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Effects of Increasing Enforcement on Financial Reporting Quality and Audit Quality

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  • RALF EWERT
  • ALFRED WAGENHOFER

Abstract

A widely held assumption in policy making and empirical research is that increasing the strength of public enforcement improves financial reporting quality and audit quality. This paper provides a more nuanced view. In a model with a manager who can manage earnings, a strategic auditor, and an enforcement institution, we show that enforcement and auditing are complements in a weak enforcement regime but can be substitutes in a strong regime. Although stronger enforcement always mitigates earnings management, the effects of different instruments of strengthening enforcement are ambiguous. We show that they can improve or impair financial reporting quality and audit quality, depending on production risk, accounting system characteristics, and the scope of auditing relative to enforcement.

Suggested Citation

  • Ralf Ewert & Alfred Wagenhofer, 2019. "Effects of Increasing Enforcement on Financial Reporting Quality and Audit Quality," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 121-168, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:joares:v:57:y:2019:i:1:p:121-168
    DOI: 10.1111/1475-679X.12251
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    2. Weiwei Gao & Ting Cao & Zhen Huang, 2021. "Do outsiders listen to insiders? The role of government support in market reactions to earnings announcements," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(4), pages 781-795, June.
    3. Chen, Dong & Li, Yi & Lu, Jiani & Li, Chenming, 2024. "Do international tax treaties govern financial report quality?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    4. Jochen Bigus & Florian Dreyer, 2023. "Country‐level Accounting Enforcement and IPO Underpricing," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 59(3), pages 735-775, September.
    5. Schantl, Stefan F. & Wagenhofer, Alfred, 2020. "Deterrence of financial misreporting when public and private enforcement strategically interact," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1).
    6. Nan, Lin & Tang, Chao & Zhang, Gaoqing, 2024. "Whistleblowing bounties and informational effects," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(1).
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