Discussion of Do Female Directors on Corporate Boards Make a Difference in Family Owned Businesses?

Magnanelli, Nasta, and Raoli (2020) examine the relation between female director presence on corporate boards and firm performance in Italy. Using the mandatory gender quota law that was introduced in Italy as an exogenous shock to the appointment of female directors on corporate boards, they find evidence that female directors on the board are associated with better firm performance, especially for family owned firms. However, how this study is positioned within the literature is unclear. My discussion is centered on this ambiguity. JEL Classifications: G3; M1.