25,005 research outputs found

    How does firm ownership concentration and female directors influence tax haven foreign direct investment? Evidence from Asia-Pacific and OECD countries

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    The literature on tax havens utilization by multinational enterprises (MNEs) has largely focused on determinants that are financial or technological in nature. We contribute to this literature by showing important corporate governance determinants for tax haven utilization by Asia-Pacific and OECD country MNEs. Theoretically, we show that ownership concentration and female board membership influence tax haven utilization. Empirically, we show negative associations between ownership concentration and female board membership and the likelihood of owning a subsidiary in a tax haven. Based on our results, we draw a number of implications for theoretical and empirical work, which also opens the door for further investigation in this area

    Towards a more just refuge regime: quotas, markets and a fair share

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    The international refugee regime is beset by two problems: Responsibility for refuge falls disproportionately on a few states and many owed refuge do not get it. In this work, I explore remedies to these problems. One is a quota distribution wherein states are distributed responsibilities via allotment. Another is a marketized quota system wherein states are free to buy and sell their allotments with others. I explore these in three parts. In Part 1, I develop the prime principles upon which a just regime is built and with which alternatives can be adjudicated. The first and most important principle – ‘Justice for Refugees’ – stipulates that a just regime provides refuge for all who have a basic interest in it. The second principle – ‘Justice for States’ – stipulates that a just distribution of refuge responsibilities among states is one that is capacity considerate. In Part 2, I take up several vexing questions regarding the distribution of refuge responsibilities among states in a collective effort. First, what is a state’s ‘fair share’? The answer requires the determination of some logic – some metric – with which a distribution is determined. I argue that one popular method in the political theory literature – a GDP-based distribution – is normatively unsatisfactory. In its place, I posit several alternative metrics that are more attuned with the principles of justice but absent in the political theory literature: GDP adjusted for Purchasing Power Parity and the Human Development Index. I offer an exploration of both these. Second, are states required to ‘take up the slack’ left by defaulting peers? Here, I argue that duties of help remain intact in cases of partial compliance among states in the refuge regime, but that political concerns may require that such duties be applied with caution. I submit that a market instrument offers one practical solution to this problem, as well as other advantages. In Part 3, I take aim at marketization and grapple with its many pitfalls: That marketization is commodifying, that it is corrupting, and that it offers little advantage in providing quality protection for refugees. In addition to these, I apply a framework of moral markets developed by Debra Satz. I argue that a refuge market may satisfy Justice Among States, but that it is violative of the refugees’ welfare interest in remaining free of degrading and discriminatory treatment

    NFT-Related Companies: Token Sale Returns

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    Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have emerged as a new means of digital asset ownership and many companies are building projects that revolve around the technology. These companies are blockchain-based and raise capital for their projects through cryptocurrency token sales, which have become a new mechanism of entrepreneurial finance. In a sample of 62 NFT-related companies, I examine which company, fundraising, and token sale process characteristics are associated with the performance of 7-day and 60-day market returns after a token’s public listing. A multivariate regression analysis finds that the total amount of capital raised before a token launch has a negative relationship with the 7-day and 60-day market returns. Ethereum returns, the length of the team token lock-up period and the presence of a vesting schedule have positive relationships with 60-day token returns

    Shaping the Macroeconomy of Low- and Middle-income Countries in Response to Covid-19

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    There is heterogeneity in the magnitude of the pandemic’s shortterm impact across the five low- and middle-income countries (L&MICs) that are the focus of this synthesis paper: Bangladesh, Kenya, Peru, Sri Lanka and Tanzania. Based on pre-Covid-19 forecasts, Peru was supposed to grow by 3.6% but the pandemic led to an actual contraction of the Peruvian economy by 11% – suggesting 15 percentage points loss of growth due to the pandemic. Similarly, Sri Lanka was forecast to grow by 1.5% but the pandemic led to a -3.6% economic contraction in 2020 – the worst in the country’s 73 years of independence. Meanwhile, Tanzania grew by 4.8% in 2020, which is only about 1 percentage point lower than pre-Covid-19 forecasts. Structural characteristics, initial macroeconomic conditions, and the size and quality of policy responses largely shaped the absolute and distributional impact of Covid-19 in the five L&MICs. Impacts from sharp declines in tourism activities in 2020 were offset partly by increased global demand from their major exports of agricultural products (e.g., Kenya, Peru) and gold (e.g., Tanzania). Bangladesh benefitted from a quick recovery of major trading partners’ demand for garments (comprising 90% of Bangladeshi export).IDRC | CRD

