Once again, we review some of the best papers and essays that we've seen recently on activist investing. We added four entries to our  academic paper page, with links to specific papers where available.  

Three come from the circle of law professor Lucian Bebchuk, at Harvard, one of the more energetic researchers on (and defenders of) shareholder activism. The fourth analyzes the legal theory underlying the board-centric approach to corporate governance, and finds it wanting. 

One of the four (Bebchuk, Brav, and Jiang) represents a milestone in thorough, rigorous, and thoughtful analysis of the returns to activist investing. It provides the most comprehensive evidence yet about the long-term impact of activist shareholders on company value.