Bibliographie sélective OHADA

This paper’s foundation is the global character of (harmful) tax competition. While this phenomenon’s global existence is widely recognised alongside the…

L’objectif de cette thèse est de mettre en évidence les déterminants de l’efficience des politiques publiques dans les pays en développement. Les résultats relèvent que les pays dotés de ressources naturelles et en situation de fragilité ont tendance à avoir des dépenses publiques d’éducation primaires moins efficientes. Les résultats révelent aussi que l’accroissement de la part des dépenses de santé dans les dépenses totales des ménages, du taux d’incidence de la pauvreté, du taux d’alphabétisation et la localisation en zone considérée comme austère réduisent l’efficience des structures de santé. A l’inverse, la hausse du taux d’incidence du paludisme, du taux de prévalence de la malnutrition améliorent l’efficience des structures de santé. S’agissant de l’efficience des établissements de crédits, les résultats mettent en exergue une amélioration du score d’efficience sur la période 2000-2015 en dépit du fait qu’en moyenne, l’efficience des banques de la zone CEMAC se situe autour de 33 %. Les estimations montrent aussi qu’une taille importante et une forte liquidité améliorent l’efficience technique des établissements de crédits tandis qu’un accroissement du risque bancaire la réduit. Enfin, l’évaluation des régimes fiscaux pétroliers en application au Tchad révèle que les contrats de partage de production permettent à l’Etat de capter une part plus importante de la rente pétrolière comparativement aux contrats basés sur le système de concession. En outre, les contrats basés sur le partage de production présentent la caractéristique d’être progressif. Ces résultats ont des implications en matière de politique économiques. Ainsi, les pays en developpement devraient en priorité améliorer la qualité des dépenses sociales en promouvant la transparence et la bonne gouvernance dans la mise en œuvre des projets de developpement et politiques publiques. En particulier, dans le secteur de la santé, il est urgent d’améliorer la qualité du personnel de santé et une meilleure programmation des dépenses de fonctionnement visant à rendre les infrastructures de santé opérationnelles. Ensuite, pour accroitre la rentabilté des banques dans les pays de la zone CEMAC, il conviendrait de diversifier les structures bénéficiaires des crédits et mettre en œuvre des réformes visant à améliorer le climat des affaires. Enfin, le Gouvernement tchadien devrait réactiver une politique contra-cyclique en vue de se prémunir des fluctuations des recettes pétrolières. The aim of this thesis is to highlight the determinants of the efficiency of public policies in developing countries. The results show that countries with natural resources and in fragile situations tend to have less efficient public spending on primary education. The results also reveal that the increase in the share of health expenditure in total household expenditure, the poverty incidence rate, the literacy rate and the location in areas considered as isolated reduce the efficiency of health structures. Conversely, the increase in the incidence rate of malaria and the prevalence rate of malnutrition improve the efficiency of health structures. Regarding the efficiency of credit institutions, the results highlight an improvement in the efficiency score over the period 2000-2015 despite the fact that on average, the efficiency of banks in the CEMAC zone is around 33%. Estimates also show that a large size and high liquidity improve the technical efficiency of credit institutions while an increase in banking risk reduces it. Finally, the assessment of petroleum tax regimes in force in Chad reveals that production sharing contracts allow to Government to capture a higher share of oil rent compared to contracts based on the concession system. In addition, contracts based on production sharing have the characteristic of being progressive. These results have implications for economic policy. Thus, developing countries should give priority to improving the quality of social spending by promoting transparency and good governance in the implementation of development projects and publics policy. In particular, in the health sector, there is an urgent need to improve the quality of health personnel and better programming of operating expenditure aimed at making health infrastructures operational. Then, to increase the profitability of the banks in the countries of the CEMAC zone, it would be advisable to diversify the structures beneficiary of the credits and to implement reforms aiming at improving the business environment. Finally, the Chadian Government should reactivate a counter-cyclical policy in order to guard against fluctuations in oil revenues.

