The Multi-Faceted Concept of Transparency

Transparency has become a catchword and in the economic-political debate is often seen as a universal remedy for all sorts of problems. In this paper, we analyze and discuss the meaning and use of the concept of transparency in economic research. We look for common denominators across different areas where the concept is used, and find that transparency in essence is about reductions in information asymmetries, and therefore entails the transfer of information from a sender to a receiver. Transparency goes beyond mere information disclosure in that it has a demand-side dimension: the information transferred should be trustworthy and have a value to the receiver. We emphasize the distinction…

The Influence of Institutionally Embedded Ownership on Anglo-American Corporate Governance Migration into Emerging Economy IPO Firms

We argue that the corporate governance of emerging economy IPO firms is influenced by firm-specific institutionally embedded block ownership groups. Applying an extended institutional logic perspective and using a mixed-effects ordered probit model, our findings from 190 IPO-firms from 22 African countries 2000‒2016, support the notion that five major block owner categories (corporate, private equity, non-executive, business group, state) exerts very different influence on African firms’ degree of adoption of Anglo-American corporate governance measures. We find that the influence from the various block owner groups is significantly moderated by institutional quality and tribalism, but to d…

Globalization of Monitoring Practices: The Case of American Influences on the Dismissal Risk of European CEOs

Accepted version of an article from the Journal of Economics and Business This study examines globalization of monitoring practices by focusing on how American (U.S.) influences on European firms impact the dismissal risk for these firms' CEOs. Specifically, we argue that the stronger short term orientation of the American corporate governance system increase the dismissal performance sensitivity faced by European CEOs, indirectly and directly. The former materializes via European firms cross-listing on U.S. exchanges, the latter results from European firms hiring U.S. independent board members. Both influences are expected to result in increased dismissal performance sensitivity. Based on …

Exchange Rate and Macroeconomic Fluctuations as Sources of Luck in CEO Compensation

Exchange rate and other macroeconomic fluctuations can be considered sources of good or bad “luck” for corporate performance. Incentive effects of performance-based compensation for management may be weakened or biased by macroeconomic influences on remuneration depending on the ability of management to adjust operations. We decompose the changes in CEO-compensation to distinguish between (anticipated-and unanticipated) macroeconomic and “intrinsic” sources. Total US CEO-compensation is measured both including options awarded and options exercised. Both depend strongly on variations in macro-factors but the time patterns differ. Allowing for asymmetric effects on compensation we find that c…

Resistance to Change in the Corporate Elite

In this empirical study, we investigate the variation in firms’ response to institutional pressure for gender-balanced boards, focusing specifically on the preservation of prevailing practices of director selection and its impact on the representation of women on the board of directors. Using 8 years of data from publicly listed Nordic corporations, we show societal pressure to be one of the determinants of female directorship. Moreover, in some corporations, the director selection process may work to maintain “a traditional type of board”. In such boards, demographic diversity among male members appears to be associated with a lower share of female directors, although we cannot establish w…

The Role of Institutions in the Migration of Corporate Governance Practice into Emerging Economies The Case of Africa

This study examines the role of institutional environment in influencing the migration of corporate governance best practice into 22 emerging African economies. Using a unique and comprehensive sample hand-collected sample of 202 IPO firms from across the continent we adopt a novel institutional logics perspective in studying the diffusion of CEO salary disclosure – a central element of corporate transparency. Our findings reveal that the adoption of CEO salary disclosure by firms is more likely in more homogenous informal institutional contexts. Complementarities arising from disclosure originating from an Anglo-American shareholder value governance framework and indigenous formal institut…

The Effects of Internationalization on CEO Compensation

This study examines the relation between the internationalization of firms and CEO compensation. Starting from a sample of Norwegian and Swedish listed firms, we analyze the effects of internationalization as manifest in the capital market (international cross-listing), the market for corporate control (foreign board membership), and the product and service market (export and foreign sales). We conclude that all three markets contribute positively to the compensation level of CEOs. We argue that part of the higher CEO compensation in internationally oriented firms - as compared to less internationalized firms within the same country - reflects a risk premium for reduction in job security.Pu…

