Corporate Governance Matters brings together comprehensive and objective information for directors and others seeking to improve corporate governance. Writing specifically for practitioners, the authors thoroughly examine the choices available in designing governance systems, explaining what is known about how these choices impact organizational performance. The authors avoid ideological preconceptions and unsupported opinion, taking an empirical approach that relies on the available statistical and research evidence. Each chapter focuses on one governance feature, reviewing its potential benefits and costs. The authors present conclusions where the evidence supports them and candidly identify areas where broad conclusions cannot be drawn.