Policy Board Research Articles

Pulled In All Directions

Kindergarten educators are experiencing tensions with pedagogical approaches for early literacy learning (e.g., Forgie et al., 2022; Pyle et al., 2018). They feel pressured to abandon play-based approaches in favour of direct instruction due to changes in provincial curriculum and school board policies (e.g., OHRC, 2022). This paper highlights themes and responses by participants in a study with kindergarten educators during the fall of 2023. Challenges expressed included changing messages from school boards, a lack of clarity regarding direction, and the introduction of prescriptive programs. Suggestions of ways educators can build knowledge and agency through collaborative conversations will be shared.

Choice of financial audit firm and ESG assurance firm: The role of board of director characteristics

Corporations increasingly seek assurance on their published environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reports. Some companies use their audit firm to assure ESG reports, while others seek assurance services from a different firm. This paper investigates the influence of boardroom-based factors – female directors and multiple directorships – on companies' choice of ESG assurance provider. Using a sample of 438 Australian company-year observations from 2010 to 2020 we find that companies with more female directors and busy boards (i.e., boards with directors having at least three concurrent directorships) are more likely to choose a Big-4 audit firm different from their incumbent financial auditor to assure their ESG reports. Based on agency, social capital and resource dependence theories, we explain this ESG assurance procurement strategy as deliberate to address the potential ethical dilemma of engaging the same audit firm for assurance of financial and non-financial information. Our findings suggest that companies with more female directors and busy boards are likelier than their counterparts to apply this ethical stance in choosing their financial auditors and ESG assurers. Implications for policymakers and regulators in designing board diversity guidelines or rules and companies in setting board diversity criteria and policies are discussed.

Toward Equity and Transparency: A Content Analysis of Florida Elementary Acceleration Policies

In 2012, Florida adopted the Academically Challenging Curriculum to Enhance Learning (ACCEL) statute establishing minimum requirements for local education agencies to provide access to accelerated learning options for eligible K–12 public school students. This study examined Florida public school district acceleration policies for elementary students one decade after the enactment of the statute. We analyzed Student Progression Plans, school board policies, and district websites to explore the status of acceleration policy in the state, compare the accessibility of acceleration information across districts, and identify policy elements that support equity and those that create potential barriers for elementary students with advanced learning needs who could benefit from acceleration. The findings of this study indicated several areas for improvement, including the accessibility of acceleration information, the service options available to K–5 students, the protocols districts use, criteria for decision-making, and the implementation of acceleration. In addition, we discuss implications for school districts developing or revising acceleration policies and several avenues for future research. The preregistration and open-access materials for this study are available at https://osf.io/yc3xd/ .

Do family ownership and supervisory board characteristics influence audit report lag? A view from a two-tier board context

This study investigates the impact of family ownership and supervisory board characteristics on audit report lag in Indonesia. The study relies on a balanced panel dataset and matched-pair sample of 124 listed non-financial firms (2017–2019) in a two-tier board context, drawing on Type II agency theory and the entrenchment/alignment implications of ownership concentration. First, we find a positive and significant association between family ownership and audit report lag. Second, we find evidence that the size of the supervisory board (locally referred to as the board of commissioners) and the frequency of meetings are negatively associated with audit report lag. Further analyses reveal that firms with a larger proportion of family members on the supervisory board experience longer reporting lag. This finding highlights the family’s entrenchment and their domination of the board of commissioners. Additional analysis considering the commissioners’ backgrounds reveals that audit report timeliness worsens when there is a larger proportion of community leadership. This suggests that some commissioner profiles could further lead to entrenchment behaviors. Our findings contribute to the literature and to policy by highlighting the potential and limits of a two-tier board policy on accounting outcomes, particularly in the context of dominant family structures in emerging economies.

Exploring the Views, Perspectives, and Current Practices of Educational Speech-Language Pathologists and Psychologists in Canada: How Childhood Developmental Language Disorders Are Identified and Diagnosed.