On the Internationalization of Corporate Boards

This study investigates the internationalization of corporate boards, using a sample of 346 non-financial listed Nordic firms during 2001–2008. Given a high level of international activity, these firms have surprisingly few foreign directors. The picture of international expertise changes considerably, however, if we also count the international experience of national directors. The percentage of foreign directors is related primarily to financial internationalization rather than foreign sales, and thus presumably to the monitoring rather than advisory functions. The international experience of the nationals covaries with foreign sales, and increases with the share of foreign directors. Thu…

Financial Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment

We argue that mainstream FDI theory underplays financial motivations for international investment, and suggest several possible channels for a distinct cost-of-capital effect on FDI. Using a sample of European firms' cross-border acquisitions, and controlling for traditional firm-level determinants of FDI, we find strong evidence in favor of a cost-of-equity effect, whereas the effect of debt costs is indeterminate. We further find that financial determinants are more important for firms originating in relatively less financially developed countries and for firms with high knowledge intensity.

The Impact of Board Internationalization on Earnings Management

Prior literature shows that choices regarding board composition are associated with earnings management. We add to this literature by examining the effects of the presence of a foreign board member on earnings management. Using a sample of 3,249 firm-year observations representing 586 non-financial listed Nordic firms during 2001-2008, we find that the presence of a non-Nordic, foreign director is associated with significantly higher levels of earnings management. Moreover, we provide preliminary evidence that differences in accounting knowledge drive this effect. Our results suggest that it may not necessarily be beneficial to appoint a foreign director to the board.

The Silent Board: How Language Diversity May Influence the Work Processes of Corporate Boards

Manuscript Type Empirical. Research Question/Issue Corporate boards often change their working language when they acquire foreign members. Consequently, boards �talk� in one language but �think� in another. The present study explores and explains how language diversity influences work processes of corporate boards. Research Findings/Insights On the basis of a multiple case study of nine multinational corporations (MNCs) from four Nordic countries, we discovered evidence of impoverished and silenced discussions in board meetings in those case companies that were unprepared to switch to English as the new working language of the board. Some board members found it difficult to contribute to bo…

The Impact of Macroeconomic Variables on Corporate Performance - What Shareholders Ought to Know?

Increased integration and growing macroeconomic fluctuations require more attention to be paid to the link between the "noise" that these fluctuations represent and the company's own development. For many reasons management must weed out the effects of the "noise" so as to obtain a clear picture of the long-term sustainable profits, and thus a picture of how the company's intrinsic competitiveness is fostered. An understanding of the effects of the fluctuations also provides the basis for risk assessment. How far, then, should this "new" view of corporate performance be extended to outsider shareholders? Current reporting practice does not provide these shareholders with an adequate idea of…

The EU and global imbalances

The EU’s Role in Fighting Global Imbalances looks at the role of the European Union in addressing some of the greatest challenges of our time: poverty, protectionism, climate change, and human trafficking. Contributions from ten leading scholars in the fields of economics, law, and political science provide in-depth analyses of three key dimensions of EU foreign policy, namely: the internal challenges facing the EU, as its 28 member countries struggle to coordinate their actions; the external challenges facing the EU on the global arena, in areas where global imbalances are particularly pervasive, and where measures taken by the Union can have an important impact; and the EU´s performance o…

Determinants of Chairman Compensation

This study examines determinants of chairman compensation in a supervisory board setting and, specifically, the relationship between chairman and CEO compensation. Using a sample of publicly listed firms in Sweden, the study indicates that chairman compensation – despite its fixed nature – is reflective of firm performance via a positive relationship to CEO compensation. As CEO compensation is set before chairman compensation, we argue that the chairman may be inclined to conspire with the CEO in earnings management efforts at the expense of monitoring on behalf of investors. Supporting our argument, we find evidence that the gap between chairman and CEO compensation is less at firms where …

The Impact of CEO Long-term Equity-based Compensation Incentives on Economic Growth in Collectivist versus Individualist Countries

