The Handbook of Research on IPOs provides a comprehensive review of the emerging trends and directions in the global initial public offerings (IPO) markets. The empirical evidence included in the book covers Europe, the US and the Far East, and presents a truly global perspective of IPO markets around the world and at the different stages of the entire IPO process. The Handbook is divided into six comprehensive parts: - why, when and where firms go public - preparation for the IPO - transaction structure and governance at the IPO - trading in the aftermarket - the aftermarket performance of IPOs - special types of IPOs. The chapters offer some important new insights into issues that will be of interest not only to the academic community but also to professionals involved in the preparation, structure and execution of such transactions, market regulators, and private and institutional investors. Contributors: N. Appadu, D.B. Audretsch, F. Bancel, S. Banerjee, F. Bertoni, W. Bessler, R. Boissin, M. Bonaventura, P. Brown, J. Cao, M. Cattaneo, S. Chaplinsky, S. Chattopadhyay, H.M.J. Colaco, D. Cumming, J. D Souza, S. Espenlaub, A. Faelten, A. Ferguson, C.S. Fernando, V.A. Gatchev, G. Giudici, M. Goergen, D. Gounopoulos, U. Güçbilmez, S. Gupta-Mukherjee, G. Gur-Gershgorn, S.P. Hegde, J. Hoebelt, S. Johan, A. Khurshed, P. Lam, E.E. Lehmann, M. Levis, W.L. Megginson, M. Meoli, J.-S. Michel, K. Migliorati, U.R. Mittoo, A.C. Mohliver, R. Nash, S. Owen, S. Paleari, J.A. Pandes, G. Pawlina, M. Remenar, J.R. Ritter, M.J. Robinson, M. Seim, A. Signori, P.A. Spindt, J.-A. Suchard, S. Vismara, K. Yamada