    The Role of English and Welsh INGOs: A Field Theory-Based Exploration of the Sector

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    This thesis takes a field theory-based approach to exploring the role of English and Welsh international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), using the lens of income source form. First, the thesis presents new income source data drawn from 933 Annual Accounts published by 316 INGOs over three years (2015-2018). The research then draws on qualitative data from 90 Leaders' letters include within the Annual Reports published by 39 INGOS, as well as supplementary quantitative and qualitative data, to explore the ways in which INGOs represent their role. Analysis of this income source data demonstrates that government funding is less important to most INGOs than has previously been assumed, while income from individuals is more important than has been recognised in the extant development studies literature. Funding from other organisations within the voluntary sector is the third most important source of income for these INGOs, while income from fees and trading is substantially less important than the other income source forms. Using this income source data in concert with other quantitative data on INGO characteristics as well as qualitative data drawn from the Leaders' letters, I then show that the English and Welsh INGO sector is a heterogenous space, divided into multiple fields. The set of fields identified by this thesis is arranged primarily around income source form, which is also associated with size, religious affiliation, and activities of focus and ways of working. As Bourdieusian field theory suggests, within these fields individual INGOs are engaged in an ongoing struggle for position: competing to demonstrate their maximal possession of the symbolic capitals they perceive to be valued by (potential) donors to that field. Further analysis of these Leaders' letters, alongside additional Annual Reports and Accounts data, also reveals a dissonance in the way in which INGOs describe their relationship with local partners in these different communication types. While these Leaders' letters and narrative reports tell stories of collaborative associations with locally-based partners, this obscures the nature of these relationships as competitive and hierarchical. The thesis draws on the above findings to reflect on the role of INGOs as suggested in the extant literature. This discussion highlights how the various potential INGO fields identified are associated with differing theoretical roles for INGOs. Finally, the thesis considers how INGO role representations continue to contribute to unequal power relations between INGOs and their partners

    THE DREAM OF A ZERO WASTE SOCIETY: EXPLORING THE PRACTICES AND BEHAVIOURS OF WASTE GENERATION IN GREATER MEXICO CITY

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    This research aims to re-conceptualise consumption and waste generation through a broader set of theoretical questions and analytical methodologies to establish a more holistic theoretical framework for comprehending the global South's "waste crisis." This thesis is primarily based on the following question: "why do we dispose of things?". By focusing on practices and behaviours of consumption and disposal by citizens of GMC, this thesis seeks to unpack the networks, symbols, skills, and meanings of these practices. This moves the conceptualisation of waste generation away from being conceived as an irremediable consequence of population growth or as primary responsibility on the consumers' shoulders. Therefore, this thesis proposes that consumers are embedded in a "throwaway environment" that pushes them toward unsustainable practices. However, this does not mean that the consumers have a "throwaway culture"; consumers might be "carriers" of practices, but they are still active participants. By unravelling the multiple layers of framing that aggregate into the consumption and disposal of citizens in GMC, we shall see how GMC society's historical, social, and political framework serves as dispositions that guide an individual to act. This study focuses on modifying the narrative of considering consumers as careless, lazy, or consumption-driven. It also sheds light on how ignoring these behaviours and practices will only bring temporary and reactionary solutions when dealing with waste. This dissertation also offers an analytical framework that explores how consumers' elements interrelate and are synergetic. By re-conceptualising consumption and waste generation, I propose not focusing on the insidious moral narrative of whether consumption and disposal are acceptable and to what degree. Instead, we should concentrate on a policy strategy that will help reduce the flow of materials. As a result, we might be able to curve a waste crisis by accepting shared responsibility (mostly borne by governments and businesses

    Understanding the Relationship among Durable Goods, Academic Achievement, and School Attendance in Colombia

