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The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of political instability on rural credit in Lima between 1835 and 1865. In particular, it explores the effects of wars on interest rates for the agricultural sector.

The paper relies on primary sources for the study of the early credit market of Lima. In particular, the study relies on a sample of more than 800 notarized loans for 1835–1865, collected from the National Archives of Peru, to determine the effect of wars on the cost of credit.

The evidence shows that wars increased interest rates on rural loans and that the impact of wars on the cost of credit was greater when the State lacked fiscal resources. Political instability made funding more costly for landlords and farmers, especially in the late 1830s and early 1840s.

This paper is one of the few historical studies on the role of wars on rural credit in Latin America. It contributes to our understanding of the linkages between political instability and financial development.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the functioning of the rural credit market of Lima from 1825 to 1865, paying special attention to the effect of information asymmetries on the access to rural credit.

The article relies on primary sources for the study of the early credit market of Lima. In particular, the study relies on a sample of notarized loans for 1825–1865 and on property tax reports, collected from the National Archives of Peru, to determine the effect of information asymmetries, collateral and regional lending on access to credit. The article also analyzes the legal system of Peru during this period to determine whether property rights were well protected and so collateral could be used in the rural credit market.

A revision of the legislation shows that the legal system had some deficiencies, but allowed landlords and tenants to use their assets as collateral. Tax reports show that landlords and tenants owned valuable capital that could be used as collateral. Evidence from notarized loans shows that information asymmetries severely restricted inter-regional lending. In Lima, however, notaries played a role as financial intermediaries, providing the information about potential borrowers and allowing landlords and tenants to access credit. As a result, access to credit was significant for landlords and tenants.

This paper is one of the few historical studies on the role of information asymmetries in the allocation of rural credit in Latin America. It contributes to our understanding of credit markets prior to the creation of banks.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caught the world by surprise. Suddenly, people, as well as organizations, needed to adapt to a new reality of work from home, work–life balance, e-leadership, extreme hygiene, and social distancing. Companies had to find new ways to operate, and areas such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) had to react to face the stakeholders' needs. In addition, developing countries had been in a fragile position, as this crisis has deteriorated already weak economic, political, and social conditions. In Mexico, CSR has traditionally assisted on urgent matters such as poverty, hunger, education, work, and other issues that have also been considered in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of this chapter is to describe and analyze CSR response to the COVID-19 crisis of large foreign multinational corporations (MNCs) in Mexico, especially in relation to the SDG agenda. First, we provide a general background of the initial condition, that is, Mexico's situation when the pandemic arose, as well as common attributes of prepandemic CSR in Mexico. Then, we examine the government's response to the crisis. Afterward, we observe and analyze large foreign MNCs' CSR disclosed activities to face the emergency. Main findings imply that companies switched their usual CSR attention from socioeconomical, institutional, and sustainability goals to primary needs. Lastly, we make recommendations on the future of CSR and the SDG in the so-called “new normal.”

The purpose of this paper is to develop an efficient tool to ensure traceability data entry based on RFID and improve the detection of fakes inside the supply chain.

First, the authors put forward a secure traceability system with a cryptographic operator that improves efficiency, saves costs and is adaptable to all types of supply chains. Second, the authors implement the system in a food manufacturing company, show the compatibility of the system with the initial production chain and demonstrate its improvement.

The authors have economically and technologically improved the detection of faked goods in the supply chain by means of a cheap and scalable system based on RFID.

The system has been tested in a manufacturing point of the supply chain, not in the supply chain as a whole. As traceability is additive in character, the results can be generalized and applied to each part of the supply chain.

A prototype has been built and implemented for a food manufacturing company. It meets all the specifications required for detection of fakes in manufactured products.

Unlike other existing products used to detect fakes through traceability, this system identifies fakes and potential counterfeits, significantly reducing the cost of security management. Another important difference is that verification can be performed by a third party not involved in the system, without loss of security.

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the corporate governance standards of Cyprus, Russia, and Kazakhstan to those of the UK to facilitate investment decisions. The paper aims to discover governance gaps creating a potential for alignment to UK standards.

The paper is a qualitative case study of four countries based on the OECD criteria of 118 corporate governance measures.

The findings indicate that the corporate governance standards in Cyprus match 92 per cent of the UK standards, Russian standards match 75 per cent, and Kazakhstan ones 63 per cent. The greatest contrast to the UK standards were for Cyprus in the area of disclosure and transparency category, Russia's was in the area of responsibilities of the board, and Kazakhstan's was highest in the two areas mentioned above and low overall.

The paper identifies areas of governance that could be aligned to UK standards. Further research is needed to compare the governance standards of the countries studied to international standards other than those of the UK's.

The paper provides insight on governance for investors in the three countries and aids effective investment decisions.

The paper identifies areas of governance needing regulatory adjustment in the three countries and could influence government and industry policy.

The originality of the paper lies in identifying gaps in governance among the four countries. Thus the paper provides information for investors as to the corporate governance they are likely to experience, and facilitates development in governance regulation.

This chapter seeks to describe the successive stages in the training and recruitment of economists at the service of the political regime that ruled over Portugal between 1926 and 1974. This chapter presents the main institutional settings for the education and practices of those who served the government in economic functions throughout this period. Its main aim is to show the changes that occurred in the understanding of the problems related with the development of the Portuguese economy, seeking to elucidate the processes of legitimation of an authoritarian regime, but also to show the signs of a critical break with a model of economic and social organization and a political regime that had reached the point of exhaustion.

The purpose of this study is to explore the potential for increasing the productivity of small firms from emerging countries by enhancing their management practices.

The link between four types of management practices and labor productivity at the firm level is tested through a sample of 13,566 small firms from 15 emerging countries. Subsequently, the policy options available to upgrade management practices in such firms are analyzed through a systematic review of recent experiences in 12 emerging countries.

The econometric results confirm that the adoption of good management practices has a significant effect on labor productivity, especially when several management practices are combined. This effect is context-dependent, with a higher intensity in lower-middle income countries and in manufacturing firms. The paper also outlines the different components of successful policy programs to support the adoption of good management practices.

On the one hand, the challenge of isolating the causal relationship between management practices and firm productivity affects the econometric part of this study. On the other hand, the analysis of policy experiences is purely explorative and does not attempt to evaluate impacts but rather to offer a general overview of policy options.

The paper provides practical guidance for policymakers from emerging countries in their efforts to support the adoption of good management practices by small firms.

Improving management practices of small firms can contribute to a more inclusive development agenda by narrowing wage differentials between leading and laggard firms, while transforming informal businesses into formal ones.

The multi-method approach used in this study provides rich insights into the relationship between management practices and productivity of small firms in emerging countries.