Download or read book Governance of Public Pension Funds written by David Hess and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2003 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An understanding of corporate governance theory can promote the adoption of appropriate governance tools to limit agency problems in public pension fund management. The absence of a market for corporate control hinders the translation of lessons from the private sector corporate world to public pension governance. The establishment of a fit, and proper governing body for public pension funds, thus may be even more important than the maintenance of a comparable body for private sector corporations. In particular, behavioral controls should be carefully designed.
Download or read book Corporate Governance and Pension Fund Performance written by Oskar Kowalewski and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study provides new evidence on the impact of governance on the performance of privately defined contribution pension plans. Using a hand collected data set on governance factors, the study shows that the external and internal governance mechanisms in pension plans are weak. One explanation for this weakness is the potential conflict between the pension beneficiaries and the fund's owner, which depends on who bears the investment risk in the pension plan. Hence, different governance factors are found to be important for pension fund return on invested assets and also for its economic performance. Consequently, the overall policy conclusion is that more focus should be put on the governance of the pension funds, taking into account the different interests of the beneficiaries and owners as it may determine their performance.
Download or read book Pension fund governance written by Michael Orszag, John Evans, John Piggott and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2008-06-30 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'This collection of essays on a rapidly developing topic is a valuable addition to the field and the editors must be congratulated on beginning to bring the area to the attention of thinkers and government (not necessarily the same thing), who are charged with dealing with the challenge of controlling private pension provision.' - Robin Ellison, Pensions
Download or read book Pension Fund Governance written by John R. Evans and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2008 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The academic literature on pension governance is sparse and this book will fill some important gaps by bringing together original contributions from around the world on subjects related to the area. The book initially lays out the main frameworks for pension fund governance and then goes on to examine global governance practice and experience and country studies on pension funds in the United States and Australia. The final section of this in-depth study discusses the role of government guarantees. The editors and contributors to this book have struck a balance between the various dimensions of the governance problem. Whilst ensuring that the theoretical frameworks are represented, at the same time, they have also recognized that it is vital to report on empirical work. Private pensions are examined closely, while also acknowledging that public pension funds are extremely important actors. Pension Fund Governance will appeal to academics and researchers of financial economics and financial management, as well as those in the fields of public finance and public sector economics. Furthermore the book will also find an audience among those in commercial and policy roles which involve pensions, including pension actuaries.
Download or read book On the Governance of Public Pension Fund Management written by Gregorio Impavido and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2002 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author surveys the empirical literature on the relationship between governance of public pension fund management and investment performance. He makes a preliminary attempt to identify good governance practices and distill governance guidelines aimed at reducing the political risk that is associated with central, public pension fund management. The author highlights the need for further work to support the development of a satisfactory set of governance guidelines.
Download or read book Institutional Investors and Corporate Governance written by Theodor Baums and published by Walter de Gruyter. This book was released on 2011-05-02 with total page 725 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The volume contains 23 articles by international experts, both scholars and practioners dealing with the development of institutional investors (such as banks, insurances, investment companies, pension funds etc.), their investment and voting policies, the impact on managements of the companies concerned and related issues. The consequences of the international development on capital markets as well as policy implications for the respective national legislations are treated.
Download or read book Democratizing Pension Funds written by Ronald B. Davis and published by UBC Press. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book will spark a debate concerning the need for democracy and accountability in the governance of trillions of dollars of plan members' pension plan assets and the legitimacy of the present, mostly unaccountable, corporate governance decisions made by these plans. The author analyzes the reasons for this passivity, pointing to conflicts of interest with respect to corporate governance activity in pension plans and also to limitations in corporate, securities, and pension law. He argues that plan members should be given a voice in pension plan governance and the plans made accountable, and he outlines the legal reforms necessary.
