This paper examines the differences in accrual-based and real earnings management across countries from the perspective of investor protection. Following prior research (Leuz et al., 2003), we hypothesize that accrual-based earnings management is more constrained by strict discipline in...

In recent years there have been two parallel discussions taking place in the US and in the UK about the role which institutional shareholders should play in governing the corporation. In the US this discussion is around the idea of shareholder empowerment, in the UK it is around shareholder...

This paper explores the relationship between creditor rights and employee rights and capital structure across countries. Using country-level creditor rights index and labor rights index as a proxy for agency costs of creditors and agency costs of employees, respectively, I address the agency...

Has there been convergence of corporate governance systems? There has been a great deal of controversy on this issue in the last ten years, and it is likely that this debate is to re-emerge in the context of the current financial crisis. In this paper I use a new quantitative methodology...

We investigate whether the separation between ownership and control rights can be costly to controlling shareholders and firms in terms of capital-raising costs. Using estimates of the cost of equity capital implied by analyst earnings forecasts and growth rate for a sample of 1,207 firms from...

What is the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the corporate governance practices of firms? In this paper, first, we discuss the impact of COVID-19, then analyse how corporate governance practises have been affected and conclude with recommendations of policies to be adapted by firms in principle...

We examine the impact of corporate board reforms around the world on stock price crash risk. Using a sample of firms in 41 economies that passed major board reforms between 1990 and 2012, we find that board reforms are associated with a significant reduction in crash risk of about 13%. The...

In this study, we examine the effect of worldwide board reforms on the cost of debt financing. We find an overall increase in loan spreads in countries that initiate board reforms versus those without the reforms, which suggests that board reforms strengthen the power of shareholders at the cost...

This paper investigates the effect of major board independence reforms on corporate investment efficiency using a large sample of firms from 30 countries. We find evidence of a significant reduction in over-investment subsequent to initiation of board reforms. This reduction is most effective...

The corporate governance problems of banks are qualitatively and quantitatively different from those of other firms. The authors argue that a key factor contributing to this difference is the growing opacity and complexity of bank activities, a trend that has increased the difficulty of managing...