The Brattle Group Prizes are awarded annually for outstanding academic papers in the field of corporate finance. They are chosen by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance from papers published in The Journal during the prior year. The Prizes are awarded by a member of The Brattle Group at the American Finance Association's annual meeting each January. They are funded through a grant from The Brattle Group in the amounts of $10,000 for first prize and $5,000 for distinguished papers.

Administration of The Brattle Group Prizes is the responsibility of the editor of The Journal of Finance and is carried out in conjunction with the selection of The Smith-Breeden Prizes. The papers receiving the most votes for each award receive the prizes; however, a paper may not win both awards.

The Brattle Group supports this yearly award in an effort to recognize academic achievement in offering robust analysis and debate on compelling issues facing the corporate finance community.

For copies of these papers, please visit The Journal of Finance website.

For more information on the American Finance Association, please visit the AFA website.

The Brattle Group Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2015, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded at the 2016 American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA on January 3-5, 2016. The prizes, handed out annually, are funded through a grant from The Brattle Group and awarded at the AFA's annual meeting by a Brattle representative. The winners of the first prize receive $10,000 and runner-up papers each receive $5,000. All papers published in the prior year's issues of The Journal of Finance are eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Shai Bernstein
"Does Going Public Affect Innovation?" The Journal of Finance, August 2015.

Abstract:
This paper investigates the effects of going public on innovation by comparing the innovation activity of firms that go public with firms that withdraw their initial public offering (IPO) filing and remain private. NASDAQ fluctuations during the book-building phase are used as an instrument for IPO completion. Using patent-based metrics, I find that the quality of internal innovation declines following the IPO, and firms experience both an exodus of skilled inventors and a decline in the productivity of the remaining inventors. However, public firms attract new human capital and acquire external innovation. The analysis reveals that going public changes firms' strategies in pursuing innovation.

Distinguished Paper: Ulf Axelson and Philip Bond
"Wall Street Occupations," The Journal of Finance, October 2015.

Abstract:
Many finance jobs entail the risk of large losses, and hard-to-monitor effort. We analyze the equilibrium consequences of these features in a model with optimal dynamic contracting. We show that finance jobs feature high compensation, up-or-out promotion, and long work hours, and are more attractive than other jobs. Moral hazard problems are exacerbated in booms, even though pay increases. Employees whose talent would be more valuable elsewhere can be lured into finance jobs, while the most talented employees might be unable to land these jobs because they are “too hard to manage.”

Distinguished Paper: Robin Greenwood, Samuel G. Hanson, and Jeremy C. Stein
"A Comparative-Advantage Approach to Government Debt Maturity," The Journal of Finance, August 2015.

Abstract:
We study optimal government debt maturity in a model where investors derive monetary services from holding riskless short-term securities. In a setting where the government is the only issuer of such riskless paper, it trades off the monetary premium associated with short-term debt against the refinancing risk implied by the need to roll over its debt more often. We extend the model to allow private financial intermediaries to compete with the government in the provision of short-term money-like claims. We argue that, if there are negative externalities associated with private money creation, the government should tilt its issuance more toward short maturities, thereby partially crowding out the private sector's use of short-term debt.

The Brattle Group Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2014, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded at the 2015 American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in Boston, MA on January 3-5, 2015. The prizes, handed out annually, are funded through a grant from The Brattle Group and awarded at the AFA's annual meeting by a Brattle representative. The winners of the first prize receive $10,000 and runner-up papers each receive $5,000. All papers published in the prior year's issues of The Journal of Finance are eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Douglas W. Diamond and Zhiguo He
"A Theory of Debt Maturity: The Long and Short of Debt Overhang," The Journal of Finance, April 2014.

Abstract:
Debt maturity influences debt overhang, the reduced incentive for highly levered borrowers to make real investments because some value accrues to debt. Reducing maturity can increase or decrease overhang even when shorter term debt's value depends less on firm value. Future overhang is more volatile for shorter term debt, making future investment incentives volatile and influencing immediate investment incentives. With immediate investment, shorter term debt typically imposes lower overhang; longer term debt can impose less if asset volatility is higher in bad times. For future investments, reduced correlation between assets-in-place and investment opportunities increases the shorter term debt overhang.

Distinguished Paper: Ulf Axelson, Tim Jenkinson, Per Stromberg, and Michael S. Weisbach
"Borrow Cheap, Buy High? The Determinants of Leverage and Pricing in Buyouts," The Journal of Finance, December 2013.

Abstract:
Private equity funds pay particular attention to capital structure when executing leveraged buyouts, creating an interesting setting for examining capital structure theories. Using a large, international sample of buyouts from 1980 to 2008, we find that buyout leverage is unrelated to the cross-sectional factors, suggested by traditional capital structure theories, that drive public firm leverage. Instead, variation in economy-wide credit conditions is the main determinant of leverage in buyouts. Higher deal leverage is associated with higher transaction prices and lower buyout fund returns, suggesting that acquirers overpay when access to credit is easier.

Distinguished Paper: Ricardo J. Caballero and Alp Simsek
"Fire Sales in a Model of Complexity," The Journal of Finance, December 2013.

