Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
However, a principal–agent problem can occur when there is a conflict of interest between the agent and principal. If the agent has more information about his or her actions or intentions than the principal then the agent may have an incentive to act too riskily (from the viewpoint of the principal) if the interests of the agent and the ...
The principal–agent problem typically arises where the two parties have different interests and asymmetric information (the agent having more information), such that the principal cannot directly ensure that the agent is always acting in the principal's best interest, particularly when activities that are useful to the principal are costly to ...
Since there is asymmetric information, where the principal is not necessarily aware of what the agent is doing, moral hazard can exist: the agent can act in such a way that the agent's own interests are met, rather than those of the principal. [4] This is called the principal–agent problem and is an important theory in economics and political ...
A related form of market failure is moral hazard. With moral hazard, the asymmetric information between the parties causes one party to increase their risk exposure after the transaction is concluded, whereas adverse selection occurs before. Moral hazard suggests that customers who have insurance may be more likely to behave recklessly than ...
In microeconomics and contract theory, the first-order approach is a simplifying assumption used to solve models with a principal-agent problem. [1] It suggests that, instead of following the usual assumption that the agent will take an action that is utility-maximizing, the modeller use a weaker constraint, and looks only for actions which satisfy the first-order conditions of the agent's ...
An agency cost is an economic concept that refers to the costs associated with the relationship between a "principal" (an organization, person or group of persons), and an "agent". The agent is given powers to make decisions on behalf of the principal. However, the two parties may have different incentives and the agent generally has more ...
Information asymmetries are studied in the context of principal–agent problems where they are a major cause of misinforming and is essential in every communication process. [10] Information asymmetry is in contrast to perfect information , which is a key assumption in neo-classical economics .
This may arise either because the agent has greater expertise or knowledge than the principal, or because the principal cannot directly observe the agent's actions; it is asymmetric information that leads to a problem of moral hazard. This means that to an extent managers can pursue their own interests.