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This paper aims to investigate the impact of the revised Code of Corporate Governance 2017 (CCG-2017) clauses pertaining to board independence, mandatory inclusion of female directors, audit committee (AC) chair independence and directors’ expertise on earnings manipulation.

Using an unbalanced panel of 323 listed companies from 2015 to 2019, this study uses panel data regression models with a robust methodology called difference-in-differences to tackle the potential endogeneity.

This study’s findings show that, as compared to the pre-CCG-2017 period, board- and AC-related variables increased significantly in the post-CCG-2017 period. Furthermore, financial experts on the board and board independence have a negative effect on discretionary accruals (DAs), whereas female directors and DAs are positively related, as is real activity manipulation. The AC-related variables, such as AC independence, expertise in AC, and AC chair independence, are significantly different from the preperiod to the postperiod, whereas their relationship is not according to the hypotheses of the study. Moreover, these results are robust to additional analysis of the alternative proxies for female directorship and the endogeneity problem.

The findings of this study have implications for regulators and practitioners who are concerned with the functions of the board of directors (BOD). The findings of this research study show that earnings management (EM) may be reduced by independent and expert directors. However, board gender diversity is not reducing the EM. Therefore, the decision to appoint female directors to the board should be based on their business and professional attributes rather than simply filling quotas or blindly adhering to regulations. Moreover, the findings of this research may assist the regulator in encouraging listed firms to enhance board governance via independence, diversity and competency, which are useful for effective monitoring.

This study fills a gap in the literature by providing the first evidence of country-specific regulation (CCG-2017), concerning the BOD and AC-related clauses on EM in Pakistan, which is missing in the relevant literature general and in Pakistan in particular.

This study aims to examine the relationship between the environment and tourism flows, as well as the economic variables of the 32 states of Mexico for the period 1999–2019 based on data availability. The related literature studying tourism and environmental impacts is scarce at a national level, with most of them being local case studies. Some international studies find that if the relationship exists, it is weak or nonexistent, using CO₂ as a proxy in most cases.

The present study uses panel data and cointegration panel methodologies, while also using geographic information systems to observe the distribution of variables at a state level between tourism and environmental variables.

The findings of the study are as follows: state gross domestic product, the inertia of environmental variables (i.e. volume of water treatment and solid waste), occupied rooms (proxy variable for tourism activity) and average temperature have an impact on the contemporary evolution of environmental variables; national and international tourist variables have no impact on the environment; the panels are integrated in such a way that there is a long-term equilibrium between states and some environmental care variables; and no conclusive evidence is found regarding the impact of tourism activity on the considered environmental variables.

The main limitations and areas of opportunity of the work refer to the amount of data available over time and the precision of the measurement of the variables. The availability, temporality and frequency of the data are also limitations of the research. An example of this is the nonexistence of CO₂ emissions at the state level. Additionally, studying other countries and regions for which there are limitations of data and applied studies is also a challenge.

The results are important for economies (in growth) and societies whose economic growth depends on tourism flows and have done little to reverse the damage that tourism has on the environment.

The models can contribute to study the relation between tourism and environmental variables and could be extended to regions, states and provinces for decision-making on actions to be taken for the present and future.

The originality of the research is innovative for the region: Mexico, Central and Latin America. There are no works that have studied these problems with this methodology and these variables. In terms of originality, the classic models of panel data and cointegration of panel data are useful and easily replicable for others to use for different countries. The results are relevant because there is apparently no relationship between tourism and some environmental variables in the short run, but there exists a weak and strong long-run relation between some of them.

本研究采用面板数据和协整面板模型方法, 同时利用地理信息系统(gis)观察州一级层面旅游和环境方面的变量分布。

本研究根据数据可用性, 研究了墨西哥32个州1999–2019年期间环境与旅游流量及经济变量之间的关系。在国家层面上研究旅游与环境影响的相关文献很少, 而且大多是地方的个案研究。一些国际研究发现, 即使有这种关系, 大多数案例中使用二氧化碳作为替代变量, 这种关系也是很弱或不存在。

i)国家国内生产总值, 环境变量的惯性(即水处理量和固体废物量), 占用的房间(旅游活动的代理变量)和平均温度对环境变量的现有演化有影响。ii)国内和国际旅游变量对环境没有影响。iii)面板数据以这样一种方式集成, 即国家和一些环境变量之间存在一种长期平衡。iv)关于旅游活动对所考虑的环境变量的影响没有确凿的证据。

这项工作的主要局限和机会领域是指随着时间的推移可获得的数据量和变量测量的精度。数据的可用性、时效性和频率也是本研究的局限性。这方面的一个例子是在州一级不存在二氧化碳排放。此外, 由于数据和应用研究的局限, 研究其他国家和地区也是一个挑战。

