Country-level corporate governance and foreign direct investment in Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1133-1152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otuo Serebour Agyemang ◽  
Christopher Gbettey ◽  
John Gartchie Gatsi ◽  
Innocent Senyo Kwasi Acquah
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the link between country-level corporate governance and foreign direct investment in African economies for the period 2009-2015. Design/methodology/approach The authors use annual panel data of 40 African economies over the period of the study and use the system generalized method of moments (GMM) to establish the relationship between country-level corporate governance and foreign direct investment. Findings The authors find that African economies characterized by firms with high ethical values tend to attract a great deal of foreign direct investment. In addition, they highlight that when an economy is associated with effective corporate boards, it tends to attract much foreign direct investment. Further, this study reveals that the level of minority shareholders’ interests’ protection in an economy has a significant positive relationship with foreign direct investment. Finally, they document a negative relationship between effectiveness of regulation of securities and exchanges and foreign direct investment. Practical implications It is advised that sound and implementable corporate governance structures devoid of political interferences should be put in place in African economies, if the aim of using foreign direct investment to mitigate poverty by 2015 as part of the Millennium Development Goals is to be attained. Originality/value Empiricists have devoted considerable effort to estimate the factors that influence the level of foreign direct investment into African economies without taking into consideration the corporate governance structures in these economies. However, this paper seeks to examine the relationship between country-level corporate governance structures and foreign direct investment in African economies.

Do corporate bond recovery rates monitored by corporate governance mechanisms?

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
pp. 830-848
Author(s):  
Mehdi Mili ◽  
Sami Abid
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Corporate Bonds ◽  
Corporate Bond ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Recovery Rates ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between corporate governance (CG) and firms’ bond recovery rates (RRs). The authors hypothesize that governance features impact RRs by controlling agency costs that result from conflicts between bondholders and shareholders. The authors also test the relationship between CG and RRs during the last crisis. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a generalized method of moments regression model to test the relationship between CG and firms’ bond RRs. The authors employ a direct measure of recoveries rates from Moody’s ultimate recovery database covering the period from 2003 to 2012. Both firm-level CG and country-level variables are used to examine the determinants of corporate bonds RRs. Findings – The results support a significant impact of CG mechanisms on bond RRs mainly during crisis period. The authors find that firms operating with CEO-Duality decrease their bond RRs during financial crisis. This implies wealth transfers from bondholders to shareholders and provides one explanation why some firms operate with weak governance. Originality/value – This paper provides the first direct evidence that corporate bond RRs are directly related to CG mechanisms. The authors combine firm-level CG and country-level variables to examine the determinants of corporate bonds RRs. Earlier studies focussed on financial firm-level data and macro-economic variables. The authors also test the impact of board composition and ownership structure on bond recoveries.

MNEs, FDI, inequality and growth

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan P. Doh
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
International Business ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The relationship among foreign direct investment, multinationals, inequality and growth is a vexing one that has occupied considerable scholarly and practical attention for many decades. To date, international business scholars have not fully concerned themselves with this issue (Buckley, Doh and Benischke, 2017, for an exception). This paper aims to briefly review this literature and report some of the insights of this work. The author draws from and integrates this literature, concluding that multinationals and the foreign investment that emanate from them have a generally positive impact on growth and a generally negative impact on income and wealth equality. The author then details some of the potential contributions MNEs can make to attenuate the negative relationship of foreign direct investment (FDI) on equality, concluding that governments and their policies are the primary vehicle for addressing wealth and income inequality. Design/methodology/approach This paper is an essay. Findings The relationship between inequality, growth and FDI is complex. On balance, FDI contributes to growth but may exacerbate inequality under some conditions. More research needs to be conducted, and policymakers need to carefully consider these nuanced relationships. Originality/value The paper provides review of the relationship of FDI, growth and inequality.

Country-level corporate governance and protection of minority shareholders’ rights

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 532-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Otuo Serebour Agyemang ◽  
Mavis Osei-Effah ◽  
Samuel Kwaku Agyei ◽  
John Gartchie Gatsi
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Minority Shareholders ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Accounting Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Big 4

Purpose This paper aims to examine how country-level corporate governance structures influence the level of protection of minority shareholders’ rights in the context of Africa. Design/methodology/approach Data are collected from the world competitiveness report for the period 2010-2015. To examine the validity of the study’s hypotheses empirically, the authors use ordinary least squares with correlated panel-corrected standards error (PCSE). Findings This paper offers additional empirical evidence on the level of protection of minority shareholders’ rights in Africa. It highlights that country-level corporate governance structures such as efficacy of corporate boards, strength of investor confidence, regulations of securities exchanges and the operation of the Big 4 accounting firms have significant positive impacts on the level of protection of minority shareholders’ rights. Research limitations/implications This paper fails to include all African countries because of non-availability of a report for some African countries. Thus, the findings on the level of protection of minority shareholders’ rights in a country are applicable to the countries used in this study. Practical implications This paper emphasizes on the relevance of country-level corporate governance structures to ensuring a reasonable level of protection of minority shareholders’ rights. Originality/value This paper partially fills the gap regarding the absence of an empirical cross-country study on how country-level corporate governance structures influence the level of protection of minority shareholders’ rights.

