Emerging Market Studies, Corporate Governance and Life Cycles

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the topic of corporate governance practices in emerging markets, with a particular emphasis on the corporate governance lifecycle. The lifecycle of corporate governance refers to the variation of purpose of governance functions in the different stages of an organization’s development (Toms, 2013). Research in the corporate governance lifecycle is relatively new and, to-date, remains largely unexplored, particularly in an emerging market setting.

In this Special Issue, we welcome empirical articles that explore the corporate governance lifecycle in emerging economies. Ownership structures in emerging economies are concentrated. The three most prevalent ownership structures are family ownership, business groups, and state ownership. Using corporate governance indexes that capture “bundles” of corporate governance, studies that explore the evolution of corporate governance lifecycles in family and non-family firms, in business groups and non-business groups, and in state-owned and non-state-owned firms is encouraged.

There is evidence from emerging markets that voluntary adoption of specific governance provisions can increase firm value. We encourage authors to explore the corporate governance lifecycle for specific, individual corporate governance attributes. These include (1) the board of directors (its structure, composition, independence, and gender diversity) (2) international cross-listing choice, bonding to improved corporate governance, and the maturity profile of the cross-listing firm (3) absent of an international cross-listing, many firms voluntarily choose to enhance their accounting disclosures (Hope et al., 2013). Filatotchev et al. (2006) relate corporate transparency to the firm lifecycle. Studies that explore the relationship between firm-level voluntary disclosures and the firm lifecycle are welcomed. (4) We also welcome studies that track the adoption of other corporate governance mechanisms over the lifecycle. These include the decision to adopt International Accounting Standards (IAS), adopt committees (fiscal boards), hire a reputable independent auditor, and (5) a broad definition of corporate governance emphasizes the importance for firms to act as socially responsible entities. We welcome studies that examine the corporate social responsibility lifecycle. 

Dr. Thomas O’Connor
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Risk and Financial Management is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.