Political capital on boards of directors and its implications. An overview of European legal Systems.

February 29th, 2024. Juan Gabriel González Morales, Post-doctoral researcher, Research Group on Leadership and Innovation in Public Management (GLIGP) at Esade.

Abstract: Leading European companies have latent political capital on their boards of directors that can affect business decision-making. How do management traditions and political capital affect these outcomes? To demonstrate this, data on companies and their directors indexed in France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and the UK for the year 2019 and job biographies of board members are obtained for further coding based on their political background, focusing on the type of power (legislative, executive or judicial) and the size of that power (international, state and sub-state). A total of 4399 directors and 285 companies are analysed. The results show significant differences between countries in the European administrative traditions (Napoleonic, Germanic, Napoleonic-Germanic and British) and in the influence on key business indicators.

Bio: PhD with International mention in Economics from the University of Granada and Post-doctoral researcher in the Research Group on Leadership and Innovation in Public Management (GLIGP) in the framework of the Investigo programme. Specialist in data analysis and application of statistical techniques in data visualisation and modelling. Professor at the University of Granada from 2019-2023 and winner of the award for best Master's Thesis by AEIPRO. His main publications are related to the analysis of housing prices and quantification of spatial influences, as well as aspects of spatial planning. He is currently conducting research based on revolving doors at Spanish and European level.

Do Financial Incentives Increase the Impact of National-Scale Educational Programs? Experimental Evidence from a National College Advising Initiative

May 16th, 2024. Kelli Bird, Research Assistant Professor, University of Virginia.

Abstract: Recent work highlights the challenge of scaling evidence-based educational programs. We report on a randomized controlled trial of a financial incentive program designed to increase the efficacy of a national remote college advising initiative for high-achieving students. We find substantial positive effects of the program on student engagement with college advisors; applications to wellmatched colleges and universities; and review of financial aid awards. Yet treated students were no more likely to enroll at higher-quality institutions. Student survey responses suggest that institutional admissions and affordability barriers, alongside student preferences to attend institutions closer to home, explain the lack of enrollment effects

Bio: Kelli Bird's research focuses on designing and evaluating programs and policies to improve higher education outcomes among at-risk populations. Bird has worked with several large organizations, including the Common App and the U.S. Army to design, implement, and evaluate large-scale interventions to improve higher education outcomes for at-risk populations. In her current role as research director of Nudge4 Solutions Lab, she leads data and analytic efforts across a number of projects with the lab’s state partners aimed at increasing the share of working adults with holding postsecondary credentials.

High Risk, High Reward: An Integrative Literature Review on the Role of Intermediaries in the Lobbying Process

June 19th, 2024. Erin Parsons, MRes student at Esade.

Abstract: Lobbying efforts are increasingly performed indirectly via lobbying intermediaries—that is, intermediary actors who act as links between firms and governments in the lobbying process. While the literature on lobbying and non-market strategy is mature, how to define and conceptualize different types of lobbying intermediaries lacks clarity, challenging comparisons between different studies and their findings. In an integrative literature review that inductively examines 34 articles, a novel theoretical model for lobbying intermediaries is developed based on missing characterizations unique to lobbying intermediaries.

Bio: Erin is a current MRes student at ESADE. She has a background in policy with experience working as a Specialist at the World Economic Forum, a Fulbright Grantee in Nuuk, Greenland, and performing research for the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, the Hudson Institute, and the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network. She has an MRes in International Studies from Pompeu Fabra University and a BA in Chinese and International Relations from the University of Oregon Clark Honors College.

Chinese Ties and Low Carbon Industrialization in Africa

June 19th, 2024. Keyi Tang, Postdoctoral fellow at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center

Abstract: This paper examines the impact of Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) on low-carbon industrialization in Africa, within the context of China's growing economic ties with the continent. Using a country-sector-year panel dataset spanning Chinese FDI across 34 African countries from 2003 to 2014, merged with data on carbon emissions from manufacturing industries, our findings reveal that Chinese FDI in manufacturing increases CO2 emissions in Africa's manufacturing sector. An instrumental variable analysis, employing the average Chinese FDI to the African continent and the bilateral probability for countries receiving Chinese FDI, corroborates this finding. The impact on manufacturing CO2 emissions is particularly pronounced when Chinese FDI targets labor and resource-intensive manufacturing sectors. Interestingly, this effect is not observed for OECD-sourced FDI, despite its similar concentration in resource-intensive sectors. Additional analysis underscores the moderating influence of recipient countries' environmental regulations, indicating that stronger regulatory frameworks can mitigate and even reverse the effect of Chinese FDI on manufacturing CO2 emissions. We attribute this finding to two mechanisms: the sector concentration on labor and resource-intensive manufacturing and the manufacturing processes of Chinese FDI characterized by suboptimal de facto implementation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards compared to the international best practices. These findings highlight the complex interplay between Chinese economic engagement and environmental outcomes in Africa. We discuss the policy implications, underscoring the importance of strengthening environmental governance to harness the developmental benefits of Chinese FDI while minimizing its environmental costs. Authors: Solomon Owusu, Keyi Tang, Gideon Ndubuisi.

Bio: Keyi will join ESADE Business School in Barcelona as a tenure-track assistant professor in international relations/global governance in Fall 2024. Currently, Keyi is a postdoctoral fellow at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center. Keyi earned a Ph.D. with distinction from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in 2023. Keyi's research focuses on the international and comparative political economy of development, particularly in Africa and China. Her scholarly work has appeared in academic journals such as the Review of International Political Economy and Energy Policy, and in media outlets like The China-Global South Project and the South China Morning Post. A part of Keyi's book project won the 2024 Best Graduate Student Paper Award from the International Political Economy Section of the International Studies Association.