We investigate whether managerial risk aversion, as measured by CEO political ideology, affects corporate decisions to undertake earnings management. Using a sample of 10,799 firm-year observations for S&P 1500 firms during the period from 1996 to 2008, we document that Republican CEOs, who tend...

Agency theory predicts that tighter monitoring can motivate managers to exert higher effort. However, psychology theory suggests that managers may perceive increased monitoring as an indication of distrust, thereby reducing their effort level--known as a crowding-out effect. Prior research on...

Agency theory predicts that tighter monitoring can motivate managers to exert higher effort. However, psychology theory suggests that managers may perceive increased monitoring as an indication of distrust, thereby reducing their effort level -- known as a crowding-out effect. Prior research on...