Although the benefits of auditing are uncontroversial in developed markets, there is scant evidence about its effect in emerging economies. Auditing derives its value by increasing the credibility of financial statements, which in turn increases investors’ reliance on them in developed...

This study examines a public policy issue: whether government officials engage in earnings management to collude with private investors in the privatization of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). We find that the managers of listed Chinese SOEs, who are de facto bureaucrats, employ income-decreasing...

We study the effect of state control on capital allocation and investment in China where the government screens prospective stock issuers. We find that state firms are more likely to obtain government approval to conduct seasoned equity offerings than non-state firms. Further, non-state firms...