Abstract:
We present a model of financial crises that stem from endogenous complexity. We conceptualize complexity as banks' uncertainty about the financial network of cross exposures. As conditions deteriorate, cross exposures generate the possibility of a domino effect of bankruptcies. As this happens, banks face an increasingly complex environment since they need to understand a greater fraction of the financial network to assess their own financial health. Complexity dramatically amplifies banks' perceived counterparty risk, and makes relatively healthy banks reluctant to buy risky assets. The model also features a novel complexity externality.

The Brattle Group Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2013, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded at the 2014 American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA on January 3-5, 2014. The prizes, handed out annually, are funded through a grant from The Brattle Group and awarded at the AFA's annual meeting by a Brattle representative. The winners of the first prize receive $10,000 and runner-up papers each receive $5,000. All papers published in the prior year's issues of The Journal of Finance are eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Francisco Perez-Gonzalez and Hayong Yun
"Risk Management and Firm Value: Evidence from Weather Derivatives,” The Journal of Finance, October 2013.

Distinguished Paper: Maxim Mironov
"Taxes, Theft, and Firm Performance," The Journal of Finance, August 2013.

Distinguished Paper: Markus K. Brunnermeier and Martin Oehmke
“The Maturity Rat Race,” The Journal of Finance, April 2013.

The Brattle Group Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2012, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA on January 4-6, 2013. The prizes, handed out annually, are funded through a grant from The Brattle Group and awarded at the AFA's annual meeting by a Brattle representative. The winners of the first prize receive $10,000 and runner-up papers each receive $5,000. All papers published in the prior year's issues of The Journal of Finance are eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Marianne Bertrand and Adair Morse
"Information Disclosure, Cognitive Biases, and Payday Borrowing,” The Journal of Finance, December 2011.

First Prize Paper: Philipp Schnabl
“The International Transmission of Bank Liquidity Shocks: Evidence from an Emerging Market,” The Journal of Finance, June 2012.

Distinguished Paper: Vicente Cunat, Mireia Gine, and Maria Guadalupe
"The Vote Is Cast: The Effect of Corporate Governance on Shareholder Value," The Journal of Finance, October 2012.

The Brattle Group Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2011, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL on January 6-8, 2012. The prizes, handed out annually, are funded through a grant from The Brattle Group and awarded at the AFA's annual meeting by a Brattle representative. The winners of the first prize receive $10,000 and two runner-up papers each receive $5,000. All papers published in the prior year's issues of The Journal of Finance are eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Efraim Benmelech and Nittai K. Bergman
"Bankruptcy and the Collateral Channel," The Journal of Finance, April 2011.

Distinguished Paper: Arthur Korteweg
"The Net Benefits to Leverage," The Journal of Finance, December 2010.

Distinguished Paper: Andrew Hertzberg, José M. Liberti and Daniel Paravisini
"Public Information and Coordination: Evidence from a Credit Registry Expansion," The Journal of Finance, April 2011.

The Brattle Group Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2010, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in Denver, CO on January 7-9, 2011. The prizes, handed out annually, are funded through a grant from The Brattle Group and awarded at the AFA's annual meeting by a Brattle representative. The winners of the first prize receive $10,000 and two runner-up papers each receive $5,000. All papers published in the prior year's issues of The Journal of Finance are eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Andrew Hertzberg, José M. Liberti, and Daniel Paravisini
"Information and Incentives Inside the Firm: Evidence from Loan Officer Rotation," The Journal of Finance, June 2010.

Distinguished Paper: Thorsten Beck, Ross Levine, and Alexey Levkov
"Big Bad Banks? the Winners and Losers from Bank Deregulation in the United States," The Journal of Finance, October 2010.

Distinguished Paper: José M. Liberti and Atif R. Mian
"Collateral Spread and Financial Development," The Journal of Finance, February 2010.

The Brattle Group Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2009, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA on January 3-5, 2010. The prizes, handed out annually, are funded through a grant from The Brattle Group and awarded at the AFA's annual meeting by a Brattle representative. The winners of the first prize receive $10,000 and two runner-up papers each receive $5,000. All papers published in the prior year's issues of The Journal of Finance are eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Ulf Axelson, Per Strömberg, and Michael S. Weisbach
“Why Are Buyouts Levered? The Financial Structure of Private Equity Funds,” The Journal of Finance, August 2009.

Distinguished Paper: Paul Oyer
“The Making of an Investment Banker: Stock Market Shocks, Career Choice, and Lifetime Income,” The Journal of Finance, December 2008.

Distinguished Paper: Mark T. Leary
“Bank Loan Supply, Lender Choice, and Corporate Capital Structure,” The Journal of Finance, June 2009.

The Brattle Group Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2008, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded on January 4, 2009 at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA. Papers published in the December 2007, February, April, June, and October 2008 issues of The Journal of Finance were eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Heitor Almeida and Thomas Philippon
“The Risk-Adjusted Cost of Financial Distress,” The Journal of Finance, December 2007.

Distinguished Paper: Michael L. Lemmon, Michael R. Roberts, and Jaime F. Zender
“Back to the Beginning: Persistence and the Cross-Section of Corporate Capital Structure,” The Journal of Finance, August 2008.

