Second, our study shows that CEO pay is highly persistent.
Dynamic panel data estimates suggest that the current
level of CEO pay is significantly and positively correlated to
last period’s pay level. CEO pay is not always in equilibrium
as assumed in prior China studies. Instead, boards and compensation
committees set pay dynamically and adjust it
towards an equilibrium target level, presumably set by
market expectations. Adjustment cost in Chinese CEO pay is
an important discovery. Our estimates thus take into account
the endogenous nature of firm performance and corporate
governance factors. We show that incomplete information
and learning are as important as incentive alignment in CEO
pay determination.