Using proprietary PCAOB data on audit firms' internal inspection programs, we study the effect of audit firm internal governance on auditor behavior and financial reporting quality. Internal inspection programs are an important quality control mechanism within large audit firms. We find that...

We examine the role of political connections in US state government-awarded corporate economic incentives, and whether a role (if present) is cause for constituent concern. We find that companies are more likely to receive an incentive award in a politically connected state and this association...

We ask whether credit rating agencies receive higher fees and gain greater market share when they provide more favorable ratings. To investigate this question we use the 2010 rating scale recalibration by Moody's and Fitch, which increased ratings absent any underlying change in issuer credit...

We investigate the consequences of low-quality audits for engagement partners in the US and the role audit firm quality control systems play in this process. We employ a sample period during which the identity of the engagement partner on specific audits is not publicly known to isolate the...

We investigate the impact of accounting discretion on managers' incentives to invest in innovative projects. Using a theoretical model in which a manager chooses between an innovative and a conventional project, we show that allowing accounting discretion incentivizes the manager to invest in...

This study uses Regulation Fair Disclosure (FD) as a plausibly exogenous shock to the information environment to identify the causal effect of information asymmetry on corporate financing behavior. Although Regulation FD prevents firms from selectively disclosing material information to market...

This paper examines whether the identity of the individual audit partners provides informational value to capital market participants beyond the value provided by the identity of the audit firms. Using data from Taiwan, where firms are mandated to disclose the names of the engagement partners,...