The impact of shareholders and creditors rights on IPO performance: An international study

This paper examines the impact of cross-country variation in shareholders' and debt holders' rights on post-IPO performance and survival of newly listed stocks across the globe. Using a sample of 10,490 initial public offerings (IPOs) in 40 countries between 2000 and 2013, we find that post-IPO performance and survival is better in countries with stronger shareholder protection, but the impact of creditor protection is negative i.e. stronger creditor protection leads to poor post-IPO performance and survival. This effect is driven by rules requiring creditors’ consent for company reorganization and the mandatory replacement of incumbent managers. Reputable IPO advisors exacerbate the positive impact of shareholder rights and the negative impact of creditor rights.     

Kicking a crude habit: diversifying away from oil and gas in the twenty-first century

Abstract

This article investigates the correlates of diversification away from oil and natural gas dependence in the context of the twenty-first century resource boom (and bust). In a sample of 40 oil- and gas-dependent economies, the majority showed significant sectoral diversification of GDP, but exports remained highly concentrated in fuel exports. Regression analysis indicates that countries that began the boom with higher levels of oil and gas dependence, poorer countries, and those with significantly larger- or smaller-than-average populations were more successful in diversifying their GDP during the commodities boom. Governance matters – more effective, capable bureaucratic structures are associated with greater GDP diversification away from oil and gas – though the effects are not uniformly positive. For any given level of government effectiveness, stronger rule of law is associated with less GDP diversification. Education appears to affect GDP and export diversification differentially. Consistent with endogenous growth theory, countries with more educated populations saw greater growth in their nonresource sectors than countries with less educated populations, though education is associated with greater export concentration. Internal economic diversification in the twenty-first century has been less a matter of policy formation and implementation, and more a matter of factors that shape the policy-making environment.     

新《行政诉讼法》有关判决方式的文本解读

新《行政诉讼法》关于行政诉讼判决方式的修改内容丰富、特色鲜明、亮点颇多,有必要在法治国家的背景下对其深入解读。新《行政诉讼法》的判决方式具有五大亮点,修订后的判决方式彰显了国家治理的法治现代化。对于新《行政诉讼法》有关判决方式的适用我们需要注意四个层面的内容。新《行政诉讼法》对判决方式的修订并不完美,但是瑕不掩瑜,通过这次修法,我国行政审判将会以判决方式的改变作为基点迎来发展的契机。     

与九头蛇的战斗--罗马共和国和我国唐代反奢侈制度的比较

骄奢淫逸之风犹如九头蛇，危害巨大且永生不死。与之的战斗遍布人类历史的每一个角落。作为现代西方法治文明的起源，除了监察官制度外，罗马在共和国颁布了一系列的反奢侈法律，从衣食住行各个方面抑制奢侈风气。中国古代也有同样功能的制度，仅以唐代为限，就有二十多部帝王诏令限制各种过分的开支。对二者进行比较会发现很多有趣的共同点，比如对家族财富的珍惜、专门官员的设置以及对社会风气的净化等。历史经验证明反奢侈规制在时间和空间上的一般性，并告诫我们：良好国民性格的养成是长期有效净化奢靡之风的必要条件。     

Effects of subject pool culture and institutional environment on corruption: Experimental evidence from Albania

This research uses experimental methods to investigate whether subject pool culture and institutional environment have an effect on participants’ corrupt behavior in the laboratory. While we find that subject pool culture does not affect the overall magnitude of corruption of laboratory participants, it does affect the likelihood of corruption and its distribution. Additionally, we find that the effect on corrupt behavior differs with the framing of the experiment’s instructions. Interestingly, in the context of a weak rule of law and high levels of corruption, loaded negative instructions positively affect corrupt behavior of firms and public officials. Previous research in the context of a country exhibiting a strong rule of law and low levels of corruption finds no framing effects. We also find that increasing the probability of detection significantly reduces corruption as measured by the amount of the bribes offered/accepted and the probability of offering/accepting a bribe. Finally, we find that individual risk preferences negatively affect the level of corrupt behavior.     

论我国紧急土地征收制度的构建

研究目的：论证中国构建紧急土地征收制度的必要性并提出立法建议。研究方法：比较法、演绎法。研究结果：征收与征用的本质区别在于征收导致所有权转移，征用只暂时改变使用权主体。现行法律法规规定的紧急情况下“先行使用土地”可能涉及紧急土地征收，现行政策规定的受季节影响重大工程等“先行使用土地”应纳入紧急土地征收范畴。新修正的《土地管理法》未规定紧急征收制度是一大遗憾。研究结论：应当借鉴其他国家土地征收立法经验，抓住《突发事件应对法》《土地管理法实施条例》等法律法规修改的机遇，规定紧急土地征收制度，避免“征用转征收”“先行用地审批代替征收审批”等变通方式规避征收程序。     

美国预算过程及其对我国预算制度改革的启示

目前国内学者对预算过程的研究还没有足够的重视。中美两国的预算过程有着很大的差异,立法部门预算过程的差异尤为明显。通过对美国预算过程的分析,可以发现立法部门在美国预算过程中处于主导地位,预算过程的运行受到大量制度安排的控制。结合国情,我国应该通过制度建设与机构改革逐步完善立法部门的预算监控职能,并通过程序控制与法律手段保证立法部门的预算意志得以执行。     

秦汉内官职能辨正

秦汉内官的主要职能与逮捕罪人、看押囚犯等狱律令法事务有关。秦汉时的内官机构应是专门管理皇室宗亲及外戚成员的机构，可独立办理涉及皇室宗亲的案件，有相对独立的执法权。内官和廷尉分别负责皇室宗亲外戚和整个国家的司法事务，除涉及对象有别外，其职能基本相同。     

我国社会救助正当程序之实践及修正

社会救助正当程序是社会救助管理与服务中有助于实现社会救助公正结果，或与社会救助公正结果有关的程序。近年来，我国逐步建立了社会救助基本操作程序，包括社会救助标准制定与调整程序、家庭经济状况核查程序、社会救助申办程序等。然而，我国社会救助程序未得到足够的重视，现有的程序存在瑕疵，基层自由裁量权没有得到有效规制，没有建立回避、救助返还等制度。救助程序不完善，不利于保护申请人和救助对象的程序性权利，进而影响到他们的实体性权利，同时导致救助政策目标偏离，产生错保、漏保等现象。建议国家加快制定《社会救助法》，或单独制定《社会救助程序规则》，通过立法完善救助程序。     

Is Africa integrating? Evidence from product markets

This paper presents a price-based assessment of product market integration in Africa using disaggregated retail prices for 91 products and 12 African cities from 1991 to 2008. We find evidence of substantial deviations from the law of one price ? product price differences between the cities averaged 76% over the period – a result that is consistent with the presence of large barriers to trade in the continent. Mean price differences across cities fell by close to a quarter over the period, but the decline was concentrated in the early 1990s with little progress subsequently, despite the regional trade policies implemented by the countries. Gravity-style estimates reveal that reductions in external tariffs and global trends towards price convergence in the early 1990s are the key contributors to the trend in price integration amongst the African cities.