The effect of board size and composition on European bank performance

Banks are “special” financial institutions generating distinct corporate governance challenges. The present paper examines the relationship between two of the most pertinent corporate governance factors—that is, the size of the Board of Directors and the proportion of non-executive directors—and firm performance on a sample of 58 large European banks over the period 2002–2004. The empirical analysis embraces a number of bank-specific variables. Our results reveal that bank profitability is negatively related to the size of the Board of Directors, while the impact of Board composition, although positive in all models, is, in most cases, insignificant. The results are robust after controlling for firm-specific variables.      

治理理论的兴起与行政法的变迁

行政法是关于行政的法,公共行政的改革与发展必然对行政法产生影响,为行政法学提供新的研究课题。20世纪下半叶,治理理论的兴起,受到世界各国的广泛关注,行政主体的多元化和行政行为的非强制性被认为是治理理论两个明显的特征。以传统统治理论为基础形成的行政法不能解释行政主体的多元化和行政行为的非强制性现象,在治理理论的背景下,行政法面临着发展变迁的挑战。     

An Analysis of the Joint Board or County Model as the Structural Basis for Effective Australian Local Governance

Australian policy‐makers continue to rely on municipal amalgamation as the main engine of structural reform in local government, despite strong evidence that it diminishes participation and representation without improving service efficiency. Several promising, but neglected alternative models of structural reform have been developed, including ad hoc resource sharing models, Regional Organisations of Councils, virtual local government, and agency models. In an encouraging response to the recent policy of enforced council amalgamations in NSW, the Shires Association of NSW (2004) has recently proposed a ‘Joint Board model’ of local governance and invited comment on this model. This article takes up this challenge and seeks to place the Joint Board model in conceptual context and evaluate its characteristics and simulated cost savings.     

加强党的建设 提高党的战斗力

新的历史时期,党所面临的形势和任务发生了根本性变化,对党的领导能力和领导水平提出了新的要求。加强和改善党的领导,要通过提高执政能力和执政水平来体现。提高党的执政能力是加强党的建设的重要内容,是实现党在新世纪各项任务的根本保证。     

企业集团的多重利益冲突及其治理

企业集团作为一种企业合作组织形式，一方面因其制度优势而在世界经济中的地位日益重要，另一方面因其复杂结构所带来的诸多治理问题又制约了其良性发展。与单个企业相比，企业集团的组织结构复杂多变，治理问题也具有多重性。交叉持股型企业集团中应注意大股东之间的协调问题；纯粹控股型企业集团中注意要加强母公司对子公司的有效监控；而母子关系型企业集团中的治理问题最为复杂，应在母子公司之间建立一个良好的集权和分权机制，防止母公司对中小股东和债权人的利益侵害。     

Corporate Governance in Spain (with an Application of the Power Indices Approach)

This paper describes the governance system of Spanish listed firms in the early 1990's. Although the institutional setting of the Spanish Stock Exchanges differs little from other European national markets, we found important differences in several aspects of corporate governance. In particular, some of the standard mechanisms of control (e.g. boards and institutional shareholders) do not play an active role, whereas ownership is relatively concentrated. Moreover, power indices suggest that controlling blocs of large shareholders are very likely to form. We thus conclude that the ownership of shares is a pivotal mechanism in the governance of Spanish corporations.     

公司社会责任对传统公司理念的继承与发展

传统的公司制度是一种容许和要求公司管理者倾其所能为股东谋取经济利益的制度。而公司社会责任理论则要求公司管理者在为股东谋取经济利益的同时兼顾社会公众利益。表面看公司社会责任理论似乎是对原有公司制度的一种违背和颠覆,其实质是对传统公司理念的一种继承和发展。它为公司制度的存在提供了新的合理性基础。我们主张公司的社会责任并不是从根本上否定公司的营利性,而是认为公司在经营过程中应当顾及利益相关者的合法权益,使这种营利性能够更好地为整个社会服务。     

我国城市贫困家庭经济支持网研究 --来自250户贫困家庭的实证研究

贫困人口经济支持网络规模小、紧密度低,实物支持的网络规模略高于金钱支持.在网络关系构成上,亲属关系、地缘关系发挥着重要的作用.由于网络成员与贫困人口在个人社会特征方面同质性较高,所以在现有社会保障制度不够完善的情况下,经济支持网并不能使他们真正摆脱困境,需要引起政府和社会的广泛关注.     

国际法治：全球化时代的秩序构建

当前的全球化需要理性的约束和调整，因而国际法治具有重要的意义。国际法治分为“国际良法”和“全球善治”两个方面，但是当代国际法还远没有达到这两个标准，存在着国际法不成体系、规避国际法、司法体制的选择性、国际立法的导向性、国际行政机关的弊病等多方面的问题。但是人类的目前状态意味着有必要在当前的体系上进行改革和发展，向国际法治的真正实现作出努力。     

A Profile of Poverty for Palestinian Refugees in Jordan: the Case of Zarqa and Sukhneh Camps

This is one of few known studies on poverty and poverty relatedissues among Palestinian refugees in Jordan. The camp refugeehouseholds identified in this research represent concrete manifestationsof the ways in which the political and historical legacy translatesinto economic hardship today. Poverty among the refugees inJordan represents a legacy of the refugees’ inabilityto generate sufficient income in order to provide for themselvesthe ‘minimum basic needs’. Therefore, poverty shouldbe understood not only in terms of the social and economic circumstancesof Palestinian camp refugees but also as a particular consequenceof various policies pursued by the state over the past fivedecades, including the Jordanization of public and militarysectors of employment, the provision of public services, andwage determination policy. In this context, the paper examinesthe causes of poverty and considers how various ‘implicit’policies contribute towards luring and ‘locking’a large number of camp refugees in poverty.