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    A joint report from the United Nations Development Program and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative indicates that while the number of people living with less than 1.90adaydeclinedglobally,droppingfrom2billionin1990to736millionin2015,thenumberofpeoplewhoexperiencednon−incomepovertyreached1.3billionin2020.Non−incomepoverty,referredtoasmultidimensionalpoverty,assessestheextenttowhichpeoplearedeprivedfromaccessingbasicservicessuchashealth,education,orattainingdecentlivingstandards,despitehavingincomelevelswellabove1.90 a day declined globally, dropping from 2 billion in 1990 to 736 million in 2015, the number of people who experienced non-income poverty reached 1.3 billion in 2020. Non-income poverty, referred to as multidimensional poverty, assesses the extent to which people are deprived from accessing basic services such as health, education, or attaining decent living standards, despite having income levels well above 1.90. Research on development and welfare economics points to assets as the missing piece in the poverty puzzle because they can build capacity. In general, assets can be used to generate income or to enhance quality of life. Income-generating assets such as bonds, credit, or home ownership help people gain economic stability, acquire other assets, and prepare for economic shocks. Quality-of-life-enhancing assets help people improve their living standards, develop agency, and participate in political as well as in social life. Examples of quality-of-life-enhancing assets include education, social capital, and durable goods such as TVs or computers. Most research on assets examines the relationship either between financial assets and poverty or between financial assets and education. An exploration of durable goods and education was the focus of this dissertation. Although not a nascent field, most studies in this area have focused on analyzing how durable goods relate to academic achievement and school attendance mainly in African and Asian countries. From a methodological standpoint, these studies have modeled durable goods utilizing a binary approach, where ownership of durable goods is measured as possession of any durable good, or as an index, using principal component analysis (PCA), which research suggests is not the most robust method for index creation. Such methodological decisions have provided only a partial understanding of the relationship between durable goods and education. For example, findings indicate that possession of durable goods improves achievement in reading, but not in math. However, further research is needed to assess whether different types of durable goods have differential effects on educational outcomes. Hence, this study explored the relationship among durable goods, academic achievement, and school attendance in Colombia through three methodological approaches to operationalize durable goods: inventory, attributional, and index approaches. Data come from the 2017 SABER test, a nation-wide examination that assesses reading and math skills, for fifth and ninth grade students, (N = 621,218). Students with complete durable goods information (N = 364,436) were included. This research added to the existing literature on this field by using different methodological approaches to model durable goods, including the construction of a durable goods index employing exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and by expanding the geographic scope to Latin America. By using hierarchical linear and nonlinear modeling, this study found that, overall, durable goods were positively associated with reading and math outcomes, particularly for fifth graders. Similarly, results indicated that students whose families owned washing machines, computers, or who had Internet access were more likely to go to school

    ‘We the People: Supporting Food SMEs towards a Circular Food Economy’

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    This single Case Study locates SME (small and medium-size enterprise) hospitality and food services (HaFS) within a complex food waste system. It examines collaborative support for business change from linear resource wastage (‘take, use, dump), towards a circular food economy (CfE)- where ‘designing out’ food waste may reap savings. The objective is to support SME uptake of waste aversion practices so that they may thrive. The qualitative research centers on a London-based project promoting food waste valorization and healthy nutrition, in 15 boroughs. That project’s outreach for broad-based, collective impact included HaFS that are SMEs. Cross-sector liaison was the research focus for this Case Study which utilizes a hybrid philosophy and meta-framework, based on Critical Realism and Systemic Thinking. Some reference to Interpretivism highlights stewardship values for transforming individual behaviour. The Study also uses a multi-method design, borrowing soft systems from Management Science and Operational Research. Its blended approach includes: participant observation, mapping and rich picture techniques, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The main research questions align concepts such as: circular economy, cross-sector collaboration and food waste management- with HaFS that are SMEs. A framework method and Leximancer software supported coding and qualitative thematic analysis. Primary findings include interesting categories of analytical, NGO and policy literature. Although conversations flagged up pivotal roles for our health and education sectors, the food SME element still seems peripheral in this transition to regenerative business. A ‘people vibe’ is enabling some HaFS’ kitchen waste action and food redistribution and, academia is a potential contributor to this information resource flow among stakeholders. The Study’s unique onto-epistemological framework enhances philosophical and theoretical knowledge about promoting SME resource stewardship. It spans Systemic Thinking (overt connections and acute complexities) and Critical Realism (deep mechanisms and institutional power differentials, impacting change). As an interpretive lens, the framework’s contribution to praxis was tested by shadowing the London TRiFOCAL project. This research could inform a business policy shift from traditional supply chain thinking, towards active UK food citizenship
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