L’objectif de ce papier est de vérifier si le SYSCOHADA révisé va améliorer la transparence des informations comptables dans les entreprises au Cameroun. Pour atteindre cet objectif, nous avons diligenté des entretiens semi-directifs auprès de 06 experts camerounais (expert-comptable, expert banquier, directeur des impôts, comptables) suffisamment informés des réformes OHADA et faisant usage régulier des états financiers fournis par les entreprises camerounaises. Au terme des analyses, les premiers résultats suggèrent que, le SYSCOHADA révisé ne pourra pas améliorer la transparence des états financiers fournis par les entreprises locales camerounaises (PME, PMI). Par contre, les seconds résultats montrent que, le SYSCOHADA révisé va améliorer la transparence des états financiers des entreprises multinationales installées au Cameroun et faisant appel public à l’épargne. Ces résultats montrent que, malgré la morosité des entreprises camerounaises à s’engager en bourse, le marché financier pourrait être un atout de transparence et par ricochet de performance via la confiance dans le financement dont elles pourraient en bénéficier.

This paper examines the ongoing transition to the revised Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa Act on Accounting and Financial Reporting for companies in general and to the International Financial Reporting Standards for listed and group companies with a particular focus on recent institutional developments and corporate concerns. The study used 80 professional accountants, most of whom were members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Cameroon and academics. Using the descriptive statistics, the study shows that the transition to the revised OHADA brings about a high level of comparability and transparency of the financial statements, that the International Financial Reporting Standards can be implemented in Cameroon (but not fully), and that the benefit of the transition exceeds the cost.

L’expression de l’interventionnisme par le biais des dépenses fiscales s’est considérablement développée dans notre système fiscal. En effet, ce mode d’utilisation de l’instrument fiscal dans un but autre que la couverture des charges publiques poursuit une pluralité des finalités à travers les dépenses fiscales. Ceci étant dit, nous avons d’une part, la finalité économique des dépenses fiscales et d’autre part, la finalité socio-politique. Relevons aussi que cette forme d’interventionnisme demeure perfectible en ce sens qu’il dispose des imperfections qui sont susceptibles d’être corrigé pour plus d’efficacité dans son recours dans notre environnement fiscal en proie à la performance. The expression of interventionism through tax expenditures has grown considerably in our tax system. Indeed, this method of using the fiscal instrument for a purpose other than covering public charges pursues a plurality of purposes through tax expenditures. That being said, we have on the one hand the economic purpose of tax expenditures and on the other hand the socio-political purpose. Note also that this form of interventionism can still be improved in the sense that it has imperfections that are likely to be corrected for more efficiency in its use in our tax environment plagued by performance.

Environmental issues and awareness of climate change are pushing companies today to adapt to a new context, limiting their harmful emissions and investing in sustainable projects that respect the environment. Thus, they can benefit from manna of financing, called green financing, adapted to their commitment. The emergence of this new method of financing challenges both professionals and researchers. As such, the purpose of this work is to make a conceptual analysis of the contribution of the OHADA accounting system in the reduction of information asymmetry under the green financing contract. To do this, two theories have been mobilized: signal theory and transaction cost theory. In a first, based on signal theory, it appears that the OHADA accounting system can be a signaling tool capable of acting on the risk of adverse selection. Secondly, based on the theory of transaction costs, it can be considered as an institutional arrangement equivalent to internalization capable of reducing the risk of moral hazard and the opportunism of managers in the context of the financing contract green.Key Words: OHADA Accounting System, Information Asymmetry, Green Funding