Across Canada, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and educational psychologists (EPs) work in schools to identify and diagnose childhood learning difficulties, including language disorders; however, both professional groups use different terms to identify and diagnose them. Using the term developmental language disorder (DLD), developed by the CATALISE consortium, would provide consistency across fields. To effectively implement the use of DLD, it is crucial to understand how EPs and SLPs currently identify childhood language disorders and to investigate the potential impact of a practice change in this area. The study conducted 13 moderated focus groups and one one-on-one semistructured interview across six Canadian provinces in English and French. We found some social and structural barriers that impact SLPs' and EPs' current practice of identifying and diagnosing language disorders generally (e.g., the belief that children should not be labeled "too early," institutions that prioritize certain professional diagnoses over others, board policies that do not allocate funds for language disorders, professionals' reticence to convey difficult information such as a diagnosis to collaborators) and DLD specifically (e.g., different professional taxonomies, lack of familiarity with or uncertainty about the label, not recognized as a condition in schools that may or may not even identify language disorder as a category of exceptionality). Nevertheless, the focus groups also revealed the extent to which DLD could be useful in their current practice. Both EPs and SLPs acknowledged the importance of working together; therefore, DLD could inspire more collaborative practice between SLPs and EPs around language disorders.

Cascade Public Media

This case study focuses on Cascade Public Media (CPM), a nonprofit whose mission is to inspire a smarter world through public broadcasting, which chose to deliberately change their organizational and board culture to be more equitable and inclusive. In this case, students and practitioners will learn the importance of adopting diversity, equity, and inclusion to better serve their audience and improve board and organizational performance. CPM, using careful and deliberate actions, was able to address systemic injustices and inequities within their board of directors. Over a multi-year period, the CPM board was able to build an accountability-driven strategic framework that brought an equity lens to all aspects of governance. We introduce two theoretical frameworks—Institutional Theory (Powell & DiMaggio, 1991) and Inclusive Interactions Framework (Bernstein et al., 2022)—as a means of highlighting the imperative of adopting actionable practices designed to transform board culture, power dynamics, policies, and structures to generate impactful results. The case is designed for undergraduates, graduates, and DEI and governance practitioners.

The influence of board policy setting on firm performance in Malaysia: the interacting effect of capital structure

PurposeThe literature has dealt with the relationship between board characteristics (BC) and firm performance (FP) on a large scale. However, it yielded inconsistent results. Thus, this paper aims to examine the indirect relationship between BC and FP through the mediating role of the capital structure (CS).Design/methodology/approachThis study used a sample of 528 non-financial companies listed on Bursa Malaysia from 2015 to 2019. Also, a two-step system generalised method of moments estimation technique was applied.FindingsThe results show that board diversity and the frequency of board meetings positively affect financial performance, and it is negatively influenced by board turnover, size and independence. Also, the results indicate a positive relationship between the independence of the board and all CS variables. Importantly, the findings support the policy-setting role of the board of directors where CS (measured by total debt and short-term debt) suppresses some governance mechanisms’ detrimental effect on FP. Hence, the board of directors, apart from the monitoring function, introduce various policies (financial and non-financial) that enhance the overall performance of companies.Originality/valueThese results are consistent with the agency’s perspective that management practices in selecting the optimal capital reduce agency costs and improve performance. The findings contribute to developing a broader theoretical framework that accounts for the policy-setting role of the board of directors. The current study model of corporate governance offers insight for policymakers into the role of corporate governance other than monitoring functions in organisations and how CS should be taken into consideration with corporate governance and FP association.

Citizens' views on prices of medicines reimbursed by the National Health Service: Findings from Italian online focus groups.

Access to medicines is one of the biggest challenges to health systems, affecting society and individuals. This study aims to explore citizens' opinions, perceptionsand attitudes on the model of medicines' research and development (R&D) and price setting of medicines reimbursed by the Italian National Health Service. We run four online focus groups, analysed through thematic analysis. people aged 30-70 years, who had completed at least compulsory schooling (8-10 years), with no specialised knowledge about the subject. healthcare workers, pharmaceutical and device industry employees, researchersand medicine policy board members. We aimed to include a purposive sample of 20 participants, variable in terms of age, educational leveland place of residence. Eleven women and six men participated. The mean age was 53 years (range: 28-73). Most (n = 15) had a university degree or attended secondary schools. Eight had a job, five were not employed,and four were retired. In general, participants supported the role of the public health service. Almost all had limited knowledge of medicines' R&D and price setting. Most asked for transparency on medicine prices and negotiation criteria. Participants considered revenues of pharmaceutical companies disproportionateand most called for containment measures of profits. Most were in favour of a stronger public intervention in R&D and prices' negotiations. Few were sceptical of the public sector's ability to play this role. Medicines' prices were discussed as a health matter. Increasing citizens' awareness ofthese topics is needed by providing spaces and conditions to participate in the discussion, including different perspectives and interests. Members ofBEUC-the European consumer organisation-proposed the project. Altroconsumo, an independent consumer organisation and OCU, a Spanish consumer organisation, participated in developing the project and the main topics to discuss. The Mario Negri Institute and Aplica cooperative-the Spanish methodological team-were involved by BEUC and their national organisations to define the methodology, organisational aspectsand contentsand conducted the focus groups.

