Electricity sector reform in developing countries: an econometric assessment of the effects of privatization,competition and regulation

Electricity sectors in both developed and developing countries have been subject to restructuring to introduce private capital and increase competition. Although the effects of such reforms in a number of the developed economies are now well documented, the experience of developing countries is much less well researched. This paper provides an econometric assessment of the effects of privatization, competition and regulation on the performance of the electricity generation industry using panel data for 36 developing and transitional countries, over the period 1985–2003. The study identifies the impact of these reforms on generating capacity, electricity generated, labor productivity in the generating sector and capacity utilization. The main conclusions are that on their own privatization and regulation (PR) do not lead to obvious gains in economic performance, though there are some positive interaction effects. By contrast, introducing competition does seem to be effective in stimulating performance improvements.      

Stakeholder perception of regulating commercial tourism in Victorian National Parks,Australia

In 2013, the Victorian State Government, Australia, amended legislation to allow the private sector to build and operate tourism superstructure within National Park borders. This study utilised a theoretical regulatory framework to categorise the strategies which regulate commercial tourism in National Parks. Data pertaining to stakeholders' perceptions of the effectiveness of each strategy were collected. Stakeholders within this study sought a clearer government vision for tourism superstructure in National Parks, one which acknowledged conservation as priority and was supported by a more comprehensive regulatory system addressing potential impacts. The results from this study have practical implications for designing an efficacious regulatory system for tourism superstructure in National Parks. The findings suggest an efficacious regulatory system could increase stakeholder trust of and support for government regulatory efforts. This study provides a useful framework for future regulatory-focused studies and outlines the theoretical implications for future research in similar settings.     

The growth-maximizing level of regulation: Evidence from a panel of international data

Existing evidence suggests that regulation diminishes economic growth. In theory, however, regulation may be either growth-enhancing or diminishing. We therefore empirically revisit the relation between regulation and growth, allowing for both positive and negative effects. In an unbalanced panel of 132 countries over eight time periods, we find evidence of a hump-shape relation between regulation and growth. The estimates imply that for more than 95% of the sample the total effect of regulation on growth is positive. The estimates also imply that about 60% of the sample observations are associated with over-regulation, relative to the growth-maximizing level. Similar findings apply to the (majority) subsample of non-OECD nations in the dataset. However, for the (minority) subsample of OECD nations, both the total and marginal effects of regulation on growth are negative.     

自愿参与型环境规制与企业技术创新——公众关注度和市场进程的调节作用

“波特假说”有效性一直是学术界颇具争议的话题,然而现有文献对于自愿参与型环境规制与企业技术创新的关系讨论较少,也缺乏对其作用情景因素的关注。基于2011—2019年730家沪深A股上市企业面板数据,采用负二项回归模型和倾向得分匹配法,分析我国上市企业在市场化进程影响下,自愿参与型环境规制、公众关注度对企业技术创新的影响。结果发现,自愿参与型环境规制对企业技术创新具有正向影响;公众关注度在自愿参与型环境规制对企业技术创新的影响过程中起正向调节作用;自愿参与型环境规制、公众关注度和市场化进程交互项结果表明,企业位于市场化程度较高地区时,公众关注度对自愿参与型环境规制与企业技术创新的调节作用更显著。结论不仅丰富了“波特假说”相关研究,还为我国企业提高信息共享意识以及政府优化市场环境提供了微观证据。     

商业银行的行业特征与管理报酬

本文在综述了国内外相关研究的基础上认为,银行业的行业特征对管理报酬有显著影响:高负债率导致的风险转移要求商业银行使用较低的管理激励;低增长性和波动性一定程度上解释了银行业较低的报酬-绩效敏感性,但是这一点随着银行业投资机会的增加在发生根本性变化;不透明性意味着管理报酬更多地基于股票而不是会计的绩效测度;相似的生产技术表明较少的公司专有人力资本激励;银行监管则通过影响银行业市场结构、激励成本和资本监管从而在根本上影响管理报酬结构。     

