The DOI matches its Crossref record; 71 of the 74 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Corporate Scandals and Regulation
Abstract
Are regulatory interventions delayed reactions to market failures or can regulators proactively pre‐empt corporate misbehavior? From a public interest view, we would expect “effective” regulation to ex ante mitigate agency conflicts between corporate insiders and outsiders, and prevent corporate misbehavior from occurring or quickly rectify transgressions. However, regulators are also self‐interested and may be captured, uninformed, or ideological, and become less effective as a result. In this registered report, we develop a historical time series of corporate (accounting) scandals and (accounting) regulations for a panel of 26 countries from 1800 to 2015. An analysis of the lead‐lag relations at both the global and individual country level yields the following insights: (1) Corporate scandals are an antecedent to regulation over long stretches of time, suggesting that regulators are typically less flexible and informed than firms. (2) Regulation is positively related to the incidence of future scandals, suggesting that regulators are not fully effective, that explicit rules are required to identify scandalous corporate actions, or that new regulations have unintended consequences. (3) There exist systematic differences in these lead‐lag relations across countries and over time, suggesting that the effectiveness of regulation is shaped by fundamental country characteristics like market development and legal tradition.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Finally, financial reporting regulation often reacts to corporate scandals or financial crises, as they change what is deemed material information (Hail et al. 2018).”
From Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review (2021) · cites this paper as Hail et al. 2018
Citations
Cites
Investigating causal relations by econometric models and cross-spectral methods
Granger, C. W. J. (1969) · Econometrica · doi:10.2307/1912791 · Cited by 22,989
La Porta, R., Lopez‐de‐Silanes, F., Shleifer, A., & Vishny, R. W. (1998) · Journal of Political Economy · doi:10.1086/250042 · Cited by 18,025
Legal Determinants of External Finance
LA PORTA, R., LOPEZ‐DE‐SILANES, F., SHLEIFER, A., & VISHNY, R. W. (1997) · The Journal of Finance · doi:10.1111/j.1540-6261.1997.tb02727.x · Cited by 9,783
The Theory of Economic Regulation
Stigler, G. J. (1971) · The Bell Journal of Economics and Management Science · doi:10.2307/3003160 · Cited by 8,098
The Political Economy of the Rent-Seeking Society
Krueger, A. O. (2008) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-540-79247-5_8 · Cited by 5,273
Toward a More General Theory of Regulation
Peltzman, S. (1976) · The Journal of Law and Economics · doi:10.1086/466865 · Cited by 4,780
The great reversals: the politics of financial development in the twentieth century
Rajan, R. G., & Zingales, L. (2003) · Journal of Financial Economics · doi:10.1016/s0304-405x(03)00125-9 · Cited by 3,327
Congress: A Political-Economic History of Roll Call Voting
Poole, K. T., & Rosenthal, H. L. (2000) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 2,798
What Works in Securities Laws?
PORTA, R. L., López‐de‐Silanes, F., & Shleifer, A. (2006) · The Journal of Finance · doi:10.1111/j.1540-6261.2006.00828.x · Cited by 2,690
The Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Social Action
Merton, R. Κ. (1936) · American Sociological Review · doi:10.2307/2084615 · Cited by 2,518
Reinhart, C., & Rogoff, K. (2009) · Princeton University Press eBooks · doi:10.2307/j.ctvcm4gqx · Cited by 2,381
Who Blows the Whistle on Corporate Fraud?
DYCK, A., Morse, A., & Zingales, L. (2008) · The Journal of Finance · doi:10.1111/j.1540-6261.2010.01614.x · Cited by 1,932
LEUZ, C., & WYSOCKI, P. D. (2016) · Journal of Accounting Research · doi:10.1111/1475-679x.12115 · Cited by 1,760
From Financial Crash to Debt Crisis
Reinhart, C. M., & Rogoff, K. S. (2011) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.101.5.1676 · Cited by 1,556
The Cost to Firms of Cooking the Books
Karpoff, J. M., Lee, D., & Martin, G. S. (2008) · Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis · doi:10.1017/s0022109000004221 · Cited by 1,372
Standard cross-cultural sample
Murdock, G. P., & White, D. R. (1969) · Ethnology · doi:10.2307/3772907 · Cited by 1,149
The Press as a Watchdog for Accounting Fraud
Miller, G. S. (2006) · Journal of Accounting Research · doi:10.1111/j.1475-679x.2006.00224.x · Cited by 1,114
The Invisible Hand and the Grabbing Hand
Frye, T., & Shleifer, A. (1996) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w5856 · Cited by 879
Mandatory IFRS reporting and changes in enforcement
Christensen, H. B., Hail, L., & Leuz, C. (2013) · Journal of Accounting and Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jacceco.2013.10.007 · Cited by 816
Self-citationCredibility and Policy Convergence in a Two-party System with Rational Voters