Society Participation, Transparency, Public Policy Accountability and Board Knowledge on Monitoring of School Revenue and Expenditure Budgets

Purpose: This research aims to determine the influence of Society Participation, transparency, public policy accountability, and board knowledge on monitoring school revenue and expenditure budgets.
 Study design/methodology/approach: The population in this study included school principals, all teachers, staff, school committees at state high schools in Makassar City, and Commission E members of the DPRD of South Sulawesi Province. A sample of 50 people was selected using random sampling techniques. Data collection was conducted through observation, questionnaires, and literature study. Descriptive statistical analysis and multiple linear regression analysis using SPSS were used to analyze the data.
 Findings: The results of this research indicate that both simultaneously and partially, the variables of Society Participation, transparency, public policy accountability, and board knowledge do not have a significant effect on the supervision of school revenue and expenditure budgets in public high schools in Makassar City.
 Originality/value: This research contributes to the existing literature by examining the influence of Society Participation, transparency, public policy accountability, and board knowledge on the monitoring of school revenue and expenditure budgets. The findings suggest that other factors may play a more significant role in supervising these budgets in public high schools in Makassar City.

Non-Performing Assets - Content Analysis and Suggestions for Resolution

Non-performing assets also known as Bad Loans have played havoc with financials of Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) in India from 2015 to 2022. The NPAs started piling up after an abnormal growth in advances of these banks in the developmental phase unleashed by the Government of India after the 2008 Global crises. The period witnessed a rise in manufacturing and infrastructure project financing imbued with over optimism of promoters for success and profitabilty. Banks vied with one another to share a piece of pie for opportunities in sectors like Iron and Steel, Mining, Aviation and Road Construction. The spurt in advances of banks also witnessed a simultaneous rise in their bad loans. NPAs have impacted negatively the financial performance of various Indian banks over the years (Sharma & Dhiman 2023). Though Non-Performing Assets cannot be wiped off completely from the advances portfolio of the banks yet it is important to control this critical parameter of financial performance of the banking sector. Management of NPAs is significant for bank profitability and growth of the economy. Bad debts or NPAs are not always created due to the fault of a bank. Though managements of different banks try their best to reduce NPAs but due to various macroeconomic, borrower related and at times bank related specific factors it is not possible to eliminate these altogether from the banking book. However prudent board policies, proper pre-sanction appraisal of borrowers and post sanction forensic audit of disbursements to large borrowers by the banks can go a long way in curbing the menace of bad loans.

Inclusivity, diversity, and the absent presence of class: a logics approach to England and Wales cricket Board (ECB) policy discourse

Class is central to Englishness and English cricket. Conversely, despite the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) making an explicit attempt to address social issues in cricket, class has largely been excluded from ECB policy discourse. In response to this absence, this paper mobilises a Lacanian-inspired logics approach to examine ECB policy discourse from 2015-2023. Through this approach, the paper highlights the hegemony of inclusivity and social cohesion in ECB discourse, a hegemony that has been enabled by a political shift away from class analysis and politics. In response to this absence of class, the paper argues that a fantasmatic logic has emerged within ECB discourse in which the inescapable presence of class in English cricket is reframed as the more manageable problem of social exclusion, which can be overcome through more inclusive practices rather than structural changes.

