Corporate Governance and the Value of Excess Cash Holdings of Large European Firms

We examine the relation between the quality of corporate governance and the value of excess cash for large European firms (FTSEurofirst 300 Index). We use Deminor ratings for Shareholder rights, Takeover defences, Disclosure and Board as proxies for the quality of corporate governance. We find that the value of excess cash is positively related to the Takeover defences score only. It seems that governance mechanisms—except the market for corporate control—are not strong enough to prevent managers from wasting excess cash. For non-UK firms we find that the value of €1 of excess cash in a poorly governed firm is valued at only €0.89 while the value is €1.45 for a good governed firm. We show that poorly governed firms dissipate excess cash relatively quickly with a negative impact on their operating performance as a result.corporate governance;excess cash;take-over defences

Platial geo-temporal demographics using family names

We introduce platial geo-temporal demographics as a novel way to describe places using family names as markers of migration and change at sub-national scales. By identifying the likely origins of 59,218 surnames in Great Britain, we create platial profiles of surname mixes in terms of the distance their forbears have likely migrated between 1881 and 1998/2016. By combining individual-level data derived from historic censuses of population with near-complete contemporary population registers of enfranchised adults, we demonstrate how locally and regionally distinctive surname mixes can be used in characterizing places in terms of demographic change and stasis. The results suggest that a hierarchy of places arises in Great Britain, with larger conurbations (e.g., London and Birmingham) having more surnames that can be traced back to other parts of Great Britain and beyond, as opposed to places that are characterized by the presence of a larger share of surnames that have a more local origin. These regional differences are likely linked to processes of social mobility and economic activity

Developing a Data Infrastructure for Bespoke Demographic Analysis

This paper describes the steps involved in the creation of a UK-wide population register, covering the adult population from the start of 1997 to the end of 2020. We argue how this set of ‘Linked Consumer Registers’ will be the nucleus of a data infrastructure for bespoke demographic analysis that we are currently developing. We further appraise the applicability and value of this data infrastructure for empirical work within the social sciences, particularly in the context of modelling residential mobility and unpacking the relationship between socio-economic inequalities across ethnic groups and vulnerability to COVID-19

Family Name Origins and Intergenerational Demographic Change in Great Britain

We develop bespoke geospatial routines to typify 88,457 surnames by their likely ancestral geographic origins within Great Britain. Linking this taxonomy to both historic and contemporary population data sets, we characterize regional populations using surnames that indicate whether their bearers are likely to be long-settled. We extend this approach in a case study application, in which we summarize intergenerational change in local populations across Great Britain over a period of 120 years. We also analyze much shorter term demographic dynamics and chart likely recent migratory flows within the country. Our research demonstrates the value of family names in characterizing long-term population change at regional and local scales. We find evidence of selective migratory flows in both time periods alongside increasing demographic diversity and distinctiveness between regions in Great Britain

Emotional reactions to the outcomes of decisions: The role of counterfactual thought in the experience of regret and disappointment

decision making;consumer behavior

Using linked consumer registers to estimate residential moves in the United Kingdom

This paper argues that frequently updated data on the nature of residential moves and the circumstances of movers in the United Kingdom are insufficient for many research purposes. Accordingly, we develop previous research reported in this Journal to re-purpose consumer and administrative data in order to develop annual estimates of residential mobility between all UK neighbourhoods. We use a unique digital corpus of linked individual and household-level consumer registers compiled by the UK Consumer Data Research Centre, comprising over 143 million unique address records pertaining to the entire UK adult population over the period 1997–2016. We describe how records pertaining to individuals vacating a property can be assigned to their most probable residential destination, based on novel methods of matching names, assessing household composition, and using information on the date and probable distance of residential moves. We believe that the results of this analysis contribute highly granular, frequently updated estimates of residential moves that can be used to chart population-wide outcomes of residential mobility and migration behaviour, as well as the socio-spatial characteristics of the sedentary population

Using linked consumer and administrative data to model demographic changes in London’s city fringe

This unique book demonstrates the utility of big data approaches in human geography and planning. Offering a carefully curated selection of case studies, it reveals how researchers are accessing big data, what this data looks like and how such data can offer new and important insights and knowledge

Family Names, City Size Distributions and Residential Differentiation in Great Britain, 1881-1901

Cities have specialised in particular urban functions throughout history, with consequential implications for urban and regional patterns of economic and social change. This specialisation takes place within overall national city size distributions and is manifest in different but often similarly variegated residential structures. Here we develop a novel and consistent methodological approach for measuring macro-scale city size and micro-scale residential differentiation using individual digital census records for the period 1881–1901. The use of family names and neighbourhood classification of dominant economic and social roles makes it possible to relate the changing city size distribution in Great Britain to patterns of urban growth and residential differentiation within urban areas. Together, we provide an integrated and consistent methodology that links the classification of all major urban area growth in Great Britain to attendant intra-urban geodemographic changes in urban residential structures. We suggest ways in which this manifests social and economic change across the settlement system for both new and long-established residents