This study examines the impact of the prevalence of long-term equity-based chief executive officer (CEO) compensation incentives on GDP growth, and we address the moderating role of individualist versus collectivist cultures on this relationship. We argue that long-term incentives given to CEOs in some firms may convey to other CEOs that they too may be able to receive such incentives and rewards if they emulate the incentivized and rewarded CEOs. In a longitudinal study across 22 nations over a 5-year period, we find that the higher proportion of CEOs in a country are awarded long-term equity-based incentive compensation, the greater future real GDP growth, particularly in collectivist co…

Why FX Risk Management Is Broken - And What Boards Need to Know to Fix It

In this paper we rethink the role of Foreign Exchange Risk Management (FXRM) in corporate management. We believe it is fair to characterize FXRM, on the whole, as a legacy activity rather than something that reflects a realistic cost-benefit analysis at the enterprise-level. The Board of Directors, as the designated guardians of the interests of shareholders, has a key role in setting the firm on a path towards a cost-efficient and centralized FXRM that preserves the firm’s transparency and predictability towards the investor community. A policy conclusion from our analysis is that responsibility for FX policy should shift from the traditional Finance/Treasury orientation to a group risk fu…

The Impact of CEO Long-Term Equity-Based Compensation Incentives on Economic Growth in Collectivist Versus Individualist Countries

This study examines the impact of the prevalence of long-term equity-based CEO compensation incentives on GDP growth, and we address the moderating role of individualist versus collectivist cultures on this relationship. We argue long-term incentives given to CEOs in some firms may convey to other CEOs that they too may be able to receive such incentives and rewards if they emulate the incentivized and rewarded CEOs. In a longitudinal study across twenty-two nations over a five-year period, we find that when a higher proportion of CEOs in a country are awarded long-term equity-based incentive compensation, the greater future real GDP growth, particularly in collectivist countries.

Changing the Corporate Elite? Not so Easy: Female Directorss Appointments Onto Corporate Boards

Scholars have previously investigated country and organizational-level factors associated with the incidence of female directors on boards. These studies, however, cannot explain why, in countries with strong gender equality and pressure for female directorships, firms are still hesitant to promote new women to their boards. To address this issue we – in this study – introduce the cognitive and affective processes related to directors’ identification with the traditional corporate elite as an explanation for the slow organizational response to pressure for gender diversity on boards. We bridge the social identity and critical mass theory to further show how these responses may vary with the…

Executive Incentive Compensation and Economic Prosperity

This paper analyzes the existence of a potential link between the prevalence of long term incentive compensation schemes and the economic prosperity of a country. This issue is previously not addressed in the literature. In a panel regression with fixed effects a strongly significant, positive effect is found between growth of GDP/capita in real terms and this prevalence, while controlling for general investment and institutional variables. However, when the 22 countries of the study are divided into European and non-European, the growth effect found for the entire material accrues only to the non-European countries. It is concluded that long term incentive contracts seem to have no effect …

Globalization of Corporate Governance: The American Influence on Dismissal Performance Sensitivity of European CEOs

This study examines how globalization of corporate governance practices influence the risk of European CEOs being dismissed. We argue that the harsh monitoring of the American corporate governance system spills over to the rest of the world as a result of this globalization. We focus on direct and indirect American influence on the dismissal performance sensitivity among the 250 largest European publicly listed firms. The indirect influence is assumed to materialize via European firms cross-listing on U.S. exchanges, whereas the direct influence is assumed to appear as a result of European firms hiring of American independent board members. Both sources of influence are hypothesized to resu…

From Global Firms to Global Boards?

