Corporate governance regulation has been through numerous cycles of reform, and yet we still see instances of companies collapsing suddenly. Codes of corporate governance have been implemented in most developed countries, recommending detailed governance frameworks for publicly listed companies and their boards, but our understanding of how these codes influence behaviour is still limited.

In this book, Alice Klettner draws on the domains of law and business to explore the effectiveness of corporate governance codes. Using interview evidence from company directors and officers, as well as published evidence of companies’ corporate governance systems, she discusses the theory and practice of corporate governance and its regulation – with a focus on how corporate governance codes can affect board behaviour and company performance.

This interdisciplinary book will be valuable reading for advanced students and researchers of corporate governance, and will also be directly relevant to governance practitioners and policymakers.