Innovating corporate share listing frameworks: a comparative study of SPAC regulatory regimes in the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Hong Kong

In the 2020s, special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) have swiftly emerged as an alternative vehicle for global corporations that seek a public listing. This article aims to critically analyse the regulatory frameworks governing SPAC listings in three prominent common law jurisdictions: the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Hong Kong. It evaluates the latest corporate share listing reforms from a comparative perspective, shedding light on how each jurisdiction adapts to the dynamic nature of SPACs and addresses rising challenges regarding investor protection under their new listing regimes. The discussion focuses on the influence of international best practices and the cooperation among global regulatory authorities. By providing an in-depth comparative analysis of SPAC listing rules in London, Singapore, and Hong Kong, this article offers valuable insights for researchers, legal practitioners, policymakers, public companies, and their investors who seek to understand the regulatory landscape for SPACs and innovative corporate regimes in leading financial centres. The findings enhance our understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the SPAC regulatory frameworks in each of the three jurisdictions, thus assisting stakeholders in making informed decisions in the rapidly evolving global financial landscape

Perseverance in the Face of Hardship: Chinese Smallholder Farmers’ Engagements in Ghanaian Agriculture

This paper uses qualitative research methods to study small-scale Chinese farmers in Ghana, in contrast to research generally found in mainstream media and academic literature which focuses on large-scale Chinese farms in Africa. Through field-based observations of three small Chinese-run farms, this article explores how some Chinese expatriates are engaging in agricultural development in Ghana. We argue that this engagement contributes diverse new agricultural products to the local market. Furthermore, we find that the activities of these farmers are driven by increasing numbers of Chinese migrants in Africa, and that instead of being powerful competitors, they are in fact squeezed into the margins of the local market. They meet the needs of a specific niche market through perseverance and learning from failure. In doing so, they face unfamiliar challenges from both the natural climate and the social environment, and they are at a disadvantage in this process compared to local farmers who have over the years developed better adaptive mechanisms. Looking ahead, a decline in the specialised market for Chinese goods caused by a decline in Chinese migrant labour presents real challenges for the future viability of small Chinese farms in Ghana