Download or read book Upgrading the Investment Policy Framework of Public Pension Funds written by Dimitri Vittas and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2008 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Public pension funds have the potential to benefit from low operating costs because they enjoy economies of scale and avoid large marketing costs. But this important advantage has in most countries been dissipated by poor investment performance. The latter has been attributed to a weak governance structure, lack of independence from government interference, and a low level of transparency and public accountability. Recent years have witnessed the creation of new public pension funds in several countries, and the modernization of existing ones in others, with special emphasis placed on upgrading their investment policy framework and strengthening their governance structure. This paper focuses on the experience of four new public pension funds that have been created in Norway, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. The paper discusses the safeguards that have been introduced to ensure their independence and their insulation from political pressures. It also reviews their performance and their evolving investment strategies. All four funds started with the romantic idea of operating as 'managers of managers' and focusing on external passive management but their strategies have progressively evolved to embrace internal active management and significant investments in alternative asset classes. The paper draws lessons for other countries that wish to modernize their public pension funds.
Download or read book The Changing Face of Corporate Ownership written by Michael J. Rubach and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-10-28 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the shareholder activism of institutional investors, and the effect of this activism on portfolio performance. By focusing on 118 institutional investors headquartered in the United States, the book is unique in addressing the shareholder activism of a large sample. Institutional shareholder activism is defined to include both traditional mechanisms of influence (i.e. filing shareholder proposals) and relationship investing. Institutional owners included private and public pension funds, mutual funds, bank trusts, insurance companies, endowments, and foundations. These institutional owners differ substantially, and these differences lead institutions to use their ownership power to pursue different philosophies and actions. Some institutions follow a passive governance policy, While others adopt an activist role. This book seeks to answer four questions: (1) Are institutional owners actively involved in the strategic affairs of companies in their portfolios? (2)Which forms of activism do institutional owners employ (either confrontational mechanisms, such as filing shareholder proposals, or relationship building mechanisms)? (3)Which forms of activism employed are most effective? and (4) Does the institutional type affect its pursuit of shareholder activism? In answering these questions the author suggests new important results that in many cases are contrary to what prior reports of the activities by a small number of institutional owners may intimate.
Download or read book Governance of Public Pension Funds written by Gregorio Impavido and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An understanding of corporate governance theory can promote the adoption of appropriate governance tools to limit agency problems in public pension fund management. The absence of a market for corporate control hinders the translation of lessons from the private sector corporate world to public pension governance. The establishment of a fit and proper governing body for public pension funds thus may be even more important than the maintenance of a comparable body for private sector corporations. In particular, behavioral controls should be carefully designed.This paper - a product of the Financial Sector Operations and Policy Department - is part of a larger effort in the department to study the effects of contractual savings development on financial markets.
Download or read book Governance and Fund Management in the Chinese Pension System written by Yu-Wei Hu and published by International Monetary Fund. This book was released on 2009-11-01 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Chinese pension system is highly fragmented and decentralized, with governance standards, pension fund management practices, their regulation and supervision varying considerably both across the funded components of the Chinese pension system and across provinces. This paper describes the key components of the system, highlights the progress made to date and identifies remaining weaknesses, in regard to information disclosure, the governance framework and pension fund management standards.
Download or read book Corporate Governance and Investment Management written by Roger M. Barker and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2017-12-29 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shareholder engagement with publicly listed companies is often seen as a key means to monitor corporate malpractices. In this book, the authors examine the corporate governance roles of key institutional investors in UK corporate equity, including pension funds, insurance companies, collective investment funds, hedge and private equity funds and sovereign wealth funds. They argue that institutions’ corporate governance roles are an instrument ultimately shaped by private interests and market forces, as well as law and regulatory obligations, and that policy-makers should not readily make assumptions regarding their effectiveness, or their alignment with public interest or social good.
Download or read book Corporate Governance The Role of Institutional Investors in Promoting Good Corporate Governance written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2011-11-25 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covering 26 jurisdictions including in-depth review of Australia, Chile and Germany, this report focuses the role of institutional investors in promoting good corporate governance practices including the incentives they face to promote such outcomes.