研究结果对经济增长依赖旅游业流量的经济体和社会具有重要意义, 这些经济体和社会对扭转旅游业对环境的破坏方面做得还不够。

这些模型有助于研究旅游业与环境变量之间的关系, 并可推广到地区、州和省, 以制定当前和未来的行动决策。

这项研究的原创性对该地区(墨西哥、中美洲和拉丁美洲)来说是具有创新性的。没有人用这种方法和这些变量研究过这些问题。就原创性而言, 面板数据和面板数据协整的经典模型是有用的且易于复制, 可供其他国家使用。 研究结果具有一定的相关性, 因为旅游业与部分环境变量在短期内不存在明显的相关性, 但在它们中的一些变量在长期内存在着或强或弱的相关性。

Se examina la relación entre medio ambiente y flujos turísticos, así como variables económicas de los 32 estados de México para el período 1999-2019 basado en la disponibilidad de datos. La literatura relacionada que estudia el turismo y los impactos ambientales es escasa a nivel nacional, siendo la mayoría de ellos estudios de casos locales. Estudios internacionales encuentran que, si la relación existe, es débil o inexistente, utilizando el CO2 como un indicador en la mayoría de los casos.

Se utilizaron metodologías de datos de panel y cointegración de panel, además sistemas de información geográfica para observar la distribución de variables a nivel estatal.

i) El Producto Interno Bruto Estatal, la inercia de las variables ambientales (es decir, volumen de tratamiento de agua y residuos sólidos), habitaciones ocupadas (proxy de la actividad turística) y temperatura promedio tienen un impacto en la evolución contemporánea de las variables ambientales, ii) las variables turísticas nacionales e internacionales no tienen un impacto en el medio ambiente, iii) los paneles están integrados de tal manera que existe un equilibrio a largo plazo entre turismo, crecimiento económico y algunas variables ambientales, y iv) no se encuentra evidencia concluyente con respecto al impacto de la actividad turística en las variables ambientales consideradas.

Las principales limitaciones y áreas de oportunidad del trabajo se refieren a la cantidad de datos disponibles en el tiempo y a la precisión de la medición de las variables. La disponibilidad, temporalidad y frecuencia de los datos también son limitaciones de la investigación. Un ejemplo de ello es la inexistencia de emisiones de CO2 a nivel estatal. Además, el estudio de otros países y regiones para los que existen limitaciones de datos y estudios aplicados también es un reto.

Los resultados son importantes para las economías (en crecimiento) y las sociedades cuyo crecimiento económico depende de los flujos turísticos y que han hecho poco por invertir los daños que el turismo produce en el medio ambiente.

Los modelos pueden contribuir a estudiar la relación entre el turismo y las variables medioambientales y podrían extenderse a regiones, estados y provincias para la toma de decisiones sobre las acciones a emprender para el presente y el futuro.

El artículo proporciona un análisis innovador y exploratorio hacia una perspectiva futura que agrega valor al turismo y la planificación para la sostenibilidad. La relación entre turismo y medio ambiente se ha estudiado durante varios años. La UNTWO ha abordado las consecuencias del turismo en el medio ambiente, particularmente, más basura, mayor consumo de agua, emisiones de CO2 y otros aspectos. Pocos trabajos estudian la relación entre estas variables.

La originalidad de la investigación es innovadora para la región: México, América Central y América Latina. No existen trabajos que hayan estudiado estos problemas con esta metodología y estas variables.

En términos de originalidad, los modelos clásicos de datos de panel y cointegración de datos de panel son útiles y fácilmente replicables para que otros los utilicen en diferentes países.

Los resultados son relevantes porque aparentemente no hay una relación entre el turismo y algunas variables ambientales a corto plazo, existe una relación débil y fuerte a largo plazo entre algunas de ellas.

The study evaluates the influence of human capital efficiency (HCE) and market power on bank performance.

The study employs two measures of bank performance: profitability and stability. Unbalanced panel data of 35 banks operating in Kenya for 2005–2020 collected from published financial statements is utilized. The study employs the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) method in the analysis and the two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) for robustness check.

The study affirms an inverted U-shaped relationship between market power and bank performance. The effect of market power on bank profitability is enhanced when a bank has highly efficient human capital. Further, HCE significantly impacts bank stability for banks with low HCE. Interestingly, a further increase in HCE narrows the net interest margins for banks with high HCE, conferring welfare benefits to customers as interest rate spreads shrink.

This study provides important insights into the role of human capital in bank performance. First, banks ought to invest in promoting HCE through training and development. As regulators root for bank consolidation, attention to HCE is imperative for fostering profitability and stability.

