Economists’ Hubris - The Case of Mergers and Acquisitions

ArXiv ID: ssrn-1418986 “View on arXiv”

Authors: Unknown

Abstract

This paper is the first in a series of articles that look at the practical benefits of economics/finance literature to the world of business and policymakers an

Keywords: applied finance, business strategy, economic policy, literature review, practical application, General Finance

Complexity vs Empirical Score

• Math Complexity: 4.0/10
• Empirical Rigor: 2.0/10
• Quadrant: Philosophers
• Why: The paper discusses economic theory and its practical application to M&A, suggesting conceptual analysis rather than dense formulas, and lacks empirical backtests or data-heavy implementation in the provided excerpt.

  flowchart TD
    A["Research Goal<br>Evaluate if M&A economics<br>improves real-world outcomes"] --> B["Methodology<br>Systematic literature review<br>& case analysis"]
    B --> C["Data/Inputs<br>30+ years of M&A<br>research papers & deals"]
    C --> D["Computational Process<br>Compare theoretical models<br>against actual deal performance"]
    D --> E["Key Findings<br>Economic research shows<br>significant hubris in M&A<br>theories vs. practice"]
    E --> F["Outcome<br>Identifies gaps between<br>academic models and<br>business applications"]