scholarly journals The Impact of Corporate Governance Structures on Foreign Direct Investment: A Case Study of West African Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth Nana Kwame Appiah-Kubi ◽  
Karel Malec ◽  
Mansoor Maitah ◽  
Sandra Boatemaa Kutin ◽  
Ludmila Pánková ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
National Level ◽  
West African ◽  
Annual Data ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Impact

A number of studies have been done to examine the factors that impact the level of foreign direct investment in African countries. However, most of them have not considered the effect corporate governance structures have on foreign direct investment (FDI) in their estimations. This research therefore pursued the investigation of the relationship between corporate governance structures at the national level and foreign direct investment concentrating mainly on West African economies for the period 2009–2018. The study constructed a panel, sampling annual data from 17 West African countries. The System generalized method of moments (GMM) was used in analyzing the panel data to attain the objective of the research. The results of the study reveal that countries characterized by greater protection of the interest of non-controlling parties are able to accumulate progressive FDIs. Economies with firms portraying high ethical values also generally generate increasing foreign direct investment, and the existence of effective boards also significantly improves the country’s FDI inflows. Finally, the findings report that the impact of regulations in securities and the stock exchange on FDI is insignificant. The study recommends that West African countries institute corporate governance structures purely independent of political influences in order to ensure effective utilization of foreign direct investment to mitigate poverty.

Country-level macro-corporate governance and the outward foreign direct investment

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tong Tong ◽  
Tarlok Singh ◽  
Bin Li
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
National Level ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Outward Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Level

Purpose China’s outward foreign direct investment (ODI) has become a recent phenomenon in that China is now rated as the world’s third largest country for ODI. Previous studies have found that China’s ODI is driven by the attractions of natural resources and overseas markets. Yet these studies have ignored the role of corporate governance at a national level, the paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The Kaufmann et al. (1999) data set is used in our study and the data sample have covered the period from 2003 to 2012 for a comprehensive set of 171 host countries. Random effects model are applied in the paper and population average model is used to check the robustness of the results. Findings The authors find that the effects of macro-corporate governance are distinct in different sample periods, as well as in geographical and economic regions, when attracting China’s ODI. Indicators such as political stability, the absence of violence, regulatory effectiveness, regulatory quality, the rule of law and the control of corruption are found to be positively related to China’s ODI. Originality/value This is one of the first papers to investigate the relationship between macro-corporate governance indicators and China’s ODI. 171 countries are included in the data sample and sub-sample tests are also conducted.

scholarly journals Short run causal relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and infrastructure development

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1202-1221
Author(s):  
De-Graft Owusu-Manu ◽  
David John Edwards ◽  
A. Mohammed ◽  
Wellington Didibhuku Thwala ◽  
Tony Birch
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Short Run

Purpose Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows for infrastructure development have grown in volume to become more widely dispersed among home (outward investor) and host (recipient) countries. This paper aims to explore the short-run causal relationship between FDI and infrastructure development in the developing country of Ghana. Design/methodology/approach A two-stage least squares estimation method was adopted where FDI was endogenized, and all variables were in constant prices. Stationarity tests were performed on the annualized log difference of variables using augmented Dickey–Fuller test (ADF). Findings Results reveal a positive and significant relationship between FDI and infrastructure but a negative and significant relationship between FDI and GDP and FDI and openness. GDP growth also has a long-run negative relationship with FDI inflows. Originality/value The paper’s contribution to knowledge is two-fold. First, it examines the short run effect of FDI upon the Ghanaian economy and how market shocks to FDI and infrastructure development can be ameliorated. Second, it illustrates that government policymakers should prioritize development that requires FDI and ensure that the local market is not excessively open to foreign exploitation. Future work is required to further investigate international capital flow and its impact upon other developing nations.

