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.      

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.     

对“人口准入制”的法学思考

北京两会期间,"人口准入制"的提案引起众多争议,无论是经济学界、社会学界,还是法学界都对此都争议颇多.文章从法学的角度,从正义、自由、平等等法的价值对此提案进行讨论.     

贵州资源环境与人口的协调发展

贵州的自然环境及丰富的地产资源是发展经济的优势。但是人口的增长及封闭传统文化限制了经济的发展,经济的落后又导致了人口的增长。因此,加快经济建设的步伐,首先必须加强人口的控制。有效地利用和保护资源环境使其得以合理的综合利用,是贵州民族经济可持续发展的重要课题。     

发展中国人口文化与人口文化学构建

发展人口化事业的目的是在更高层次上从人们的道德观念、心理卫生、行为方式、生活方式和明程度上解决人口问题。这一历史任务极其艰巨，必须注意把握人口化的本质特征、培育人口化优质品格。人口化学是对具有时代特征的人口化现象、特征及其发展的研究，其内容包括基本范畴界定、研究角度选择、研究思路和研究体系。     

Putting Local Associations Into their Context. Preliminary Results from a Swiss Study of Local Associations

The paper presents results from the Swiss case of the European comparative project CID (Citizenship, Involvement, Democracy). This project examines the relationship between political institutional assets and civic and political engagement in several Western and Eastern European countries. The paper seeks to investigate how civic engagement can be generated and shaped by a given institutional and political context as well as by a peculiar community size. The central hypothesis is that the context affects the character of local participation. To verify this, the papers examines two different Swiss cantons: the German speaking Canton of Bern and the French speaking Canton of Vaud. Moreover, for each canton, four local communities of different size have been selected. This research design discusses how participation is fostered by a more open political opportunity structure (the German canton), and how this combines with the size of the community.     

撒哈拉以南非洲的人口问题与可持续发展

在非洲人口与经济发展关系的研究中,世界最不发达的撒哈拉以南非洲具有其典型性,深入研究其人口增长与经济发展的严重失衡、人口的科学文化素质低下特别是高文盲率和人口健康素质低劣特别是因艾兹病泛滥而导致的人口高死亡率及其它一系列问题,可以明显地看到这些问题对经济发展产生的诸多不利影响,以及它们对该地区的可持续发展带来的严峻挑战。     

广西中心城市流动人口特征及若干对策

流动人口作为一种特定的社会经济现象 ,近年来已引起学术理论界及政府管理部门的高度重视。进入20世纪90年代以来 ,广西中心城市流动人口大幅增加。文章分析了广西中心城市流动人口的基本特征并提出了若干对策建议     

试论规模困境与联邦主义

小国自由民主 ,但却因弱小而易被外国势力灭亡 ;大国繁荣强大 ,但却易出现专制腐败而灭亡。如何把国家之大而产生的好处与国家之小而产生的好处结合起来 ,解决规模带来的困境 ,联邦主义“运用许多共存的、相互交叉的政府单位”提供了解决的方法 ,既有统一的联邦 ,又有自治的州和各级地方政府 ,在自由、活力与统一、秩序之间达到了平衡 ,使美国“既像一个小国那样自由和幸福 ,又像一个大国那样光荣和强大”。     

奥运安全视角下的流动人口犯罪问题--法律政策变动带来的挑战

近年北京市流动人口犯罪比例较高.流动人口犯罪的防控,关乎奥运会的安全.随着宪法的修正以及<城市生活无着的流浪乞讨人员救助管理办法>的发布,流动人口管理和流动人口犯罪的防控面临新的挑战.