The Impact of Media Attention on the Use of Alternative Earnings Measures

The practice of reporting earnings measures that deviate from generally accepted accounting principles (non‐GAAP measures) has received negative attention in the media. In a period of increased regulatory concern for these reporting practices, we explore whether there has been a shift away from the use of non‐GAAP metrics. This study focuses on the Dutch situation, where regulators responded conservatively (‘light’) to the accounting scandals. This contrasts with the U.S., where regulators intervened with a radical (‘heavy’) reform of regulation. We analyse a sample of earnings press releases published in the period 2000–05 from companies listed at Euronext Amsterdam. Our findings indicate that Dutch companies report non‐GAAP measures frequently and prominently. However, companies' reporting behaviour changes after a peak in negative media attention for non‐GAAP reporting. The magnitude of the adjustments to GAAP earnings becomes smaller and companies seem to have different reasons to report non‐GAAP measures. The effect of the media attention is stronger when companies have been criticized for their non‐GAAP reporting in the press. Investors seem to have become more hesitant towards the use of non‐GAAP measures for their decision‐making after negative media attention. Together, these findings suggest that the negative media attention for non‐GAAP measures has influenced the decisions of investors and managers.     

Response to discussants'' comments: The demand for auditor reputation across international markets for audit services

Previous research has documented a positive relation between variation in audit fees across countries and specific macroeconomic factors such as a country's level of litigiousness and the level of required disclosure. Such studies have focused on the supply of auditor services using single-equation models. This study examines not only the supply of but also the demand for large-firm auditors across 20 different countries using the simultaneous-equations approach. This approach is used to account for the endogeneity between choice of auditor and audit fees. The results indicate an association between greater disclosure requirements and the choice of a large-firm auditor. They also indicate that increased litigation and regulation are associated with higher audit fees.     

Bank Competition and Financial Stability

Under the traditional “competition-fragility” view, more bank competition erodes market power, decreases profit margins, and results in reduced franchise value that encourages bank risk taking. Under the alternative “competition-stability” view, more market power in the loan market may result in higher bank risk as the higher interest rates charged to loan customers make it harder to repay loans, and exacerbate moral hazard and adverse selection problems. The two strands of the literature need not necessarily yield opposing predictions regarding the effects of competition and market power on stability in banking. Even if market power in the loan market results in riskier loan portfolios, the overall risks of banks need not increase if banks protect their franchise values by increasing their equity capital or engaging in other risk-mitigating techniques. We test these theories by regressing measures of loan risk, bank risk, and bank equity capital on several measures of market power, as well as indicators of the business environment, using data for 8,235 banks in 23 developed nations. Our results suggest that—consistent with the traditional “competition-fragility” view—banks with a higher degree of market power also have less overall risk exposure. The data also provides some support for one element of the “competition-stability” view—that market power increases loan portfolio risk. We show that this risk may be offset in part by higher equity capital ratios.

The impact of regulations on the FDI-growth nexus within the institution-based view: A nonlinear specification with varying coefficients

The impact of Multinational Enterprise (MNE) activities on economic development and poverty reduction constitute a specific field of study within International Business (IB) scholarship during the last decade. Extending the institution-based view that “institutions matter”, we shift the focus of interest on the effect of institutions in the FDI-growth nexus which, surprisingly, have been overlooked by respective literature. A profound understanding of the FDI impact on economic growth cannot neglect institutions that shape the macro environment where MNEs operate. Within this rationale, this paper examines the effect of FDI on growth under different formal institutions placing emphasis to credit and labour market regulatory systems in both advanced and developing countries. Most empirical studies stemming mainly from the economics perspective, assume that the FDI growth effect is linear and incorporate specific functional forms for their regression relationships. We rely on more advanced econometric methods that allow for the regression coefficients to vary as smooth functions of other variables, allowing for more plausible empirical results. Our findings strongly support our suggestion that the host institutional context shape the strategies, structures and competitiveness of MNEs’ activities which they then affect differently economic growth. We thus provide useful insights regarding the long-lasting debate on the FDI-growth nexus.     

互联网消费金融资产证券化的发展反思与监管建议

自从2005年《信贷资产证券化试点管理办法》实施以来,在政策红利、经济发展、消费刺激以及技术深化的时代背景下,对互联网消费金融进行资产证券化日益成为金融市场发展的热点。互联网消费金融机构通过资产证券化,可以全面实现期限转换、信用转换、流动性转换以及风险转换等金融核心功能;但互联网消费金融资产证券化的过度创新发展,同时也带来了诸多法律风险,包括基础资产的真实性风险、破产隔离和真实出售的风险、信息披露不透明的风险以及杠杆率水平过高的违规风险。对此,本文通过分析目前我国互联网消费金融资产证券化的监管现状与不足,以给出互联网消费金融资产证券化健康发展的监管建议。