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Morten Bennedsen

Visiting Professor of Economics at INSEAD

Biography

Morten Bennedsen is Visiting Professor of Economics at INSEAD. He obtained his PhD in Economics from Harvard University in 1998, a Master’s degree with distinction from London School of Economics, and a Bachelor Degree from the University of Copenhagen. His area of teaching includes family business governance, corporate governance, applied microeconomics, and firm theory.

Morten Bennedsen’s main research area is the governance of family firms and other closely held corporations in a global context. He has done research on family firms, closely held corporations, capital structures, venture capital, investor protection, ownership structures, and privatisation. His work has been published in top finance and economics journals, such as Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Political Economics, Quarterly Journals of Economics, Journal of Banking and Finance, and Journal of Public Economics. Morten Bennedsen has won a number of research and teaching prizes, such as the winner of the Danish part of the EURYI competition (2004), the FUHU prize for Best Teaching and Course Development at the Copenhagen Business School (2006), and the biggest Danish individual research prize - EliteForsk 2008 - from the Danish Ministry of Science.

He has served as an advisor to the Danish Ministry of Business in the area of family firms and succession politics in particular, and, more generally, on corporate financial policy. He has done advisory and consultancy work for a.o., the Danish association of private equity funds, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the World Bank, and Novo Nordisk Foundation. He frequently gives talks to family firms, corporate finance institutions, investment banks, and private equity funds on governance of family firms and the economic consequences of succession.

Morten Bennedsen’s research has been cited in many international newspapers including The Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune and business newspapers in Germany, Nederlands, Portugal, Norway and Denmark.

Latest posts

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Economics & Finance

Covid-19 Furloughs Helped Firms Thrive

M. Bennedsen, B. Larsen, I. Schmutte, D. Scur

Even keeping low-wage workers on the payroll yielded benefits after Covid-19 restrictions ended.

Family Business

A Career in the Family Business: Duty or Choice?

M. Bennedsen, C. Harbour, A. Tirard

Would-be joiners of family businesses can have their cake and eat it – if they get the ingredients right.

Leadership & Organisations

Could Living Near the Office Make You a Better CEO?

M. Bennedsen, M. D. Amore, B. Larsen

Besides enjoying a shorter commute, living close to the office may allow CEOs to boost ties with employees and the firm’s bottom line.

Family Business

A Different Kind of Family Firm Hiding in Plain Sight

Morten Bennedsen

The link between ownership and control is tenuous in a certain type of family firm.

Family Business

Professionalising the Family Firm

R. Noyes, M. Bennedsen

A conversation about the opportunities and threats that spur families into action.
2 comments

Family Business

Why Family CEOs Outperform Their Non-Family Predecessors

Morten Bennedsen

Pitfalls and solutions for non-family chief executives.

Economics & Finance

Covid-19 Furloughs Are Getting the Job Done

M. Bennedsen, B. Larsen, I. Schmutte, D. Scur

Despite questions as to their cost and fairness, employment subsidies in the EU appear to be working as intended.

Economics & Finance

Gender Wage Gaps Close When They Are Disclosed

New evidence confirms that transparency creates a more equitable workplace – with no impact on firms’ profit.

Family Business

Family Business Longevity Requires Owners to Step Back

M. Bennedsen, B. Henry

Too much centralised control puts a family business at risk when the owner-manager dies.

Family Business

Planning for Family Business Longevity in Three Steps

M. Bennedsen, B. Henry

Lessons from the U.K.’s oldest privately owned bank, which has been in the same family for more than 300 years.

Family Business

When Loyalty Becomes a Liability to Family Firms

M. Bennedsen, B. Henry

Staying true to your roots can foster inertia when innovation is most necessary.

Family Business

When Succession Skips a Generation

Morten Bennedsen & Brian Henry

Hiring non-family executives helps ensure longevity, but it requires strategic finesse.