The study fills an essential gap in the literature by evaluating the effect of firm-level market power on bank performance in an emerging market. We adopt a novel stochastic frontier estimator to generate the Lerner index. Further, this is the first study known to the authors to evaluate the effect of market power on bank performance in the context of human capital efficiency variations.

A major source of external funding for US airports comes from issuing municipal bonds. Credit rating agencies evaluate the bonds using multiple factors, but the judgments behind the ratings are not well understood. This paper examines if airport rate-setting methods affect the bond ratings of US airports.

Using a set of unbalanced panel data for 58 hub airports from 2010 to 2019, we examine the effect of the rate-setting methods and other airport characteristics on Fitch’s airport bond rating.

We find that compensatory airports consistently receive a very high bond rating from Fitch. The probability of getting a very high Fitch rating increases by ∼28 percentage points for a compensatory airport. Additionally, the probability of getting a very high rating is about 33 percentage points higher for a legacy hub.

The study uses Fitch bond ratings. Future studies could examine if S&P’s and Moody’s ratings are also influenced by airport rate-setting methods and legacy hub status.

The results uncover the linkage between bond ratings and their determinants for US airports. This information is important for investors when assessing airport creditworthiness and for airport operators as they manage capital project financing.

This is the first study to evaluate the effects of rate-setting methods on airport bond rating and also the first to document a statistically significant relationship between airports’ legacy hub status and bond ratings.

Given the serious question raised by the subprime of the 2008 global financial crisis over the rising practices of excessive rewarding of executives in the USA and European firms, the executive pay-performance nexus has emerged as a popular topic of debate in the contemporary corporate finance research. Conducted mostly on the Anglo-Saxon contexts, research outcomes have been inconclusive and dichotomous. Considering this backdrop, this study aims to investigate the endogenous relationship between executive compensation and risk taking in the context of the USA.

Using a large sample of non-financial firms from 2010 to 2020 based on panel data and two-stage least square regression. In this study, the riskier corporate decision is measured as book leverage and ratio of R&D expense to total assets. Chief executive officers’ (CEO) experience and age are used as instrumental variables, and these are expected to influence compensation incentives and, hence, affect firm riskiness indirectly. Firm size, return on assets and CEO turnover are reported to affect compensation and corporate decisions, therefore, included as control variables. Given that higher executive compensation is related to riskier corporate decision in firms, this study incorporates total wealth (i.e. accumulated equity related compensation) as an additional proxy of compensation, and this selection is justifiable by the perfect contracting notion of the agency theory.

The results of this study show a significant positive and increasing nexus among compensation and riskier corporate decisions. Besides, the compensation level proxied through the percentage of each form of compensation in total compensation is very important as greater equity and greater salary diminishes risk taking.

The outcomes of this study have useful implications for firm stakeholders and policymakers.

The level of pay measured by the percentage of each type of compensation in total compensation is of utmost importance as it can increase or decrease risk taking in corporate decisions.

Microfinance emerged as an essential catalyst for socio-economic development and financial inclusion to reduce poverty. Microfinance institutions cannot meet their primary objective of poverty reduction if they are not sustainable financially. With the theoretical support of profit incentive theory, this paper aims to investigate the impact of organizational structure (OS), growth outreach (average loan per borrower [ALPB] and number of active borrowers), women empowerment (percentage of women borrowers [PWB]), liquidity, leverage and cost efficiency (cost per borrower) on the financial sustainability of microfinance providers (MFPs) in India and explore the possible moderating effect of the national governance indicators (NGIs).

A financial sustainability index has been developed by using principal components analysis, including both conventional measures (return of assets and return on equity) and efficiency measures (operational self-sufficiency and financial self-sufficiency). Due to the existence of endogeneity and heteroskedasticity, this study uses two-step system generalized method of moments estimates to examine the relationships for a period of 2006 to 2018.

The finding reveals that there is a strong significant relationship between financial sustainability and its influential factors. Organizatioanl Structure, loan size, women borrowers, Gross Domestic Products and inflation enhance the financial sustainability of India’s microfinance sector. However, a number of borrowers, liquidity, leverage and operating costs negatively affect the financial sustainability of MFPs of India. The estimates demonstrate that NGIs significantly moderate the association between financial sustainability and its influential factors. The NGIs negatively affect the positive impact of Organizatioanl Structure on financial sustainability. National governance increases the positive effect of loan size (ALPB) and reduces the negative effect of a number of borrowers and leverage on the financial sustainability of MFPs of India. However, NGIs negatively affect the positive relationship between Percentage of Women Borrowers and Financial sustainability of Microfinance Providers of India.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind that incorporates all of the six dimensions of the National Governance Indicators (NGIs) and uses as a moderator. Secondly, a financial sustainability index has been developed for measuring the financial sustainability of Microfinance Providers (MFPs).

