Does personal liability deter individuals from serving as independent directors?
Journal
Journal of Financial Economics
Subject
Finance
Publishing details
Authors / Editors
Naaraayanan L;Nielsen K M
Biographies
Publication Year
2021
Abstract
This study examines whether personal liability for corporate malfeasance deters individuals from serving as independent directors. After the introduction of personal liability in India, we find that individuals are deterred from serving on corporate boards. We find stronger deterrence among firms with greater litigation and regulatory risk, higher monitoring costs, and weak monetary incentives. Expert directors are more likely to exit, resulting in 1.16% lower firm value. We further evaluate whether contemporaneous corporate governance reforms and market developments contribute to this deterrence. Overall, our results suggest that personal liability deters individuals with high reputational costs from serving as independent directors.
Keywords
Independent directors; Reputation; Accountability; Personal liability; Director incentives
Available on ECCH
No