Corporate Governance

Bengt R. Holmstrom is the Paul A. Samuelson Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he has taught since 1994. Previous academic affiliations include the Kellogg School of Management, Yale University, Universite Catholique de Louvaine, University of Chicago, Stanford University, Helsinki School of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics, and the University of Helsinki. He holds a BS in mathematics, physics and statistics, University of Helsinki (1972), a MSc in operations research and a PhD in business, Stanford University (1975 and 1978).

A recipient of honorary doctorates from the University of Vaasa (Finland) and the Stockholm School of Economics, Professor Holmstrom is a fellow of the Econometric Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, and a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He is a past recipient of grants and fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, the U.S. National Science Foundation and others, and has delivered major invited named lectures in universities and conferences around the world.

In addition to his many editorial duties, Professor Holmstrom has served, in advisory and research capacities, major foundations, scientific societies, universities, corporations, government agencies and other organizations worldwide.

Professor Holmstrom has made seminal contributions to the theory of the firm, particularly in the areas of contracting and incentives, and has written extensively about performance evaluation, incentive design and corporate governance. His recent research includes work on executive compensation, corporate governance and restructuring, the optimal scope of the firm, and the demand and supply of liquidity.