The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Finance

Abstract

The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Finance provides a well-rounded reference work on corporate finance. The volume responds to the growing breadth and sophistication of corporate finance research in an era characterized by unprecedented data availability and analytical capabilities, and also innovations and novel events within the financial ecosystem. The Handbook integrates three core dimensions of the field. First, it reviews the major theoretical traditions, ranging from agency theory and ownership structures to through financialization, comparative finance, and emerging theoretical perspectives. Second, it presents cutting-edge methodological developments, including advances in econometrics, causal inference, behavioural and experimental methods, valuation techniques, and the rising influence of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Third, it offers a wide-ranging set of empirical studies spanning a) investor behaviour, such as ownership arrangements, activism, political connections, alternative investments and sustainable finance, b) mechanisms of corporate finance, such as capital markets, working capital management, banking and risk, and mergers and acquisitions, c) digital finance, and d) the managerial and governance aspects of corporate finance. By combining US-centric and global perspectives, the Handbook reflects the increasingly interconnected nature of corporate finance research. In doing so, it aspires to engage a broad scholarly audience and to contribute meaningfully to ongoing debates about the role of corporate finance in firms and markets.