La dématérialisation des valeurs mobilières a été amorcée par l’OHADA depuis son Acte Uniforme de 1997 où le mécanisme qui jusque-là n’était optionnel que pour les sociétés faisant appel public à l’épargne, a été étendu à toutes les valeurs émises dans l’espace OHADA de façon obligatoire en faveur de l’Acte Uniforme de 2014. Cette réforme d’envergure a également été posée en zone CEMAC de manière ambivalente. D’un côté par le règlement communautaire N° 01/14 du 25 avril 2014 qui limite la portée de cette dématérialisation aux valeurs mobilières qui sont émises dans le cadre d’un appel public à l’épargne et de l’autre par la loi camerounaise N° 2014/007 du 23 avril 2014 et son décret d’application N° 2014/3763 du 17 novembre 2014, ainsi que la loi gabonaise n°027/2016 du 06 février 2017 fixant le régime de la dématérialisation des valeurs mobilières en République Gabonaise qui étendent la dématérialisation à toutes les valeurs mobilières émises sur le territoire national. Aux termes de l’article 1er alinéa 2 de la loi camerounaise précédemment citée, la dématérialisation des valeurs mobilières est une opération de substitution des certificats physiques des titres, par l’inscription en compte des titres sous forme électronique. Il s’agit d’une révolution économique qui facilite la circulation et la conservation des titres, initialement détenus sous la forme matérielle. La dématérialisation des valeurs mobilières est un processus, elle est donc prescriptible. C’est-à-dire que sa mise en œuvre est limitée dans le temps. Ainsi, compte tenu du fait que la dématérialisation est une opération délicate, qui a une échéance et qui affecte le régime juridique des valeurs mobilières, l’étude d’un tel sujet invite à s’interroger sur les effets de la dématérialisation sur les valeurs mobilières et la pertinence des normes ayant vocation à les encadrer dans la sous-région tant dans sa mise en œuvre que dans la gestion des valeurs mobilières dématérialisées. Cette réflexion trouve tout son sens dans la mesure où d’une part, le législateur communautaire restreint le mécanisme de dématérialisation des valeurs mobilières tandis que les législateurs nationaux en font une portée large. D’autre part, les législateurs tant communautaire que nationaux ont ficelés les modalités de dématérialisation sans prendre en compte les réalités de l’activité économique sous régionale telle que l’inexistence des titres physiques. Enfin, à l’instar de l’AUDSCGIE du 30 janvier 2014, les textes en vigueur dans la sous-région rendent désormais obligatoire le régime d’inscription en compte des valeurs mobilières, lequel n’est pas sans effet sur le mode de détention et de circulation de celles-ci en zone CEMAC. The dematerialization of securities has been initiated by OHADA since its Uniform Act of 1997 where the mechanism which until then was optional only for companies making public offerings, has been extended to all the securities issued in the OHADA area on a mandatory basis in favor of the Uniform Act of 2014. This major reform was also applied in the CEMAC zone in an ambivalent manner. On the one hand by Community regulation N ° 01/14 of April 25, 2014 which limits the scope of this dematerialization to transferable securities which are issued within the framework of a public offering and on the other by law Cameroonian N ° 2014/007 of April 23, 2014 and its implementing decree N ° 2014/3763 of November 17, 2014, as well as the Gabonese law n ° 027/2016 of February 06, 2017 establishing the dematerialization regime for securities in Gabonese Republic which extend the dematerialization to all the securities issued on the national territory. Under the terms of article 1, paragraph 2, of the Cameroonian law cited above, the dematerialization of securities is a substitution operation for the physical certificates of the securities, by registering the securities in electronic form. It is an economic revolution which facilitates the circulation and conservation of securities, initially held in physical form. The dematerialization of securities is a process, so it can be prescribed. That is to say, its implementation is limited in time. Thus, given the fact that dematerialization is a delicate operation, which has a deadline and which affects the legal regime of transferable securities, the study of such a subject invites us to wonder about the effects of dematerialization on securities and the relevance of the standards intended to guide them in the sub-region both in its implementation and in the management of dematerialized securities. This reflection finds all its meaning insofar as, on the one hand, the Community legislator restricts the mechanism of dematerialization of securities while the national legislators make a broad scope of it. On the other hand, both Community and national legislators have tied up the dematerialization modalities without taking into account the realities of sub-regional economic activity such as the absence of physical titles. Finally, like the AUDSCGIE of January 30, 2014, the texts in force in the sub-region now make compulsory the system of registration in securities account, which is not without effect on the method of holding and circulation of these in the CEMAC zone.

Cette recherche, basée sur une méthodologie qualitative au sens de YIN auprès de quatre entreprises des services au Maroc, nous a permis de délimiter les facteurs critiques de l’utilisation de contrôle de gestion dans les activités de services. Elle s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une mission qui nous a été confiée par deux cabinets du conseil : « ABH gestion » et « Fiscalist ».Les résultats de notre recherche nous ont permis de valider l’hypothèse de notre problématique. Nous avons abouti à ce que la réussite ou l’échec d’utilisation de contrôle de gestion dans les activités de services dépend de plusieurs facteurs critiques comme les spécificités des activités de services, la responsabilisation, la contractualisation, décentralisation, l’approche partenariale, la coordination et la formalisation des activités, le système d’information, les pratiques de transmission des informations, la légitimation de l’instrumentalisation de la gestion, la formation de personnel, l’apprentissage et l’appropriation des outils de gestion, les facteurs de contingence, la place de contrôle de gestion et le statut du contrôleur de gestion. Abstract :This research, based on a qualitative methodology in the sense of YIN with four service companies in Morocco, allowed us to delimit the critical factors of the use of management control in service activities. It is part of a mission entrusted to us by two consulting firms: "ABH gestion" and "Fiscalist".The results of our research allowed us to validate the hypothesis of our problem. We have achieved that the success or failure of using management control in service activities depends on several critical factors such as the specifics of service activities, empowerment, contractualization, decentralization, the partnership approach, coordination and formalization of activities, the information system, information transmission practices, legitimization of the management instrumentation, staff training, learning and appropriation of management tools, factors contingency, the management control place and the status of the management controller.