Distinguished Paper: Daniel Paravisini
“Local Bank Financial Constraints and Firm Access to External Finance,” The Journal of Finance, October 2008.

The Brattle Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2007, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded on January 5, 2008 at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA. Papers published in the December 2006, February, April, June, and October 2007 issues of The Journal of Finance were eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Ilya A. Strebulaev
“Do Tests of Capital Structure Theory Mean What They Say?” The Journal of Finance, August 2007.

Distinguished Paper: Christopher A. Hennessy and Toni M. Whited
“How Costly Is External Financing? Evidence from a Structural Estimation,” The Journal of Finance, August 2007.

Distinguished Paper: Amir Sufi
“Information Asymmetry and Financing Arrangements: Evidence from Syndicated Loans,” The Journal of Finance, April 2007.

The Brattle Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2006, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded on January 6, 2007 at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL. Papers published in the December 2005, February, April, June, and October 2006 issues of The Journal of Finance were eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Joshua D. Rauh
"Investment and Financing Constraints: Evidence from the Funding of Corporate Pension Plans," The Journal of Finance, February 2006.

Distinguished Paper: Aydogan Alti
"How Persistent is the Impact of Market Timing on Capital Structure?" The Journal of Finance, August 2006.

Distinguished Paper: Mark T. Leary and Michael R. Roberts
"Do Firms Rebalance Their Capital Structures?" The Journal of Finance, December 2006.

The Brattle Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2005, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded on January 7, 2006 at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in Boston, MA. Papers published in the December 2004, February, April, June, and October 2005 issues of The Journal of Finance were eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Christopher A. Hennessy and Toni M. Whited
"Debt Dynamics," The Journal of Finance, June 2005.

Distinguished Paper: Marianne P. Bitler, Tobias J. Moskowitz, and Annette Vissing-Jorgensen
"Testing Agency Theory with Entrepreneur Effort and Wealth," The Journal of Finance, April 2005.

The Brattle Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2004, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded on January 8, 2005 at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Papers published in the December 2003, February, April, June, and October 2004 issues of The Journal of Finance were eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Belen Villalonga
"Diversification Discount or Premium? New Evidence from the Business Information Tracking Series," The Journal of Finance, April 2004.

Distinguished Paper: Christopher A. Hennessy
"Tobin's Q, Debt Overhang, and Investment ," The Journal of Finance, August 2004.

The Brattle Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2003, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded on January 4, 2004 at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. Papers published in the December 2002, February, April, June, and October 2003 issues of The Journal of Finance were eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Antoinette Schoar
"Effects of Corporate Diversification on Productivity," The Journal of Finance, December 2002.

Distinguished Paper: Aydogan Alti
"How Sensitive is Investment to Cash Flow When Financing is Frictionless?," The Journal of Finance, April 2003.

The Brattle Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2002, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded on January 5, 2003 at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Papers published in the December 2001, February, April, June, and October 2002 issues of The Journal of Finance were eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Malcom Baker & Jeffrey Wurgler
"Market Timing and Capital Structure," The Journal of Finance, February 2002.

Distinguished Paper: Anil K. Kashyap, Raghuram Rajan, & Jeremy C. Stein
"Banks as Liquidity Providers: An Explanation for the Coexistence of Lending and Deposit-Taking," The Journal of Finance, February 2002.

The Brattle Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2001, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded on January 5, 2002 at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA. Papers published in the December 2000, February, April, June, and October 2001 issues of The Journal of Finance were eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Per Stromberg
"Conflicts of Interest and Market Liquidity in Bankruptcy Auctions: Theory and Tests," The Journal of Finance, December 2001.

Distinguished Paper: Douglas W. Diamond & Raghuram G. Rajan
"A Theory of Bank Capital," The Journal of Finance, December 2001.

The Brattle Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 2000, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded on Sunday, January 7, 2001 at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA. Papers published in the December 1999, February, April, June, and October 2000 issues of The Journal of Finance were eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: John R. Graham
"How Big are the Tax Benefits of Debt?" The Journal of Finance, October 2000.

Distinguished Paper: Raghuram Rajan, Henri Servaes, & Luigi Zingales
"The Cost of Diversity: The Diversification Discount and Inefficient Investment," The Journal of Finance, February 2000.

The Brattle Prizes for best papers in Corporate Finance for 1999, judged to be exceptional by the associate editors of The Journal of Finance, were awarded on Saturday, January 8, 2000 at the American Finance Association's Annual Meeting in Boston, MA. Papers published in the December 1998, February, April, June, and October 1999 issues of The Journal of Finance were eligible for the prizes. The Brattle Group congratulates the winners for their achievement.

First Prize Paper: Clifford G. Holderness, Randall S. Kroszner, & Dennis P. Sheehan
"Were the Good Old Days That Good? Changes in Managerial Stock Ownership Since the Great Depression," The Journal of Finance, April 1999.

Distinguished Paper: Paper Rafael La Porta, Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes, & Andrei Shleifer
"Corporate Ownership Around the World," The Journal of Finance, April 1999.