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Conservatism in debt contracting: theory and empirical evidence

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  • Fernando Penalva
  • Alfred Wagenhofer

Abstract

This paper surveys both the theoretical and the empirical archival literature on conservatism when accounting information is used for debt contracting. The theoretical literature shows mixed results whether conservative accounting is desirable, which depends on the underlying agency problem, the information available, and the contracting space. The empirical literature takes a more holistic view in measuring the degree of conservatism. It studies a broad array of possible effects of conservatism in debt financing, but also beyond. The results overwhelmingly support the view that conservatism plays a useful role in debt contracting, although there are also some mixed results. We describe key results and empirical designs, and we provide suggestions for future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernando Penalva & Alfred Wagenhofer, 2019. "Conservatism in debt contracting: theory and empirical evidence," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(6), pages 619-647, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:acctbr:v:49:y:2019:i:6:p:619-647
    DOI: 10.1080/00014788.2019.1609899
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    Cited by:

    1. Takuma Kochiyama & Ryosuke Nakamura & Akinobu Shuto, 2021. "How do bank lenders use borrowers’ financial statements? Evidence from a survey of Japanese banks," CARF F-Series CARF-F-522, Center for Advanced Research in Finance, Faculty of Economics, The University of Tokyo.
    2. Khalifa, Mariem & Trabelsi, Samir & Matoussi, Hamadi, 2022. "Leverage, R&D expenditures, and accounting conservatism: Evidence from technology firms," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 285-304.
    3. Krishnan, Gopal V. & Zhang, Jing, 2022. "Principles-based standards and conditional accounting conservatism," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    4. Dang, Viet Anh & Lee, Edward & Liu, Yangke & Zeng, Cheng, 2022. "Bank deregulation and stock price crash risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    5. Yanmin Gao & Alfred Wagenhofer, 2021. "Board monitoring efficiency and the value of conservative accounting," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 25(2), pages 321-345, June.
    6. Laux, Christian & Laux, Volker, 2024. "Accounting conservatism and managerial information acquisition," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(2).

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