This paper critically examines the conventional view that the lack of fiduciary duty protections for corporate shareholders in civil law systems explains crucial differences in corporate structure and finance. It questions the thesis that the structure of civil law systems militates against the...

Fairness can be an important factor that promotes social trust among people. In this paper, I investigate empirically whether fairness between men and women increases social trust. Using the data of the World Value Survey from 91 countries, I find that gender discriminatory values negatively...

Despite the common belief that they are found only in the common law tradition, trusts have long been known in certain mixed jurisdictions that have a civilian law of property. Trusts have now been introduced by legislation in a number of civilian jurisdictions, such as France and China. Other...

Trustees and other investment fiduciaries of pensions, charities, and personal trusts, and those who advise them, face increasing pressure to rely on ESG factors in the investment management of tens of trillions of dollars of other people's money. At the same time, however, confusion abounds...

Using an international sample of IPO firms from 36 countries and a country-level index for societal trust, we find strong evidence that societal trust is negatively associated with the degree of IPO underpricing. In cross-sectional analyses, we find that the effect of societal trust in reducing...

International law is not known for being quick or effective. Cases can drag on for years, have limited legal force, and are infamous for noncompliance. Until recently, the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement process had served as a beacon of hope for being one of the fastest and...