Group-Managed Real Options
2021-04-23 16:00 - 17:30 | Zoom
Lorenzo GARLAPPI, University of British Columbia
We study a standard real-option problem where decisions are made through voting by a group of agents with heterogeneous beliefs. We show that, when facing both investment and abandonment timing decisions, the group behavior cannot be replicated by that of a representative "median" member. As a result, members' disagreement generates inertia---the group delays investment relative to a single-agent case---and underinvestment---the group rejects projects that are supported by the majority. These coordination frictions hold in groups of any size, for general voting protocols, and are exacerbated by belief polarization.
