We revisit evidence whether incentives or IFRS drive earnings quality changes, analyzing a large sample of German firms in the period from 1998 to 2008. Consistent with previous studies we find that voluntary and mandatory adopters differ distinctively in terms of essential firm characteristics...

This paper examines how the characteristics of accounting systems and management incentives interact and collectively determine financial reporting quality. We develop a rational expectations equilibrium model that features a steady-state firm with investments, financial and non-financial...

We revisit evidence whether incentives or IFRS drive earnings quality changes, analyzing a large sample of German firms in the period from 1998 to 2008. Consistent with previous studies we find that voluntary and mandatory adopters differ distinctively in terms of essential firm characteristics...

A premise of standard setters and of much empirical research is that improving the quality of accounting standards and their implementation increases information in capital markets. This paper challenges this premise and shows that there are situations in which “better”, i.e., more...

The corporate information environment develops endogenously as a consequence of information asymmetries and agency problems between investors, entrepreneurs, and managers. We provide a framework for analyzing the three main decisions that shape the corporate information environment in a capital...

We investigate how the voluntary adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) prior to 2005 has contributed to the informational efficiency regarding pan-European stock markets. We find evidence of the potential usefulness of the IFRS for making financial decisions. Taking...

This study focuses on the implementation and valuation impacts of mandatory transition to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), using samples of Finnish first-time IFRS users. The Finnish data is used since prior research findings suggest large differences between Finnish...

In their joint framework project, the FASB and the IASB recently proposed dropping stewardship as a separate objective of financial accounting, because the Boards view stewardship and valuation usefulness as compatible sub-objectives ranking under an overall objective of decision usefulness....

At the beginning of the 1990s UK accounting standards were described as a ‘laughing stock’. By the millennium they were widely acclaimed and in some respects world-leading. This paper explores some of the key technical advances in this period, and the political processes employed to secure...

In an experiment with 127 accounting professionals averaging over 18 years of experience, we investigate how two important characteristics related to auditing—prior audit negotiation outcomes and auditor expertise—affect (1) whether, on balance, the presence of an audit is more likely to...