How Do Staggered Boards Affect Shareholder Value? Evidence from a Natural Experiment

• In Event: Board Characteristics

Abstract

This paper examines whether staggered boards reduce firm value or are merely associated with it due to the tendency of low-value firms to maintain staggered boards. To analyze this causal question, we take advantage of a natural experiment involving two recent court rulings, separated by several weeks, that affected in opposite directions the antitakeover force of staggered boards. We find evidence consistent with the hypothesis that the market viewed the antitakeover force of staggered boards as value reducing. Our findings have implications for the long-standing policy debate on the desirability of staggered boards.

Author

• Charles CY Wang, Harvard University