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Institutional differences in EU countries and their relationship with earnings management differences Implications for the pan‐European stock market

Institutional differences in EU countries and their relationship with earnings management... Purpose – The paper seeks to highlight the differences among EU countries in a series of institutional factors (e.g. enforcement, securities regulation, investor protection and ownership concentration) in order to test whether these differences are associated with the European variability in earnings management practices and, as a result, in the quality of financial information. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is to use cluster analysis and regression analysis. Findings – The results of the study confirm the main hypothesis in that earnings management practices are significantly lower in those EU countries with an institutional framework more favourable to a high quality of financial reporting (i.e. in those countries with a higher level of enforcement of the rules, stricter securities regulation, lower ownership concentration and a higher degree of investor protection). Research limitations/implications – The study presents the limitations typical from cross‐country studies. Moreover, the results should be interpreted cautiously as earnings management is difficult to measure. Future research should explore further the theoretical relations among institutional factors and earnings management practices by taking into consideration potential endogeneity issues. Practical implications – The results of the study suggest that a single EU financial market should be based not only on a harmonization of financial reporting standards (such as the International Reporting Financing Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board) but also on a harmonization of enforcement rules, investor protection mechanisms, and securities regulation. Originality/value – The main contribution is to justify from an empirical point of view the necessity of the recent EU convergence regulatory initiatives in the areas of shareholder protection, enforcement and securities regulation to facilitate the construction of the pan‐European stock market. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change Emerald Publishing

Institutional differences in EU countries and their relationship with earnings management differences Implications for the pan‐European stock market

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2008 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1832-5912
DOI
10.1108/18325910810878964
Publisher site
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Abstract

Purpose – The paper seeks to highlight the differences among EU countries in a series of institutional factors (e.g. enforcement, securities regulation, investor protection and ownership concentration) in order to test whether these differences are associated with the European variability in earnings management practices and, as a result, in the quality of financial information. Design/methodology/approach – The approach is to use cluster analysis and regression analysis. Findings – The results of the study confirm the main hypothesis in that earnings management practices are significantly lower in those EU countries with an institutional framework more favourable to a high quality of financial reporting (i.e. in those countries with a higher level of enforcement of the rules, stricter securities regulation, lower ownership concentration and a higher degree of investor protection). Research limitations/implications – The study presents the limitations typical from cross‐country studies. Moreover, the results should be interpreted cautiously as earnings management is difficult to measure. Future research should explore further the theoretical relations among institutional factors and earnings management practices by taking into consideration potential endogeneity issues. Practical implications – The results of the study suggest that a single EU financial market should be based not only on a harmonization of financial reporting standards (such as the International Reporting Financing Standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board) but also on a harmonization of enforcement rules, investor protection mechanisms, and securities regulation. Originality/value – The main contribution is to justify from an empirical point of view the necessity of the recent EU convergence regulatory initiatives in the areas of shareholder protection, enforcement and securities regulation to facilitate the construction of the pan‐European stock market.

Journal

Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jun 6, 2008

Keywords: Stock markets; Europe; Earnings; Financial reporting

References

  • Country‐specific factors related to financial reporting and the value relevance of accounting data
    Ali, A.; Hwang, L.
  • Labor laws and corporate governance: international evidence from reestructuring decisions
    Atanassov, J.; Kim, E.H.
  • Infrastructure requirements for an economically efficient system of public financial reporting and disclosure
    Ball, R.
  • The effect of international institutional factors on properties of accounting earnings
    Ball, R.; Kothari, S.; Robin, A.
  • Incentives versus standards: properties of accounting income in four East Asian countries
    Ball, R.; Robin, A.; Wu, J.S.