La réglementation des marchés financiers a fait des intermédiaires un maillon essentiel sur les places boursières. L’obligation d’intermédiation qui en découle contraint les investisseurs et les émetteurs à faire appel aux services d’un intermédiaire lorsqu’ils interviennent sur les marchés financiers. Cet impératif met ainsi en relation un intermédiaire supposé professionnel et un intervenant financier considéré comme étant moins aguerri contre les risques du marché financier. Une telle relation n’est donc pas à l’abri d’un abus. Régulièrement, des comportements abusifs ou aventureux de certains ont gravement lésé les épargnants, provoquant des scandales financiers nuisibles à l’intérêt général. Le contrôle des intermédiaires apparait de ce fait comme une nécessité. Il faut protéger les investisseurs et par ricochet l’ensemble du marché. Le contrôle constitue en effet une solide garantie de l’application effective des contraintes posées par la réglementation. C’est une composante essentielle de l’activité des régulateurs financiers, qui sont à la base de la protection des marchés. Leur mission de contrôle étant permanente, elle commence dès l’instant où l’intermédiaire sollicite un agrément et se poursuit après son installation sur les marchés financiers. Le contrôle porte ainsi sur la qualité des produits et des services financiers proposés. Il concerne également les actes susceptibles d’avoir une incidence sur le cours des titres ou ceux pouvant compromettre les intérêts des investisseurs. Le contrôle des intermédiaires est donc une nécessité à l’édification d’un marché financier sécurisé et efficient. The regulation of the financial markets has made intermediaries an essential link on the stock exchanges. The resulting intermediation obligation obliges investors and issuers to use the services of an intermediary when they intervene in the financial markets. This imperative thus puts a supposed professional intermediary in contact with a financial player considered to be less seasoned against the risks of the financial market. Such a relationship is therefore not immune to abuse. Regularly, abusive or adventurous behavior by some has seriously harmed savers, causing financial scandals harmful to the public interest. The control of intermediaries therefore appears to be a necessity. It is necessary to protect the investors and by extension the whole market.

O objetivo desta tese é apresentar, em perspectiva comparada entre Brasil e União Europeia, quais deveres devem ser impostos aos intermediários financeiros para que seus clientes não profissionais adquiram produtos e serviços adequados aos seus conhecimentos, experiências, necessidades, objetivos e situação financeira e, em caso de descumprimento desses deveres, as hipóteses e a extensão da responsabilidade civil dos intermediários financeiros. Nesse sentido, a crise financeira internacional de 2008 foi um divisor de águas por evidenciar problemas na distribuição de diversos instrumentos financeiros e resultar em diversos processos administrativos e judiciais, bem como reação de reguladores em diferentes jurisdições. Este trabalho está dividido em quatro Capítulos, cuja estrutura é a seguinte: I. Processo decisório e mercados financeiros: 1. As decisões individuais segundo a Teoria Neoclássica; 2. Risco, retorno e a Hipótese dos Mercados Eficientes (HME); 3. Falhas de mercado; 4. Racionalidade limitada: vieses cognitivos e emocionais do processo decisório; 5. Agentes quase racionais e Hipótese da Instabilidade Financeira (HIF); II. Intermediação e inovações financeiras: 1. A atividade de intermediação financeira; 2. Inovações financeiras de primeira geração e ciclo de endividamento privado; 3. Inovações financeiras recentes: moeda eletrônica, pagamentos instantâneos, criptoativos e stablecoins; III. Deveres de informação e adequação (suitability): 1. Princípios gerais e recomendações das organizações internacionais; 2. Deveres de informação e adequação na União Europeia; 2.1. Antes da crise financeira de 2008; 2.2. Reformas a partir da crise financeira de 2008; 3. Deveres de informação e adequação no Brasil; 3.1 Crédito rotativo; 3.2 Jurisprudência; 3.3 Decisões da CVM; IV. Responsabilidade civil. Considerações finais.

