Contemporary Economic thought. The Contribution of Neo-Institutional Economics

This article examines the historical developments of the institutionalist theory of the business enterprise since the early 1900s in order to demonstrate its distinctive characteristics that are often overlooked or belittled by some institutional-evolutionary economists and most mainstream economists. I argue that the institutionalist theory is an evolving and emergent theory, which bears a reciprocal, evolutionary, and cumulative relationship between the business enterprise and society. The institutionalist theory is, therefore, suitable for the understanding of the real-world business enterprise as it can be modified and refined along with the evolution of capitalism. The article begins with a discussion of the present state of the institutionalist theory. The following section is devoted to the major contributions to the institutionalist theory situated in the evolution of U.S. capitalism. The penultimate section provides a critical discussion of new institutional and evolutionary approaches to the firm. The article concludes with a brief discussion as to what should be done for the further development of the institutionalist theory of the business enterprise.     

Modeling the dynamics of inflation compensation

This paper investigates the relationship between short-term and long-term inflation expectations using daily data on inflation compensation derived from the term structure of real and nominal interest rates. We use a flexible econometric model which allows us to uncover this relationship in a data-based manner. We relate our findings to the issue of whether inflation expectations are anchored, unmoored or contained. Our empirical results indicate no support for either unmoored or firmly anchored inflation expectations. Most evidence indicates that inflation expectations are contained.     

Is non-audit services a suitable proxy for auditor independence in the post-SOX period?

Before implementation of the Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) in 2002, researchers frequently used fees from non-audit services (NAS) as a surrogate for auditor independence. NAS is still used in this way, even though SOX has restricted the types of NAS that auditors may provide to their clients. Therefore, we pose the following question: What does the literature say about the continuing adequacy of NAS as a surrogate for auditor independence in the post-SOX era? This question is relevant to research in accounting regulation because, if NAS is no longer an adequate surrogate, then research on auditor independence may provide biased results. Overall, we find that many post-SOX studies using NAS have insignificant or counterintuitive results, whereas pre-SOX studies using NAS predominantly have significant results suggesting that NAS impairs auditor independence. Is this shift in findings because NAS is no longer an adequate proxy for independence? We discuss this issue and provide our conclusions, citing relevant research where applicable.     

Formal Rehabilitation Procedures and Insolvent Firms: Empirical Evidence on the British Company Voluntary Arrangement Procedure

The British Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) is a relatively new debtor rehabilitation process intended to help financially troubled companies, particularly SMEs, resolve their difficulties without being forced into liquidation by secured creditors anxious to recover their funds. This paper is based on a survey conducted by Milman and Chittenden for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants that is the largest and most comprehensive on the subject of British CVAs. It has three principal objectives: (i) to outline the defining characteristics of CVAs; (ii) to analyse the relationships between CVA performance and contextual factors; (iii) to provide policy recommendations based on those findings. Among other things we find that CVA success is most closely associated with sound fundamental prospects for recovery and supportive creditors. Our principal recommendation is that ways should be found of lowering the fixed costs of CVAs to make the procedure feasible for a larger number of small firms.     

Texas treasury notes and market manipulation, 1837-1842

This paper examines the course of the value of the paper money issued by the Republic of Texas in New Orleans, from 1837 to 1842, using a newly-constructed weekly time series of quotations, and focusing on the possibility of market manipulation. Specifically, during 1841, misleading information concerning a possible foreign loan reached New Orleans three different times. The first time, the information substantially raised the value of Texas Treasury Notes. The second time, the information raised the value, but to a lesser extent. The third time, the information had no impact.     

The impact of education,experience and inner circle advisors on SME performance: insights from a study of public development centers

In this study, we investigate the effects of entrepreneurial human capital on SME performance using data on 2,713 SMEs within the European Union. Performance was measured in two ways: profitability as ROA and productivity as revenue per employee. Results indicate that both profitability and productivity are positively related to industry-specific knowledge possessed by the CEO-owner prior to starting up the firm and the general business knowledge acquired once the firm is up and running. Experience as a result of having previously worked in a firm in the same industry before starting a business was related to productivity, but there is no relation with profitability. There is a link between performance and inclusion of other CEO-owners in the founder’s inner circle of advisors. This relationship is positive when the advisor’s venture has experienced failure and negative when the advisor’s venture has been successful. We discuss the significance of these findings for research and practice.