Download or read book The Rise of Fiduciary Capitalism written by James P. Hawley and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2000-10-06 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traces the rise of public and private pension funds, which now control as much as 50 percent of the equity in American corporations, and argues that shareholders in those funds could use their power to make corporations more responsive to social needs.
Download or read book On the Governance of Public Pension Fund Management written by Gregorio Impavido and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 36 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Impavido surveys the empirical literature on the relationship between governance of public pension fund management and investment performance. He makes a preliminary attempt to identify good governance practices and distill governance guidelines aimed at reducing the political risk that is associated with central, public pension fund management. The author highlights the need for further work to support the development of a satisfactory set of governance guidelines.This paper - a product of the Financial Sector Operations and Policy Department - is part of a larger effort in the department to study the effects of contractual savings on financial markets.
Download or read book Governing the Modern Corporation written by Roy C. Smith and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006-01-12 with total page 530 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nearly seventy years after the last great stock market bubble and crash, another bubble emerged and burst, despite a thick layer of regulation designed since the 1930s to prevent such things. This time the bubble was enormous, reflecting nearly twenty years of double-digit stock market growth, and its bursting had painful consequence. The search for culprits soon began, and many were discovered, including not only a number of overreaching corporations, but also their auditors, investment bankers, lawyers and indeed, their investors. In Governing the Modern Corporation, Smith and Walter analyze the structure of market capitalism to see what went wrong. They begin by examining the developments that have made modern financial markets--now capitalized globally at about $70 trillion--so enormous, so volatile and such a source of wealth (and temptation) for all players. Then they report on the evolving role and function of the business corporation, the duties of its officers and directors and the power of its Chief Executive Officer who seeks to manage the company to achieve as favorable a stock price as possible. They next turn to the investing market itself, which comprises mainly financial institutions that own about two-thirds of all American stocks and trade about 90% of these stocks. These investors are well informed, highly trained professionals capable of making intelligent investment decisions on behalf of their clients, yet the best and brightest ultimately succumbed to the bubble and failed to carry out an appropriate governance role. In what follows, the roles and business practices of the principal financial intermediaries--notably auditors and bankers--are examined in detail. All, corporations, investors and intermediaries, are found to have been infected by deep-seated conflicts of interest, which add significant agency costs to the free-market system. The imperfect, politicized role of the regulators is also explored, with disappointing results. The entire system is seen to have been compromised by a variety of bacteria that crept in, little by little, over the years and were virtually invisible during the bubble years. These issues are now being addressed, in part by new regulation, in part by prosecutions and class action lawsuits, and in part by market forces responding to revelations of misconduct. But the authors note that all of the market's professional players--executives, investors, experts and intermediaries themselves--carry fiduciary obligations to the shareholders, clients, and investors whom they represent. More has to be done to find ways for these fiduciaries to be held accountable for the correct discharge of their duties.
Download or read book Evaluating the Financial Performance of Pension Funds written by Richard Hinz and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2010-01-14 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Countries around the world are increasingly relying on individual pension savings accounts to provide income in old age for their citizens. Although these funds have now been in place for several decades, their performance is usually measured using methods that are not meaningful in relation to this long-term objective. The recent global financial crisis has highlighted the need to develop better performance evaluation methods that are consistent with the retirement income objective of pension funds. Compiling research derived from a partnership among the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and three private partners, 'Evaluating the Financial Performance of Pension Funds' discusses the theoretical basis and key implementation issues related to the design of performance benchmarks based on life-cycle savings and investment principles. The book begins with an evaluation of the financial performance of funded pension systems using the standard mean variance framework. It then provides a discussion of the limitations inherent to applying these methods to pension funds and outlines the many other issues that should be addressed in developing more useful and meaningful performance measures through the formulation of pension-specific benchmark portfolios. Practical implementation issues are addressed through empirical examples of how such benchmarks could be developed. The book concludes with commentary and observations from several noted pension experts about the need for a new approach to performance measurement and the impact of the recent global financial crisis on pension funds.
