Private firm financing, given the far-reaching importance of non-publicly traded companies for global output and employment, is still a relatively underexplored area. Since the seminal work of Petersen and Rajan (1994), only a small branch of research into private firms' cost of debt has been...

This study investigates the relationship between cost stickiness and income smoothing. Both arise as a result of managerial discretion. However, an asymmetrical reaction of costs to changes in activity counteracts an ambition to report smooth income. Inversely, reducing costs during periods of...

In this study, we examine the impact of community social capital on asymmetric cost behaviour. Community social capital captures the strength of social norms and the density of social networks in a region. As such, it is a socio-economic factor that might affect managerial resource adjustment...

Financial reports are a major bonding agent in (prospective) firm-stakeholder relationships. Therefore, earnings management might induce stakeholders to accept terms of trade which they would have not, knowing the true situation. The issue becomes even more complicated and potentially...

Gender equality on boards is a global and highly politicized issue. To this day, there is considerable cross-country variation in female board representation. We examine institutional supply- and demand-side factors associated with this issue. Our results indicate that a societal climate of...

We investigate the impact of an informal social attribute on cost behavior. More specifically, we examine the effect of generalized trust (trust in others) on cost stickiness. Using a large international sample from 44 countries, we find that generalized trust significantly increases cost...

While the discussion of changes in financial accounting properties over time is already well-established, there is a lack of evidence whether changing firm compositions in empirical samples might bias cost stickiness research. We document that with each additional listing cohort, the U.S. public...

This paper proposes novel insights at the intersection of psychology and corporate governance at the country-level. Research in psychology shows that intelligence and economic development are associated through good institutions. I propose that, although research in corporate governance...