تعتبر البنوك التجارية من أهم المحطات المالية التي تقوم بعمليات قبول الودائع ودفعها عند الإستحقاق كما تساهم في عملية خلق النقود بكميات كبيرة هذا ما جعلها الأكثر عرضة لجريمة غسيل الأموال والغاية من هذا هو معرفة كيف تكافح هذه البنوك لجريمة خطيرة مثل هذه والتي سادت كل العالم هذا ما أدى إلى دراستنا لهذا الموضوع الذي إعتمدنا فيه على المنهج الوصفي التحليلي و بالتالي عند دراستنا له توصلنا إلى مجموعة من النتائج تتجلى في معرفة الظاهرة بأنها ظاهرة خطيرة سريعة الإنتشار ،عرضة البنوك بهذه الظاهرة كونها تقوم بعدة عمليات ،وجوب على الدولة أن تكافح هذه الجريمة وذلك بوضع قوانين تشريعية تعاقب كل من قام بإرتكاب هذه الظاهرة الخطيرة. Commercial banks are considered one of the most important financial stations that carry out the processes of accepting and paying deposits at maturity and also contribute to the process of creating money in large quantities. This led to our study of this subject, in which we relied on the descriptive and analytical approach, and therefore upon our study of it, we reached a set of results that are evident in the knowledge of the phenomenon that it is a dangerous and rapidly spreading phenomenon. The banks are exposed to this phenomenon as they carry out several operations. Legislative laws punishing anyone who committed this dangerous phenomenon.

The last few years have been marked by the increase in power of IFRS international accounting standards. From the full or partial adoption to the gradual convergence, many countries have displayed a strong preference for these standards. Meanwhile, the implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS standard) in the context of developing countries is not trivial. We are witnessing an unprecedented clash between the authors who support the interest of these standards for developing countries, and those who conversely demonstrate that these norms are not well adapted to the context of those countries. Falling within this problematic, this thesis analyses the issues and determinants of the convergence of the Organisation pour l’Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires (OHADA) accounting system towards IFRS international accounting standards in view of the reforms introduced by the last revision. From a sample of 10 companies, among which two local firms, two international firms, three publicly traded companies, and three not listed other companies, we show that the current convergence towards international accounting standards follows an effect of coercitive and mimetic isomorphism. In so doing, the timely implementation of these standards in the context of Cameroon is contingent with a number of structural and environmental factors that call their pertinence into question.

L’objet de cette étude est d’analyser l’impact des caractéristiques de l’organisation comptable sur la qualité de l’information comptable et financière produite par les PME. Une analyse de régression logistique binaire, une régression linéaire simple et un test de khi-deux sur les données recueillies par administration du questionnaire auprès d’un échantillon de73 PME constitué par choix raisonné permettent, d’une part, de constater que les PME camerounaises mettent en place une organisation comptable aux fins de produire non seulement des informations comptables obligatoires, mais également des informations comptables destinées à leur propre usage. D’autre part, les conclusions empiriques de cette étude renseignent que le recours à un prestataire dans le cadre d’une externalisation de la fonction comptable et le degré d’informatisation de l’activité comptable influencent positivement et significativement la qualité de la production comptable et financière des PME. A contrario, la féminisation de la fonction comptable se trouve être une des caractéristiques de l’organisation comptable sans influence sur la qualité du produit comptable et financier des PME. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of the characteristics of the accounting organization on the quality of the accounting and financial information produced by SMEs. A binary logistic regression analysis, a simple linear regression and a chi-square test on the data collected by administering a questionnaire from a sample of 73 SMEs constituted by reasoned choice allow, on the one hand, to observe that the SMEs Cameroonians are setting up an accounting organization in order to produce not only mandatory accounting information, but also accounting information intended for their own use. On the other hand, the empirical conclusions of this study show that the use of a service provider in the context of an outsourcing of the accounting function and the degree of computerization of the accounting activity positively and significantly influence the quality of accounting production. and finance for SMEs. Conversely, the feminization of the accounting function is found to be one of the characteristics of the accounting organization without influencing the quality of the accounting and financial product of SMEs.