Type 1 Diabetes in Ontario Schools: Policy and Practice

ObjectivesType 1 diabetes (T1D) is a challenging chronic condition. Young children with T1D require daily support to manage their condition while at school. In 2018, Ontario established a provincial policy to ensure safe and equitable school participation for children with diabetes. Despite this, children and parents describe very different school experiences. In this qualitative study we describe the interpretation and implementation of school board policy related to the care of children with T1D from the perspective of school educators (principals/teachers). MethodsPolicy documents were reviewed employing a qualitative descriptive research design using directed qualitative content analysis. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 teachers and principals from 10 publicly funded elementary schools across the Hamilton and Toronto District School Boards in 2021. ResultsThere are major differences in how policies regarding T1D are being implemented in schools. This includes how school staff are educated about T1D, and how they interpret and act on blood glucose information. Although educators often play an active role in supporting children, many face barriers, including competing priorities, fear, lack of information, and lack of support. Facilitators include effective communication/collaboration, actionable information, time, and a diabetes “champion.” In some instances, access to nursing support could help to resolve barriers or create care gaps. ConclusionsSchool board policy provides high-level guidance on how to support children with T1D in school, but gaps remain. We provide specific recommendations regarding policy, staff education/training, roles and responsibilities, and future research.

An example of policy transfer: Presidential policy boards and offices

Türkiye’de 2018 yılında yapılan seçimlerle Cumhurbaşkanlığı Hükümet Sistemi fiilen uygulanmaya başlanmış, dünyadaki başkanlık sistemlerinden hareketle politika transferi yolu ile oluşturulmuştur. Yeni hükümet sistemi oluşturulurken doğrudan bir hükümet sistemini her yönüyle transfer etmek yerine; öykünme ile belirli yönleriyle en iyi uygulamanın oluşturulmasını sağlamak amacıyla Türk Tipi Başkanlık Sistemi tasarlanmıştır. Sistem ile mevcut yapılar dönüştürülmüş, Politika Kurulları ve Ofisler gibi Türkiye’de daha önce örneklerine rastlanmamış yeni kurumlar transfer edilmiş, cumhurbaşkanlığı teşkilatı oluşturulmuştur. Çalışmanın amacı dünyadaki başkanlık sistemlerine öykünülerek oluşturulan Cumhurbaşkanlığı Hükümet Sistemi bünyesinde yeni olan kurumsal yapıların politika transferi bağlamında incelenmesidir. Bu kapsamda çalışma Türkiye’deki Hükümet Sistemi değişimini sistematik bir şekilde analiz ederek, oluşturulan hükümet sisteminin öykünmeci bir politika transferine işaret ettiğini, ülkenin gereksinimleri doğrultusunda Türk Tipi Başkanlık Modelinin oluşturulduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışmada veri toplama yöntemi olarak doküman incelemesi yapılmış, veri analiz yöntemi de içerik analizi şeklinde belirlenmiştir. Cumhurbaşkanlığı Hükümet Sistemini oluşturan yasal reformların neler olduğunu ve hangi hükümet sistemleri ele alınarak oluşturulduğunu değerlendirmek amacıyla bu yöntem belirlenmiştir.

Board gender diversity and cost of debt financing: Evidence from Latin American and the Caribbean firms

AbstractThis research examines the relationship between board gender diversity and the cost of debt financing in Latin American and Caribbean firms. We implement the Fuzzy Logistic Autoencoder model, using data for 470 firms spanning 2016–2021 from the Eikon Refinitiv Thomson Reuters database. Our findings suggest that the variables independent board, policy board diversity, sustainable development goal 5, executive gender diversity, and governance consistently demonstrated effects on reducing the short‐term and long‐term debt cost over the period analyzed. Consequently, the potential benefits of including women on the board of directors are conducive to improving the firm's reputation, which materializes in reducing the cost of debt. The results offer valuable insights to researchers and investors seeking to understand the role of BGD composition within firms and its financial impact.

Kajian Agresivitas Pajak: Peran Keberadaan Wanita di Dewan Komisaris, Kepemilikan Manajerial, dan Kebijakan Hutang

The tax aggressiveness importance’s have been documented by prior researchers. However, prior investigators failed to see it from an agency’s perspective. Therefore, this study determines the effect of agency related variables (women in commissioner board, managerial ownership, and debt policy) on tax aggressiveness. The object of this research is Indonesia listed operating at mining sector. The sample of this research is fifteen companies during 2016 to 2018. secondary hand collected data is employed in this study. The data is analyzed using regression analysis. The result show that Women in commissioners board has significant influence on tax aggressiveness. In addition, debt policy and managerial ownership had no relationship with tax aggressiveness. Out of three control variables, company size has a negative influence on tax aggressiveness at 10%. However, a company’s age and probability have no significant connection to tax agressiveness.

