Research On Regulation And Accounting Institutions

The research areas discussed in this seminar falls into two categories: (1) studies that investigate economic motivations for why firms choose accounting methods and those that consider boards of directors and corporate governance including ESG; and (2) a selection of forward-looking topics where research can potentially inform and alter corporate practice or regulatory policy. The academic literature in accounting choice, financial reporting, voluntary and mandatory disclosure, boards, corporate governance, and ESG is vast and the best we can do is to stoke your interest in these areas so that you can pursue your own reading. The first half of the seminar covers conventional topics in accounting research so that you are familiar with at least some of the referenced work if you were to see them in seminars here or in the school you will eventually go to. The second half is somewhat non- standard, experimental work that I hope will pick up in the future. Each session will follow the same structure. We will begin with a presentation of an assigned paper. The student’s aim will be to present the main ideas of the paper as if they were one of the original authors. They should be prepared to defend and explain all its contents, and to respond to questions/comments/suggestions from the other participants in the seminar. The student should also provide a list of issues or potential reasons for rejection for publication in one of the major accounting research journals. I know this sounds artificial in that my assigned papers are mostly published. However, no published paper is the final word on the subject. This presentation may take up to 60 minutes, though time constraints may necessitate much shorter presentations. As an assignment for everyone taking the course, I request that each student prepare a written appreciation/critique of each of the starred papers on the reading list and any other papers that are arguably closely related or central to the theme of the day. As with all critiques, the assignment should include a summary of the main points of each paper, a clear indication of the thread that connects the papers together and holes or gaps in the paper. I would encourage you to go beyond a cursory review of the related papers. I also want you to raise one question per starred paper and share that with everyone before class