Il existe différents acteurs qui interviennent sur la place boursière CEMAC. Ces acteurs sont constitués de ceux qui ont un statut institutionnel et de ceux qui ont un statut des commerciaux. Parmi ces divers intervenants, une place de choix a été réservée aux intervenants commerciaux qui jouent des rôles importants dans le circuit de l’activité boursière. Les émetteurs, en tant que personnes morales de droit privé ou public, sont ceux qui offrent au public des Valeurs Mobilières ou autres produits de placement négociables ouvrant des droits à leur encontre. Lorsqu’ils procèdent à une opération par appel public à l’épargne, ils sont tenus de produire un document dénommé « Document d’Information ». Celui-ci doit contenir l’ensemble des éléments nécessaires sur le patrimoine, la situation financière, les résultats, les perspectives de l’émetteur et les droits attachés aux titres offerts. Il doit suffisamment préciser les caractéristiques des titres dont l’admission est demandée, le pourcentage en capital et en droit de vote qu’ils représentent et la répartition du capital avant et après l’opération. Tous ces éléments permettent aux investisseurs de fonder leurs jugements sur le patrimoine de l’émetteur, par voie de conséquence protégé son consentement. L’investisseur, quant à lui, est toute personne, physique ou morale, qui souscrit aux titres financiers émis par un émetteur. Il est lié à l’émetteur par un contrat d’investissement. Leurs droits à la protection se justifient en ce sens qu’ils confient la destinée d’une quote-part de leur patrimoine à la société émettrice. Or, il est naturel que celui qui donne mandat d’administrer un bien obtienne un compte-rendu de gestion aussi exact et fidèle que possible. On voit mal comment un investisseur mettra son fond dans une société sans être informé. Toutes ces personnes ont besoin d’un minimum d’information d’ordre juridique, économique ou financier pour défendre leurs intérêts catégoriels.

This thesis examines the impact of adoption of IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) on two aspects of the operation of capital markets. Firstly, the impact of adoption of IFRS on financial reporting comparability, market liquidity, and cost of capital. Secondly, the impact of adoption of IFRS on seasoned equity offering (SEO) underperformance. To examine the impact of adoption of IFRS on financial reporting comparability, market liquidity, and cost of capital, the study used meta-analysis of empirical studies published since 2000. Meta-analysis provides an objective view of the empirical results, in contrast to narrative reviews, which offer subjective conclusions. From meta-analysis of 55 empirical studies with 1,259 effect sizes, the study finds that IFRS adoption has increased financial reporting comparability, market liquidity, and reduced cost of equity. For cost of debt, a decrease is observed only for voluntary adoption. The meta-regression analysis shows how the results differ across mandatory and voluntary adoption of IFRS and that the measurement choices, type of control variables, study design, and strength of empirical results explain the variation in the observed effect of adoption of IFRS. To examine the impact of adoption of IFRS on SEO underperformance the study analyses a large sample of SEOs from 51 countries over the period 1992-2017. Given that the empirical literature on SEOs has established that information asymmetry contributes to SEO underperformance, it is important to assess whether adoption of IFRS has reduced the uncertainties surrounding SEOs and, thus, subsequent underperformance. The study employs a control sample of non-IFRS adoption countries and applies a difference-in-difference (DiD) design to test for the incremental change for IFRS adoption countries over non-IFRS adoption countries. The study finds that SEO underperformance reduces for IFRS adopters relative to non-IFRS adopters in the post-adoption period. The reduction in SEO underperformance is influenced by increased disclosure, increased comparability, and number of accounting changes. The study also finds that the impact of adoption of IFRS on SEO underperformance exists only for firms in countries with strong enforcement, and is conditional on the implementation credibility of countries. The findings are robust to the application of a different measure of SEO underperformance. Overall, the study suggests that IFRS has had a positive impact on capital markets. However, increased disclosure, comparability, and credible implementation play important roles in realising the benefits of adoption of IFRS. Thus, policymakers of weak enforcement countries are encouraged to strengthen their institutional environment in order to reap the benefits that adoption of IFRS can provide to their capital market.