Preprint of published version of an article from Journal of International Business Studies with the title: "On the internationalization of corporate boards: the case of Nordic firms" This study investigates the internationalization of corporate boards, using a sample of 346 non-financial listed Nordic firms during 2001-2008. Given a high level of international activity, these firms have surprisingly few foreign directors. The picture of international expertise changes considerably, however, if we also count the international experience of national directors. The percentage of foreign directors is related primarily to financial internationalization rather than foreign sales, and thus presuma…

The EU, the Nation-State, and the Perennial Challenge to European Integration

This introductory chapter sheds new light on the increasingly complex relationship between the European Union and the nation-state—in its capacity as EU member state—at a time when its fundamental values are being called into question by prominent political currents. The chapter explores the concept of the nation-state in a contemporary European context and shows that tensions between supranationalism and intergovernmentalism are since long a defining feature of European integration. The chapter then introduces the book’s interdisciplinary approach which offers different disciplinary perspectives on how the return of the nation-state impacts the EU’s ability to meet the multifaceted challen…

The influence of business groups on board composition in offshore financial multinational enterprises

Based on resource dependence theory we argue for an influence of business groups (BGs) on the board composition of constituent offshore financial multinational enterprises (FMNEs). Using a unique sample of 171 Caribbean FMNEs in an inter-island BG setting, we find BGs’ control in constituent firms to be indicative of the importance of the internal financing and intermediation within the group network. This control leads to a higher proportion of lawyers hired to the boards of directors in BG-constituent firms and supports the argument that lawyers provide skills in complex offshore regulatory frameworks that facilitate BGs’ optimal tax management. Furthermore, we observe that an increased a…

The Role of Language in Corporate Governance: The Case of Board Internationalization

Multinational corporations internationalize their corporate boardrooms in order to capitalize on their commercial and financial internationalization. Board internationalization provides access to specialized knowledge and skills, broadens social networks and ensures greater transparency of strategic decision-making. The entry of a foreign board member is often coupled with a change in the working language of the board. The purpose of the present study is to explore and explain how increased language diversity influences decision-making and work processes of corporate boards. We draw on previous research on board internationalization, diversity and language in multinational corporations. Bas…

The Interplay between Money Market Development and Changes in Monetary Policy Operations in Small European Countries, 1980-2000

We study the interplay between money market development and changes in monetary policy operating procedures in 11 European countries from c. 1980 up to the launch of the EMU. Aspects of money market development such as size and structure of different market segments, and institutional and regulatory changes, are addressed. We recount and empirically examine the reorientation of monetary policy instruments away from quantitative direct control instruments towards indirect market-based instruments.The process of deregulation is uniform across countries. The path of money market development varies substantially, whereas changes in central bank instruments show both similarities and differences…

Macroeconomic Fluctuations as a Source of Luck in CEO Compensation

Macroeconomic fluctuations such as interest rate and exchange rate can be considered sources of good or bad “luck” for corporate performance. Incentive effects of performance-based compensation for management may be weakened or biased by macroeconomic influences depending on the ability of management to adjust for operations. We decompose the impacts on CEO compensation to distinguish between macroeconomic (anticipated and unanticipated) and “intrinsic” sources. Total CEO compensation is measured by including options awarded or options exercised. Both measures depend strongly on variations in macro factors but the time patterns differ. The macroeconomic factors increased total awarded compe…

What Can International Finance Add to International Strategy?

This chapter focuses on the role of corporate financial strategies to improve firms’ market valuations, and thus lower their cost of capital. The identification of successful strategies is accomplished within an overall strategic framework and related to how the firm perceives the degree of international financial integration. Five strategies for how to break out of a segmented, thin domestic capital market are highlighted together with historical success cases. The chapter illustrates the linkages between business strategy, firm motivation, and various financial strategies. JEL: F21, F23, F36, G32, G34.

Exposure-Based Cash-Flow-At-Risk for Value-Creating Risk Management Under Macroeconomic Uncertainty

A strategically minded CFO will realize that strategic corporate risk management is about finding the right balance between risk prevention and proactive value generation. Efficient risk and performance management requires adequate assessment of risk and risk exposures on the one hand and performance on the other. Properly designed, a risk measure should provide information on to what extend the firm's performance is at risk, what is causing that risk, the relative importance of non-value-adding and value-adding risk, and the possibilities to use risk management to reduce total risk. In this chapter, we present an approach – exposure-based cash-flow-at-risk – to calculating a firm's downsid…