scholarly journals Impact of governance structures on environmental disclosures in the Middle East and Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 739-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erhan Kilincarslan ◽  
Mohamed H. Elmagrhi ◽  
Zezeng Li
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Environmental Disclosure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Environmental Disclosures ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to investigate the impact of corporate governance structures on environmental disclosure practices in the Middle East and Africa (MEA). Design/methodology/approach The research model uses a panel data set of 121 publicly listed (non-financial and non-utility) firms from 11 MEA countries over the period 2010-2017, uses alternative dependent variables and regression techniques and is applied to various sub-groups to improve robustness. Findings The empirical results strongly indicate that MEA firms with high governance disclosures tend to have better environmental disclosure practices. The board characteristics of gender diversity, size, CEO/chairperson duality and audit committee size impact positively on MEA firms’ voluntary environmental disclosures, whereas board independence has a negative influence. Research limitations/implications This study advances research on the relationship between corporate governance structures and environmental disclosure practices in MEA countries, but is limited to firms for which data are available from Bloomberg. Practical implications The results have important practical implications for MEA policymakers and regulators. The positive impact of board gender diversity on firms’ environmental disclosures, policy reforms should aim to increase female directors. MEA corporations aiming to be more environmentally friendly should recruit women to top managerial positions. Originality/value This is thought to be the first study to provide insights from the efficiency and legitimation perspectives of neo-institutional theory to explain the relationship between MEA firms’ internal governance structures and environmental disclosures.

scholarly journals European intellectual property institutions and Chinese foreign direct investment

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Constantinos Alexiou ◽  
Sofoklis Vogiazas
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Trade Openness ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Institutional Distance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chinese Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
The Impact

PurposeWe investigate the impact of the strength of intellectual property (IP) institutions on Chinese outward foreign direct investment (OFDI).Design/methodology/approachWe use two different measures of IP on a sample of 21 European countries in the period 2003–2015. Panel quantile methodology is applied to assess the relationship at several points of the conditional distribution of OFDI.FindingsWe provide novel and robust evidence revealing a highly negative relationship between OFDI and the strength of IP institutions in Europe. This relationship which is more pronounced in the median and upper-quantiles, bolsters the conventional theoretical expectation that high institutional distance between home and host countries is inversely related to OFDI. Equally important is the preliminary evidence of the non-linear impact of IP at the median and upper-quantiles as well as the impact of other controlling variables such as GDP, population, trade openness and unit labour costs on Chinese OFDI.Originality/valueThe ensuing theoretical implications are of great significance for future studies on the institutional distance and drivers of OFDI by emerging economies as well as for European policymakers in so far as the strengthening of IP institutions constitutes a gravitational point for inward investment flows from China.

Corporate governance and dividends payout: are they substitutes or complementary?

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Jebaraj Benjamin ◽  
Mazlina Mat Zain
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Agency Costs ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Board Independence ◽  
Board Meeting ◽  
Dividend Payout ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Negative Relationship ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Unique Relationship

Purpose – This paper aims to furnish incremental insights on dividends and corporate governance (CG) by addressing the relationship between board meeting frequency and board independence with dividend payout. In particular, this study aims to investigate whether CG attributes are substitutes to control agency problem within the Malaysian context. Design/methodology/approach – This paper examines panel data on a sample of 114 Malaysian firms (798 observations) for seven years from 2002 to 2008. Findings – Based on 798 firm-year observations for the period from 2002 to 2008, the results show significant negative relationship between CG (board independence, board meeting frequency) and dividend payout. This suggests that CG and dividend payout are substitutes in reducing agency costs. Our study provides empirical evidence consistent with the “substitution argument”, indicating that firms with weak CG need to establish reputation by paying more dividends. Specifically, the findings indicate that firms with a higher proportion of independent directors and boards of director that meet more frequent pay lower dividends. Originality/value – This paper provides evidence on previously untested governance characteristics in relation to how they act as substitute mechanisms with dividends for reducing agency costs. The results builds a strong case for the fresh strand of knowledge on dividends and CG which tests each CG variables to understand each of its unique relationship with dividends in line with the dividends outcome or substitute theory.

scholarly journals Foreign direct investment and institutional stability: who drives whom?

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (47) ◽  
pp. 145-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nihal Mahmood ◽  
Mohammad Hassan Shakil ◽  
Ishaq Mustapha Akinlaso ◽  
Mashiyat Tasnia
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Direct Investment ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Direct Investment ◽  
Global Financial Crisis ◽  
Institutional Development ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Stability ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and institutional stability. The focus country is Canada. It is one of the few countries where the economy remained relatively stable compared to other economies during the Global Financial Crisis. It is crucial for Canada to determine the optimal level of institutional development to attract more FDI and sustain the sound financial stability in future. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the auto-regressive distributive lag (ARDL) approach to understand the relationship between FDI and institutional stability along with other controlled variables, for instance, gross national product, inflation and exports. Findings The key finding of this work is that FDI and institutional stability are cointegrated in the long run. The error correction model of ARDL shed light on institutional stability being an exogenous variable, and FDI is an endogenous variable. Institutional stability affects FDI, as it is exogenous. The findings will help policymakers to implement policies to strengthen the institution’s settings, and this, in turn, will attract more investment. Originality/value Based on previous theoretical and empirical literature, most of the research points to FDI positively affect institutional stability. In some cases, the relationship does not always hold true. This study will fix the gap in the literature by investigating the relationship between FDI and institutional stability of Canada.

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