Most OECD countries’ value-added tax (VAT) systems apply reduced VAT rates to a selection of expenditure items in order to achieve distributional goals, and – to a lesser extent – social, cultural and employment-related goals. This thesis investigates the distributional effects of the VAT in OECD countries, and the merits of using reduced VAT rates to achieve distributional goals. The research adopts a microsimulation modelling approach that draws on household expenditure microdata from household budget surveys for an unprecedented 27 OECD countries. A consistent microsimulation methodology is adopted to ensure cross-country comparability of results. Non-behavioural VAT microsimulation models are first built to examine the overall distributional impact of the current VAT systems in each country. The research assesses the competing methodological approaches used in previous studies, highlighting the misleading effect of savings patterns on cross-sectional analysis when VAT burdens are measured relative to income. Measuring VAT burdens relative to expenditure – thereby removing the influence of savings – is found to provide a more reliable picture of the distributional impact of the VAT. On this basis, the VAT is found to be either roughly proportional or slightly progressive in most of the 27 OECD countries examined. Nevertheless, results for a small number of countries (Chile, Hungary, Latvia and New Zealand) highlight that broad-based VAT systems that have few reduced VAT rates or exemptions can produce a small degree of regressivity. Results also show that even a roughly proportional VAT can still have significant equity implications for the poor – potentially pushing some households into poverty. Behavioural VAT microsimulation models are then built for 23 OECD countries to investigate whether reduced VAT rates are an effective way to support poorer households, and whether the use of targeted cash transfers would be more effective. The behavioural microsimulation methodology follows the Linear Expenditure System based approach of Creedy and Sleeman (2006). Complementing this approach, a Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System (QUAIDS) is estimated specifically for New Zealand, thereby providing the first estimates of a QUAIDS model based on New Zealand data. Simulation results show that, as a whole, the reduced VAT rates present in most OECD countries tend to have a small progressive impact. However, despite this progressivity, reduced VAT rates are shown to be a highly ineffective mechanism for targeting support to poorer households: not only do rich households benefit from reduced rates, but they benefit more in aggregate terms than poor households do. When looking at reduced VAT rates applied to specific products, results are found to vary considerably. Reduced VAT rates specifically introduced to support the poor (such as reduced rates on food consumed at home and domestic utilities) are generally found to have a progressive impact, though rich households still receive a larger aggregate benefit than poor households. In contrast, reduced VAT rates introduced to address non-distributional goals (such as reduced rates on restaurants, hotels, and cultural and social expenditure) often have a regressive impact. Additional simulation results show that an income-tested cash transfer will better target support to poorer households than reduced VAT rates in all countries. Furthermore, even a universal cash transfer is found to better target poorer households than reduced VAT rates. However, results also show that it is very difficult for an income-tested cash transfer to fully compensate all poor households for the removal of reduced VAT rates. This is due to the significant variation in the underlying consumption patterns across households. While a small number of poor households lose out from replacing reduced VAT rates with targeted cash transfers, those that receive support are instead determined by income and family characteristics as opposed to consumption tastes – thereby increasing horizontal equity. Furthermore, many households are lifted out of poverty as revenue previously transferred to richer households is now transferred to poorer households. These results empirically confirm the theoretical expectation that, where available, direct mechanisms (whether via the income tax or benefit system) will better achieve distributional goals than reduced VAT rates. Countries that currently employ reduced VAT rates to achieve distributional goals should therefore consider removing these reduced rates and adjusting their income tax or benefit systems to achieve these distributional goals instead. Countries should also consider removing reduced VAT rates aimed at non-distributional goals where a more effective instrument is available to achieve the particular policy goal. At a minimum, the merits of these reduced VAT rates should be reassessed in light of their negative distributional impact.

Although integrated reporting emphasizes the contemporaneous relationship between financial and non-financial capitals, its primary purpose is to explain how an organization creates value over time. This is similar to the purpose of management commentary, which is part of a general-purpose financial report. We compare and contrast the information requirements of an integrated report with the type of information that supplements the primary financial information in general purpose financial reports, prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). We examine whether the information in those reports is intended to be forward-looking and predictive, whether non-financial capitals can (and should) be monetized in order to facilitate integration, and whether the reporting boundary should be drawn in different ways to serve different purposes. We find that the International Integrated Reporting Framework and IFRS do not serve different purposes or apply different approaches, but that – in essence – they are competing frameworks. While IFRS has highly developed standards for reporting financial capital, neither has a well-developed approach for reporting any other capital.

This paper analyses financial inclusion in Africa focusing on the role of political business cycles and pricing behaviour of banks. We employ a sample of 330 banks operating in 29 African countries to test for two related hypotheses. Panel fixed and random effects were estimated for the period 2002 to 2013. The regression results that ensued suggests first that loan price increases in pre-election and election years. Building on this result and employing various specifications of financial inclusion, the second results suggest that, high bank loan prices in election years tend to increase financial access more, compared to non-election years, and that, high deposit price reduces financial usage but increases financial access in election years, compared to non-election years. By extension, these results have important policy implications for policymakers.