The CFO’s Information Challenge in Managing Macroeconomic Risk

In this paper we examine the role of the CFO in setting risk management strategy with respect to macroeconomic risk, in particular, and we consider the information requirements for setting a strategy that is consistent with corporate objectives. We argue that macroeconomic risk management requires a broad approach encompassing financial, operational and strategic considerations. Furthermore, several interdependent sources of risk in the macroeconomic environment must be taken into account. Once this interdependence among, for example, exchange rates, interest rates and inflation are taken into account macroeconomic risk management can be considered a relatively self-contained aspect of Inte…

Strangers on the board

The internationalization of firms has led to boards becoming more international as well. In this study, we investigate the consequences of board internationalization. In particular, by drawing on research on language and board dynamics, we identify theory-based reasons why board internationalization could increase, or decrease, earnings management practices. We use agency theory, stressing how board internationalization may positively or negatively affect monitoring quality of boards. Next to agency theory, we use theories explaining how language differences in the boardroom complicates communication and how differences in language structures (referred to as linguistic relativity in the lit…

The Institutional Determinants of Private Equity Involvement in Business Groups: The Case of Africa

This study examines the governance attributes of post-IPO (initial public offering) retained ownership of private equity in business group constituent firms in contrast to their unaffiliated counterparts, in 202 newly listed firms in 22 emerging African economies. We adopt an actor centered institutional-theoretic perspective in rationalizing institutional voids and the advantages of maintained governance by both business angels (BA) and venture capital (VC) private equity. Our findings reveal private equity retain higher post-IPO ownership in business group constituents compared to unaffiliated firms and that this is inversely moderated in the context of improving institutional quality – w…

On the Internationalization of Corporate Boards

Despite the global reach of their commercial activities, many multinational firms have proved slow in internationalizing their boards of directors. Based on a panel study of the internationalization of the boards of 347 non-financial firms from the Nordic countries, we find a higher fraction of international board membership in firms with more foreign sales, in firms with more foreign ownership and in firms whose shares are traded on foreign (mostly European) stock exchanges. Moreover, we find international directors and national directors with international experience complementary. The first-mentioned group is found to serve a monitoring role, related to financial internationalization of …

Financial Market Development in Emerging Asia: the Corporate Governance Perspective (Presentation Slides)

Presentation on why Asia is different from Europe and the USA from a corporate governance perspective: weak formal institutions (e.g. law enforcement), diverse informal institutions (e.g. in terms of social elite) and with institutional dynamism (ongoing development of regulations, e.g. privatization) using economic liberalization as primary engine of growth.

Exchange Rate and Interest-Rate Driven Competitive Advantages in the EMU

Real exchange and interest rates may still fluctuate inside the EMU and give rise to changes in competitiveness. We find, in contrast to what is generally expected, no convergence in these variables after the introduction of the euro. On the contrary, a divergence is found that is extraordinary when compared to the preceding 40 years. The magnitude of the divergence should urge on a wave of restructuring in the EMU, conditioned upon adequate policy responses. The worst-case scenario involves a flight to structural support and protectionism, challenging the whole idea of the EMU.

Optimal vs satisfactory transparency : The impact of global macroeconomic fluctuations on corporate competitiveness

Abstract Being able to separate temporary global macroeconomic influences – caused by fluctuations in exchange rates, interest rates and inflation – from intrinsic performance – related to a superior product, production process or management – is crucial to assessing the development of a firm’s competiveness. Against that background, this paper analyzes institutions’ role in making firms supply outside shareholders with relevant information corresponding to satisfactory transparency from the shareholder perspective. Based on a sample of the 100 largest public European firms, it is found that no firm provided information to a level deemed satisfactory by the outside shareholder. One explanat…

What Does the Technological Shift Have in Store for the EU? Opportunities and Pitfalls for European Societies

This introductory chapter sheds light on the opportunities and challenges that the digital era has in store for the European Union (EU) at a time when its fundamental values are being called into question by prominent political currents. The chapter sets the scene by an account of how previous periods of technological transformation affected European societies and considers the financial and regulatory resources at the disposal of the EU to manage the technological shift of the 2020s. The chapter introduces the book’s interdisciplinary approach, which offers various disciplinary perspectives on how the technological mega-shift impacts the EU’s ability to meet the multifaceted challenges it …