Policy Board Note on Two Articles by David Dubois, Derek D. Rucker, and Adam D. Galinsky

Policy Board Note on Two Articles by David Dubois, Derek D. Rucker, and Adam D. Galinsky

The Effect of Dividend Policy, Independent Board of Commissioners, Corporate Social Responsibility on Company Value with Audit Quality as A Moderation Variable

This study aims to determine the effect of dividend policy, independent board of commissioners, and corporate social responsibility on company value, as well as how this influence is moderated by audit quality in manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). The research period used is 5 years, namely the period 2018-2022. The study population includes all manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) for the 2018-2022 period. The sampling technique used is purposive sampling, with criteria that produce 30 companies as samples. The data used in this study is secondary data obtained from the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) website. The analysis method used is panel data regression analysis, which is supported by using the Eviews 12 application. The results showed that dividend policy, independent board of commissioners and corporate social responsibility have no influence on company value. However, the effect of dividend policy and independent board of commissioners on company value is moderated by audit quality. Meanwhile, the influence of corporate social responsibility is not moderated by audit quality.

Do all CEO pay regulations hurt firm performance? Evidence from China

PurposeThe authors study and compare the effects of three CEO compensation restricting policies issued by the Chinese government in 2009, 2012 and 2015. This paper aims to shed light on the conditions under which CEO compenstation can be effectively regulated without negatively affecting firm performance. Design/methodology/approachThese policies targeted state-owned enterprises (SOEs), especially central state-owned enterprises (CSOEs). Using these policies as natural experiments, the authors investigate how their effects differ on CEO compensation, firm performance and two known performance-decreasing mechanisms: perk consumption and tunneling activities.FindingsThe authors show that restricting CEO pay does not necessarily backfire in terms of deteriorating firm performance. This non-decreasing firm performance can be achieved by restricting perk consumption and tunneling activities while introducing CEO pay regulations.Originality/valueThe authors exploit a powerful experimental setting in the context of China. The evidence contributes to the literature on CEO pay regulations and is relevant to the managerial decisions of policy makers and boards of directors.

Monetary policy document analysis for prediction of monetary policy board decision

In terms of market capitalization, the bond market is larger than the stock market, and the bond market is affected by macroeconomic indicators. Despite this, there has been relatively little research, making it a good candidate for the use of data mining techniques. In this paper, a novel approach designed to predict the vote results of the Korean Monetary Policy Committee regarding the base interest rate was proposed. To predict sentence sentiment, prior monetary policy decision text was used as input for classification models. The sentence sentiment prediction model showed 83.7% performance when using a support vector machine. In addition, it was observed that the bigrams extracted from documents provided important descriptions of the Korean economy at the time. Finally, the document sentiment of monetary policy decision was calculated using aggregating sentence sentiment, and the vote results were predicted using this sentiment. As a result, when using the support vector machine to predict the Monetary Policy Committee vote results, the performance improved by 29.5% over the baseline model. Statistical tests confirmed whether there is a difference in document sentiments between unanimous and non-unanimous, and the null hypothesis was rejected at a significance level of 5%.

Digging in: Toward a more just urban garden land policy

Surging interest in urban agriculture has prompted cities across North America to adopt policies that give gardeners access to publicly owned land. However, if not carefully designed, these policies can exacerbate existing racial inequities. Drawing on theories of urban and environmental justice, we use a contextualized case comparison to explore the radical potential and practical constraints of garden land policies at two distinct institutions: the City of Minneapolis and the independently elected Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Based on participant observation, document review, and interviews with a range of policy actors, we argue that what appear to be minor, common-sense policy details systematically shape who benefits from the garden land policies, sometimes in surprising ways. Compared to the City, the Park Board goes substantially further in addressing racial equity. Furthermore, though both cases included public participation, we argue that the more inten­sive participation during the Park Board policy development process—particularly in determining the details—was pivotal in crafting a policy that reduced barriers to racial equity. The present study contributes to the growing scholarship on urban agriculture and environmental governance and offers concrete insights for actors working toward more just policies.