Corporate Governance of Real Estate Investment Trusts

Book excerpt: Nicolai C. Striewe analyzes potential opportunistic behavior of REIT managers and provides empirical evidence on the effectiveness of institutional monitoring as a corporate governance mechanism. The author also suggests ways to promote sustainable management by means of institutional participation. The results of his study provide valuable insights to enhance corporate governance, transparency and efficiency in the REIT market. They encourage (a) academics to include a behavioral component into studies of the REIT market, (b) REIT managers to incorporate effective monitoring and control mechanisms, (c) investors to become more aware of agency conflicts in REITs and (d) policy makers to facilitate a legal framework conducive to a sustainable REIT market.