How to Avoid Compensating CEO for Luck: The Case of Macroeconomic Fluctuations

Incentive effects of performance-based compensation schemes for management may be weakened or biased by macroeconomic influences on remuneration. These influences can be seen as reflecting luck from the CEO’s perspective. In this chapter we present a model for how to avoid compensating CEO for luck by filtering out the macroeconomic influences. In the empirical section we analyze the impact of macroeconomic, industry and firm-specific factors on the compensations (salary, bonus, options, and pensions) of CEOs in 127 Swedish corporations during the period 2001-2007. We find macroeconomic influences on Swedish CEOs’ compensation to be substantial. Distinguishing between favorable and unfavora…

Do Exchange-Rate Regimes Matter for Monetary-Policy Autonomy? The Experiences of 11 Small, Open European Economies in the 1980s and 1990s

We investigate monetary-policy autonomy under different exchange-rate regimes in small, open European economies during the 1980s and 1990s. We find no systematic difference in the degree of nominal monetary-policy autonomy enjoyed by those countries that pursue flexible exchange-rate regimes as compared to those that have kept their exchange rates fixed. Our interpretation of the results is that over the medium and long term following an 'independent' target for monetary policy, which does not deviate much from the targets of those countries to which one is closely financially integrated, is as constraining as locking the exchange rate to some particular level.

Corporate Distress and Restructuring with Macroeconomic Fluctuations: The Cases of GM and Ford

Traditional methods for evaluating corporate credit risk rarely consider the impact of the macro economy on corporate value and performance. We argue that lenders and management can obtain valuable information about the need for and approach to restructuring by decomposing default predictions into intrinsic and macroeconomic factors. We apply a method previously used for measuring macroeconomic exposures on default predictions in order to filter out macroeconomic factors. In this paper the method is applied on an analysis of the Z-scores for GM and Ford for the period 1996-2005. The macro-economy has affected the two firms in different ways with implications for managements and creditors ap…

Executive Compensation and Macroeconomic Fluctuations

Macroeconomic fluctuations affect corporations' performance through demand and cost conditions. Incentive effects of performance-based compensation schemes for management may be weakened or biased by macroeconomic influences if management is unable to forecast macroeconomic fluctuations or unable to adjust operations in response to changes in macroeconomic conditions. In this paper we analyze the impact of macroeconomic, industry and firm-specific factors on salaries and bonus of CEOs in 131 Swedish corporations during the period 2001-2006. A distinction is made between anticipated and unanticipated macroeconomic fluctuations. The macroeconomic influences on performance and compensation can…

The Institutional Determinants of Private Equity Involvement in Business Groups The Case of Africa

This study examines the governance attributes of post-IPO (initial public offering) retained ownership of private equity in business group constituent firms in contrast to their unaffiliated counterparts, in 202 newly listed firms in 22 emerging African economies. We adopt an actor centered institutional-theoretic perspective in rationalizing institutional voids and the advantages of maintained governance by both business angels (BA) and venture capital (VC) private equity. Our findings reveal private equity retain higher post-IPO ownership in business group constituents compared to unaffiliated firms and that this is inversely moderated in the context of improving institutional quality. Ou…

The European Union in a Changing World Order: What Is at Stake?

This introductory chapter aims to shed light on how tightly the EU and the liberal international order are entwined and discuss the likely impact on the EU of a changing and, most likely, less liberal world order. The chapter discusses the concept of order in international politics and analyses how the liberal order that emerged after WWII has effected the development of the EU. The chapter introduces the book’s interdisciplinary, holistic approach, and discusses how a changing world order is affecting the EU and how the EU, in turn, is trying to shape the emerging new order by recalibrating its policies and actions in various domains, ranging from its relations with the rest of the world, …

Analysing the prosperity gap: the economic, legal, and political challenges facing the EU

Market Determinants of Voluntary Disclosure of Macroeconomic Effects on Corporate Performance

