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In recent years many shareholders have voted to amend their corporate charters to decrease the likelihood of a hostile takeover. Critics of antitakeover amendments argue that by sheltering management from the market for corporate control, management may become entrenched and be less likely to act in the best interest of shareholders. The counter argument holds that the threat of a hostile takeover and possible job loss may move management toward “short‐sighted” decision making. In this study we test the hypothesis that, upon passage of antitakover amendments, managers adopt a longer‐term view with respect to capital expenditures and research and development. Empirical results support the hypothesis, as both capital expenditures and research development display significant increases relative to the year of enactment.

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The biggest financial disaster in modern history struck the savings and loan industry during the 1980s. This paper argues that the unifying cause of this debacle was the way in which the federal deposit insurance system is structured. The fundamental cause was not fraud and deregulation, as is commonly argued. The government not only permitted reportedly insolvent institutions to continue to operate, it permitted many such institutions to grow by offering relatively high rates on their deposits. Unfortunately, the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) of 1989 may not prevent a similar situation from ever recurring. Therefore, one must understand exactly what happened, what the FIRREA does and does not do, and the proposals for reforming the entire structure of the federal deposit insurance system. Copyright 1991 Western Economic Association International.