Issues related to economic development and growth are oft discussed to illustrate the health of a nation. However, such development is constrained by the inequality parameter of the representative society. Again, economic fluctuations arising from several crises may hinder the representative nation from getting on a smooth path to development. Now, augmentation of crises along with the presence of inequality may trigger economic vulnerabilities, leading to unsustainable economic development. Against this backdrop, we initially frame a theoretical model to capture the above-mentioned issues and try to derive plausible economic interpretations for the same. To verify the same in a more robust manner, we consider a panel of 30 developing countries from Africa, spanning the time period 1980–2020. Both the health status and the education status of our panel of countries are used to explore the sustainability issue in the presence of income inequality. All data have been collected from the World Development Indicators (WDI) and Standardized World Income Inequality Database (SWIID) (Table 21.1

Variables Description.

This study aims to examine how woman leadership (i.e., woman board chairperson, woman chief executive officer (CEO) and board gender diversity) affects audit fee and also ascertained the interactive effect of woman leadership and gender diversity on audit committee on audit fee.

The study applied ordinary least square and fixed-effect estimators on the data of 21 universal banks in Ghana for the period 2010–2021 to estimate the empirical results.

It is revealed that under the leadership of women (woman CEO and board gender diversity), higher external audit quality is ensured as higher audit fee is paid. Interestingly, it was found that with the presence of women on the audit committee, the integrity of internal controls and internal audit procedures are enhanced, which leads to quality financial reporting, calls for lower audit effort, hence lower audit fee.

The result indicates that firms can rely on the leadership of women in ensuring quality external audit and quality financial reporting, which ultimately helps to minimize the information risk to all stakeholders.

The paper contributes to extant literature by establishing that, under the leadership of women in banking entities from a developing country context, external audit quality and financial reporting are achieved.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of firm environmental, social and governance (ESG) rating scores on market perception and stock behavior from 2017 to 2021 while controlling for COVID-19 severity score.

The authors used panel regression models with robust standard errors based on cross-country and cross-industry sample of 1,324 ESG firms from 25 emerging countries across four regions. Four separate regression analyses are used. Hausman test is used to determine whether fixed-effect (FE) or random-effect approaches should be used in regression models. Lagrange multiplier test is used to test for time FEs, and F-test for individual effects to choose between pooled ordinary least squares model and FE. Two-unit root tests are conducted to check stationarity. Heteroskedasticity and serial correlation were controlled through a robust covariance matrix estimation.

The authors provide evidence that the stakeholder theory persists in emerging countries. Overall, the results suggest that firms’ stock behavior is positively associated with the level of environmental and social performance in the region. However, the results do not provide empirical evidence to support the link between ESG performance and stock market perception proxied by the price-to-sales ratio. The results suggest that Refinitiv and Bloomberg ESG rating scores have a positive impact on stock performance in emerging markets, albeit the Bloomberg rating score is insignificant.

Favorable impact of environmental and social performance on stock performance suggests that policymakers should take initiatives to raise awareness toward investments in ESG projects. Evidence shows that ESG stock performance in emerging markets does not insulate firms from the COVID-19 severity. Furthermore, this study highlights the inconsistency in calculating the ESG ratings, therefore, a more standardized approach is recommended to support investors seeking sustainable investments.

The findings have social implications for investors with proenvironmental preferences and nonpecuniary motives for ethical investments. Asset fund managers should develop ESG investment strategies to promote investor preferences that are linked to the proenvironmental and prosocial attitudes by increasing their investments in stocks of firms that behave ethically and support the environment. Furthermore, the findings show that investors pay a price for ethical and socially responsible investments as they are evaluating the environmental and social activities, hence, the firm ESG profile influences equity valuation and risk assessment.

The study extends the literature and provides evidence from the unique setting of emerging markets by analyzing the relationship between ESG rating scores and the COVID-19 severity scores on one hand, and stock behavior and market perception on the other.

The purpose of this paper is to study the spillover effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) on skilled–unskilled wage inequality in the Indian manufacturing industries.

The authors show theoretically with a model of spillover that if foreign firms (receiving FDI) have a negative spillover effect on domestic firms (not receiving FDI), then the level of capital and skilled workers in the domestic firms falls down. Consequently, the authors conduct an empirical analysis by using system GMM estimation technique on the firm-level data of the Indian organised manufacturing sector.

The authors show that wage inequality worsens when there is negative spillover effects like competition spillover or skill spillover effect of FDI in India.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first attempt to measure the various spillover effects of FDI on the wage inequality in the Indian manufacturing industries by using firm-level data.