The macroeconomic environment is an important determinant of firm performance. Nevertheless, many firms are simplistic in the approach they use to identify, analyze and create strategies for managing the vital relationship between intrinsic competitiveness and macroeconomic fluctuations. Few firms disclose this information to outside stakeholders, which means they are prevented from understanding the intrinsic performance. We analyze the effects of the implementation/development of IFRS/IAS 1 on voluntary macroeconomic information disclosure with a focus on information content and market determinants. We base our analysis on a sample of the 100 largest public European firms in the period 20…

On the Role of Internationalization of Firm-Level Corporate Governance – The Case of Audit Committees

Motivated by agency theory and arguments from linguistic studies, we argue in this paper the internationalization of a firm’s audit committee to be associated with weaker firm-level corporate governance. Based on 2,015 publicly traded European firms from 16 countries over 2000-2018, we find the presence of foreign directors on audit committees to have a significant negative impact on financial reporting quality (FRQ). The effect is found to be weaker in countries with strong investor protection. We find linguistic differences within audit committees an important explanation for the negative influence of foreign directors on FRQ. The results are robust to alternative FRQ measures and model s…

On the role of internationalization of firm-level corporate governance: The case of audit committees

Research Question/IssueMotivated by the agency theory and the findings of linguistic studies, we analyze the association between the internationalization of a firm's audit committee and its corporate governance.Research Findings/InsightsBased on data from 2159 publicly traded European firms from 15 countries for the period 2000–2018, we find that firms with foreign directors on their audit committees are associated with lower financial reporting quality. The association is mitigated by stronger country-level investor protection and a higher similarity among intra-committee languages. We further find that foreign directors on the audit committee are related to stock prices being less informa…

Trust in the European Union: What Is It and How Does It Matter?

Bakardijeva Engelbrekt, Bremberg, Michalski, and Oxelheim introduce the concept of trust in the European Union by pointing out its elusive character comprising both interpersonal relations and attitudes towards organizations and broad-based institutions in society. In the early days of integration, trust was primarily connected to the European security community. Then, trust was present mainly among political, economic, and bureaucratic elites while public confidence in European integration took a vaguer form. Today, trust in the EU is challenged by numerous developments, ranging from the deteriorating internal and external security situation and terrorism to rising populism and anti-establ…

The Impact of Business Group Affiliation and Country-Level Institutions on Corporate Governance of Emerging Market Firms

This study outlines how the corporate governance of emerging market firms is influenced by corporate affiliation and institutional embeddedness. We argue that the stronger the business group affiliation, the less likely is the emerging market firm to adopt shareholder value enhancing corporate governance, and that this relationship is moderated by institutional quality and tribalism. Based on189 initial public offerings (IPOs) from 22 African countries between 2000and 2016, we find a significant negative relationship between business group ownership and IPO firms’ quality of corporate governance. We also find this relationship to be significantly negatively moderated by country-level instit…

Asymmetry of CEO Compensation and the Role of Relative and Macroeconomic Shocks in Risk Taking Incentives

If managers are risk-averse and compensation schemes are not directly linked to shareholder wealth, incentives to allocate effort to manage effects of relative and macroeconomic shocks may be distorted. In this paper we develop a simple model to identify factors that determine the optimal allocation of effort to manage relative and macroeconomic shocks. We then show how serial correlation in shocks, the relative variance of shocks and the ability of managers to influence the effects of shocks on shareholder wealth determine the optimal allocation of managerial effort. Thereafter, we emphasize how CEO compensation depends on performance variables distinguishing between relative and macroecon…

Producer Prices in the Transition to a Common Currency

We analyze producer price developments in the transition from a national exchange rate regime to a monetary union. The focus is on the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Stylized facts witness about an exploding gaps in producer-price inflation during the years immediately following the completion of the EMU. Price convergence is found to be an important driver throughout the entire euro period (1999-2005), but with no significant differences in speed compared to the pre euro period. Productivity growth had its primary effect in the first years and effective exchange-rate changes in the later years of the euro period.