My posts provide resources and commentary on a range of issues of governance, finance, accounting and public policy.
A posts index is here (for smartphone layouts that don’t display it in the sidebar).
State sector board appointments
In New Zealand, there are over 2,600 ministerial appointments to more than 400 boards, and they are administered by around 20 different agencies on behalf of the various responsible ministers.
The following lists (updated as at January 2018) provide some useful links if you are interested in state sector board appointments.
Independent directors
Corporate governance codes, guidelines and rules generally assert that a significant proportion (and in some cases, all) of the directors of a company should be “independent directors”. But what exactly does it mean to be an “independent director”? Continue reading “Independent directors”
State sector board governance
This post sets out some background resources on state sector board governance. Continue reading “State sector board governance”
State Owned Enterprises
This post explains the state-owned enterprise (SOE) governance and accountability framework in some more detail than my posts on state sector board governance (which noted that SOEs operate under a different legal framework from Crown entities in New Zealand) and on Crown companies (which noted that SOEs are just one category of company owned by the Crown). It emphasises the features of SOEs that distinguish them from privately-owned companies.
Crown companies
The Crown owns many other companies in addition to the 11 active state-owned enterprises (SOEs) referred to in my post on the distinctions between SOE companies and privately-owned companies. They are described below, with links to the distinguishing elements of their respective governance frameworks.
Director tenure and board reappointments
Long-serving directors bring a number of benefits to boards: they provide stability; they “know the business”; they are a repository of institutional memory; they will tend to have more governance experience generally, not just with this firm; they are more likely to attend, and to contribute to, board meetings and board committees; and their skills, abilities and contribution to the governance of the entity are known, tried and tested. But how long is too long? Continue reading “Director tenure and board reappointments”
Risk and retirement income
Is my nest egg big enough to give me the sustainable income I will want in retirement? And where should I invest it once I retire? Continue reading “Risk and retirement income”
New Zealand Superannuation Fund
This post shares some resources on the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. Continue reading “New Zealand Superannuation Fund”
Financial economics of racetrack betting
Racetrack betting has close parallels with investing on financial markets and provides a relevant context for investigating attitudes to risk and the informational efficiency of markets. Differences in market prices (odds offered) across different markets (win, show, place, quinella, different bookmakers) whose payout (dividend) depends on the same risky outcome (a horse race) raise the prospect of arbitrage opportunities. Continue reading “Financial economics of racetrack betting”
Pensions, savings and capital markets
This post provides links to a range of papers and presentations I have produced over time on pensions, savings and capital markets: Continue reading “Pensions, savings and capital markets”
Earnings management
Earnings management is the practice of intentionally influencing a firm’s financial reporting choices to reflect a particular view of the firm’s performance. Continue reading “Earnings management”
Geometric return and portfolio analysis
Portfolio performance depends crucially on the behaviour of returns on the assets held in the portfolio. However, there is some misunderstanding in practice about the econometric relationships involved. Continue reading “Geometric return and portfolio analysis”
Financial management reform in the New Zealand public sector
I was originally attracted to The Treasury by the significant programme of reforms of financial management in the New Zealand public sector that were being implemented in the early 1990s. Continue reading “Financial management reform in the New Zealand public sector”