alexander MacKay and Ignacia Mercadal

We construct a novel dataset on electricity generation, wholesale transactions, and retail sales to assess the shift from cost-of-service regulation to deregulated, market-based prices in the context of the U.S. electricity sector. Consistent with earlier studies, we... View Details

Keywords: Deregulation; Market Power; Markups; Prices; Electricity; Energy; Markets; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Price; Utilities Industry

2020
Working Paper

Internal Models, Make Believe Prices, and Bond Market Cornering

By: Ishita Sen and Varun Sharma

Exploiting position-level heterogeneity in regulatory incentives to misreport and novel data on regulators, we document that U.S. life insurers inflate the values of corporate bonds using internal models. We estimate an additional $9-$18 billion decline in regulatory... View Details

Keywords: Life Insurers; Capital Regulation; Internal Models; Corporate Bonds; Regulatory Supervision; Concentrated Ownership; Bonds; Capital; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Insurance; Investment Portfolio

2011
Book

The Fund Industry: How Your Money Is Managed

By: Robert Pozen and Theresa Hamacher

The Fund Industry explains to students and investors how to evaluate mutual funds and other collective investment vehicles. It discusses how different types of funds are managed, marketed, and regulated. It also reviews how funds invest and gather assets in countries... View Details

Keywords: Money; Financial Management; International Finance; Investment Funds; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Financial Services Industry

spring 2008
Article

Cost Reductions, Cost Padding and Stock Market Prices: The Chilean Experience with Price Cap Regulation

By: Rafael Di Tella and Alexander Dyck

Keywords: Cost; Price; Stocks; Markets; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Chile

Fall 2017
Article

Strengthening and Streamlining Bank Capital Regulation

By: Robin Greenwood, Samuel Gregory Hanson, Jeremy C. Stein and Adi Sunderam

We propose three core principles that should inform the design of bank capital regulation. First, wherever possible, multiple constraints on the minimum level of equity capital should be consolidated into a single constraint. This helps to avoid a distortionary... View Details

Keywords: Banks and Banking; Capital; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Banking Industry

October 1992 (Revised August 2005)
Background Note

Estate Freeze

By: Henry B. Reiling

The so called estate freeze is a classic estate planning and recapitalization practice. It seeks to reconcile the multiple human and business considerations associated with transferring operating control and the future increases in the value of a family dominated... View Details

Keywords: Personal Finance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Laws and Statutes; Financial Services Industry; United States

Educators

November 2010
Teaching Note

Citigroup 2007: Financial Reporting and Regulatory Capital (TN)

By: Edward J. Riedl, Suraj Srinivasan and Sharon Katz

Teaching Note for 111041. View Details

Keywords: Financial Statements; Capital; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Financial Services Industry

05 Sep 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, September 5, 2017

boycott as well as a shareholder proposal to change its policies on political contributions. The case covers current campaign finance regulations as they relate to business as well as Target's lobbying... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

08 Jan 2008
First Look

First Look: January 8, 2008

Financing Constraints, and Entrepreneurship Authors:William R. Kerr and Ramana Nanda Abstract We study how US branch-banking deregulations affected the entry and exit of firms in the non-financial sector using establishment-level data... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

February 2022 (Revised April 2022)
Case

BUA Group

By: John D. Macomber, Pippa Tubman Armerding and Wale Lawal

BUA Group must decide between investments in cement, road building, power generation, or sugar. Private businesses are important to economic development in Africa. Students must assess the competitive nature of each of these industries, the magnitude of capital... View Details

Keywords: Investing; Transportation; Strategy; Project Finance; Agribusiness; Construction; Infrastructure; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Nigeria; Africa

Educators

13 May 2002
Op-Ed

A Cure for Enron-Style Audit Failures

past five decades, accountants have changed from watchdogs to advocates and salespersons. Auditing has become one of a number of services, including consulting and tax advice, in which accountants "sell" creative tax avoidance and View Details

Keywords: by Jay Lorsch; Accounting

2007
Chapter

Labor Market Regulations and European Restructuring: Evidence from Private Equity Investments

By: Ant Bozkaya and William R. Kerr

Keywords: Labor; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Restructuring; Private Equity; Investment; Europe

2020
Working Paper

Capital Regulation and Product Market Outcomes

By: Ishita Sen and David Humphry

We present evidence of product market adjustments and asset reorganizations from the largest ever shift in risk regulation in a developed insurance market. Using proprietary data on insurance risk exposures from the Bank of England, we develop a measure of regulatory... View Details

Keywords: Non-traditional-non-insurance; Risk Regulation; Product Market Concentration; Small Vs. Large Insurers; Insurance Risk Exposure; Insurance; Risk and Uncertainty; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms

Article

Regulating Hospital Prices Based on Market Concentration Is Likely to Leave High-Price Hospitals Unaffected

By: Maximilian J. Pany, Michael E. Chernew and Leemore S. Dafny

Concern about high hospital prices for commercially insured patients has motivated several proposals to regulate these prices. Such proposals often limit regulations to highly concentrated hospital markets. Using a large sample of 2017 US commercial insurance claims,... View Details

Keywords: Health Care Providers; Hospitals; Insurance Market Regulation; Price Regulation; Markets; Health Care and Treatment; Cost; Quality; Insurance; Price; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms

October 1992 (Revised December 1992)
Supplement

Salomon and the Treasury Securities Auction: 1992 Update

By: Dwight B. Crane

Briefly summarizes the events that transpired after the investment bank Salomon Brothers revealed that it had repeatedly violated the rules governing the auction of new U.S. Government securities. Includes a description of the violations, the management shake-up that... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Financial Instruments; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry; United States

June 2023
Article

Regulatory Limits to Risk Management

By: Ishita Sen

Variable annuities, the largest liability of U.S. life insurers, are investment products containing long-dated minimum return guarantees. I show that guarantees with similar economic risks are treated differently by regulation and these differences impact insurers’... View Details

Keywords: Interest Rate Risk; Variable Annuities; Capital Regulation; Reinsurance; Derivatives; Risk Management; Interest Rates; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms

25 Oct 2004
Research & Ideas

Planning for Surprises

finance reform in this country. Until this occurs, special interest groups will continue to cost society in terms of the loss of jobs and the growth of the deficit, and by extension in the lives of citizens. View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

August 2010 (Revised December 2010)
Case

Malcolm Life Enhances Its Variable Annuities

By: Robert C. Pozen and David J. Pearlman

The case involves an insurance CEO choosing between different designs for a variable annuity product in light of hedging, marketing, and pricing issues. The case provides students with background on the economics and regulation of life insurance and variable annuities.... View Details

Keywords: Annuities; Insurance; Investment Return; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Product Design; Insurance Industry; United States

Educators