Law and Finance theory stresses the importance of shareholder rights for the reliability and development of capital markets. Many European Parliaments picked up this corporate governance issue. We expand the analysis of Lele and Siems (2007) and show that the number of shareholder rights grew...

Good bank governance is of vital concern to banks, financial industry and economy. The recent financial crisis has shown that an insufficient governance framework is an important attribute to a crisis. This article discusses corporate governance of Belgian banks: the specific regulatory...

The last decade has challenged the paradigm of the hedge fund industry as a unique performer. We identify three main factors that have affected the operation of hedge funds: competition from mutual funds, the market environment, and tighter regulation. Recent trends in the financial industry...

We survey law firms, firms and institutional investors to better understand their preferred method of intra-corporate dispute resolution in Brazil. Consistent with a number of theories, we find that these organizations prefer arbitration to judicial claims as the method of intra-corporate...

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are very important to any economy. They are great job creators, helping to reduce poverty and achieve higher levels of development in all economic sectors. However, SMEs are susceptible to inadequate law and regulation, mainly in countries implementing...

We present and analyze a novel set of enforcement data from the European Securities Market Authority during the period following the European Union's harmonized rule setting on securities market abuse. The data show significant differences in the intensity of enforcement across Europe. The...

For the last decade economists have been preoccupied with the decline in bank financing to small businesses and entrepreneurs. This effort has produced a better understanding of the obstacles to external financing. We examine the market and policy instruments that in some sense encourage more...

Shareholder say-on-pay votes allow institutional investors to influence the incentives of managers and, consequently, corporate behaviour. Surprisingly, the preferences of investors on executive compensation have been largely overlooked in the ongoing debates on sustainable corporate behaviour....

This is a time of spirited debate about regulatory competition in Europe. Discussions about competitive lawmaking abound. At the same time, the introduction of the European Company and the further harmonization attempts by the European Commission puts questions about the necessity of EU...

More and more companies appear with strange abbreviations behind their business name. Consider Chrysler Group LLC (instead of Inc.) or LVMH Montres & Joaillerie France SAS. Some even speak about the “endangered corporate form” and point to the rise of the uncorporation. This Primer examines...