Institutional Change and Projections: A Comment.
ARTHUR L. STINCHCOMBE [*] ABSTRACT. This comment is in response to Frederic L. Pryor (2000). "The Millennium Survey: How Economists View the U.S. Economy in the 21st Century." The American Journal of Economics and Sociology. 59 (January), pp. 3-33. The problem with projections of time...

SAUDI STOCK MARKET OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
In late 1999, the Saudi government announced that, for the first time ever, foreigners would be allowed to buy and sell shares of companies listed on the country's stock exchange. A number of decrees published earlier this year go even further, allowing 100 per cent foreign ownership of property....

The empowered corporate secretary.
Here are the important objectives that are achieved by designating the corporate secretary as the formal corporate governance officer of the company. CORPORATE GOVERNANCE activism has come into its own in the last decade to become a force to be reckoned with in the modern corporate world....

Accountability is going global.
We may be evolving toward an international set of corporate governance principles. The current popularity of corporate governance issues seems surprising. After all, balancing the relationship among the main players in corporate management is nearly as old as the corporation itself And yet, this balance is constantly changing...

Shareholders are valuing diversity.
With interest levels what they are, companies perceived not to be 'trying' to diversify their boards can expect acute owner scrutiny. The number of women and minorities on corporate America's boards may be increasing, but not fast enough for some institutional investors. Thirty-one shareholder proposals this year ask companies...

Privatization: key to growth.
ACCORDING TO INTERnational credit ratings agencies, we have a more solid achievement than at any time in the past," says Jordan's Crown Prince Hassan, King Hussein's younger brother and heir apparent. "Exchange rates have been stable for the last three years, inflation is down from 25% to 4%, the...

A corporate governance committee of the board.
Creating a committee focused on governance issues could result in a board more responsive to investors and more organized in its oversight role. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's shareholder communication and revised proxy rules, coupled with the new executive compensation disclosure requirements, have resulted in a significant shift...

The Super Shareholder Settlement.
Cendant's recent offer to settle securities class-action litigation may well become a benchmark impacting future shareholder securities litigation--as well as corporate governance and directors' and officers' insurance. The $2.83 billion cash offer by Cendant Corp. to settle an outstanding securities class action litigation is staggering in its...

"Caprichos." (cartoons) (Illustration)
WHEN IT COMES to the complicated business of securities lending, Detroit' s Comerica Bank has found a way to provide trust customers with a system to increase revenue without exposing their investments to unnecessary risk. In the wake of less profitable stock and bond market conditions in...

A pension for trouble; the next S&L crisis.
Now that most taxpayers have learned the extent of the S&L mess, they can be excused for wondering if there are any other financial time bombs waiting go off. Yes, there are. Relatively speaking, the S&L crisis was a Hiroshima-sized atomic bomb. If you're bracing for a thermonuclear economic...