Implementation of EU initiatives on gender diversity and executive directors’ pay in municipally-owned enterprises in Germany and The Netherlands

Local governments and their arm’s length bodies

“…In total, we collected information from 13 countries: Belgium (Flanders) (BE), Croatia (HR), Denmark (DK), England (EN), France (FR), Germany (DE), Hungary (HU), Italy (IT), Norway (NO), Portugal (PT), Spain (ES), Sweden (SE), and The Netherlands (NL). The data on Norway and Germany were collected in previous comparative projects on this subject (Papenfuß et al 2018;Torsteinsen and Van Genugten 2016). Table 1 presents the results.…”

“…An important element of corporate governance is the composition and behaviour of the executive board (Hinna, De Nito, and Mangia 2010;Meyer, Höllerer, and Leixnering 2018;Van der Walt and Ingley 2003). Besides in empirical studies, this is stressed in codes for good corporate governance (Papenfuß et al 2018). Executive boards are expected to have a positive effect on ALBs' performance (Cornforth 2012;Hinna, De Nito, and Mangia 2010).…”

“…Researchers should not only study these problems, but also consider different solutions like alternative theories and models, such as stewardship theory (see note 2). Research into boards has so far focused mostly on the composition of the boards (e.g., diversity) or its remuneration (see, e.g., Papenfuß et al 2018). Knowledge of the internal workings and the effectiveness of boards are, therefore, one of the unchartered territories for researchers to go and explore.…”

“…Instead, they have an additional contracting relationship, in which they have to ensure the delivery of local public services. This poses several challenges for the governments involved (Krause and Van Thiel 2018;Papenfuß et al 2018;Van Thiel 2017, 2019b).…”

Business techniques as an explanation of the autonomy-performance link in corporatized entities: evidence from Dutch Municipally owned corporations

“…(Semi-)autonomous delivery of public services is a complex topic in the literature on public sector performance. While corporatizationthe creation of companies for public service deliveryis a trend, especially in local government (Aars and Ringkjøb 2011;Bergh et al 2018;Ferry et al 2018;Grossi and Reichard 2008;Papenfuß et al 2018;Voorn, Van Thiel, and Van Genugten 2018), we still have not fully assessed its effects (Cambini et al 2011;Voorn, Van Genugten, and Van Thiel 2017). On the one hand, corporatization can bring out expert managers who can deliver services in a more efficacious manner than bureaucracies constrained by law and dominated by political interests .…”