Alesina, A. (1988) · American Economic Review · Cited by 798
Do Voters Affect or Elect Policies? Evidence from the U. S. House
Lee, D. S., Moretti, E., & Butler, M. J. (2004) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1162/0033553041502153 · Cited by 758
Capture and Ideology in the Economic Theory of Politics
Kalt, J. P., & Zupan, M. A. (1984) · American Economic Review · Cited by 715
Economic consequences of SEC disclosure regulation: evidence from the OTC bulletin board
Bushee, B. J., & Leuz, C. (2004) · Journal of Accounting and Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jacceco.2004.04.002 · Cited by 566
Why do firms go dark? Causes and economic consequences of voluntary SEC deregistrations
Leuz, C., Triantis, A. J., & Wang, T. Y. (2008) · Journal of Accounting and Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jacceco.2008.01.001 · Cited by 527
Preventing Regulatory Capture: Special Interest Influence and How to Limit It
Carpenter, D. P., & Moss, D. A. (2013) · Cited by 513
Market and Political/Regulatory Perspectives on the Recent Accounting Scandals
Ball, R. (2009) · Journal of Accounting Research · doi:10.1111/j.1475-679x.2009.00325.x · Cited by 496
Capital-Market Effects of Securities Regulation: Prior Conditions, Implementation, and Enforcement
Christensen, H. B., Hail, L., & Leuz, C. (2016) · Review of Financial Studies · doi:10.1093/rfs/hhw055 · Cited by 456
Self-citationvon Hayek, F. (1975) · Ekonomisk Tidskrift · doi:10.2307/3439337 · Cited by 453
A Political Economy Model of Congressional Careers
Diermeier, D. A., Keane, M. P., & Merlo, A. M. (2005) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/0002828053828464 · Cited by 453
Candidates with policy preferences: A dynamic model
Wittman, D. A. (1977) · Journal of Economic Theory · doi:10.1016/0022-0531(77)90091-6 · Cited by 407
Corporate Scandals and Household Stock Market Participation
Giannetti, M., & Wang, T. Y. (2016) · The Journal of Finance · doi:10.1111/jofi.12399 · Cited by 406
Self-Interest, Ideology, and Logrolling in Congressional Voting
Kau, J. B., & Rubin, P. H. (1979) · The Journal of Law and Economics · doi:10.1086/466947 · Cited by 404
The Siskel and Ebert of Financial Markets: Two Thumbs Down for the Credit Rating AgenciesPreprint
Frank Partnoy, C. (1999) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.167412 · Cited by 379
The Political Economy of the US Mortgage Default Crisis
Mian, A., Sufi, A., & Trebbi, F. (2010) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.100.5.1967 · Cited by 375
Shleifer, A. (2005) · European Financial Management · doi:10.1111/j.1354-7798.2005.00291.x · Cited by 350
Ownership: Evolution and Regulation
FRANKS, J. R., Mayer, C., & Rossi, S. (2008) · Review of Financial Studies · doi:10.1093/rfs/hhn108 · Cited by 341
Proxies and Databases in Financial Misconduct Research
Karpoff, J. M., Koester, A., Lee, D. S., & Martin, G. S. (2016) · The Accounting Review · doi:10.2308/accr-51766 · Cited by 334
Required Disclosure and the Stock Market: An Evaluation of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Benston, G. J. (1973) · American Economic Review · Cited by 331
Gao, F., Wu, J. S., & Zimmerman, J. L. (2009) · Journal of Accounting Research · doi:10.1111/j.1475-679x.2009.00319.x · Cited by 261
Capital-Market Effects of Securities Regulation: Prior Conditions, Implementation, and Enforcement
Christensen, H. B., Hail, L., & Leuz, C. (2011) · National Bureau of Economic Research · doi:10.3386/w16737 · Cited by 233
Self-citationA history of accountancy in the United States: the cultural significance of accounting
(1998) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.36-1669 · Cited by 160
Markopolos, H., & Casey, F. X. M. (2010) · Duke Law Scholarship Repository (Duke University) · Cited by 150
How Pervasive is Corporate Fraud?Preprint
Dyck, I. J. A., Morse, A., & Zingales, L. (2013) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.2222608 · Cited by 146
The Bubble Act: Its Passage and Its Effects on Business Organization
Harris, R. (1994) · The Journal of Economic History · doi:10.1017/s0022050700015059 · Cited by 139
Ideology, voting, and shirking
Kau, J. B., & Rubin, P. H. (1993) · Public Choice · doi:10.1007/bf01049347 · Cited by 106
Callander, S. (2008) · The Review of Economic Studies · doi:10.1111/j.1467-937x.2008.00488.x · Cited by 106
Accounting is an Evolved Economic Institution
Waymire, G. B., & Basu, S. (2008) · Foundations and Trends® in Accounting · doi:10.1561/1400000011 · Cited by 102
Minding our manners: Accounting as social norms
Sunder, S. (2005) · The British Accounting Review · doi:10.1016/j.bar.2005.08.007 · Cited by 100
The Value of Political Ties Versus Market Credibility: Evidence from Corporate Scandals in China
Hung, M., Wong, T. J., & Zhang, F. (2014) · Contemporary Accounting Research · doi:10.1111/1911-3846.12134 · Cited by 98
Elections, Representation, and Congressional Voting Behavior: The Myth of Constituency Control
Bernstein, R. A. (1989) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 81
The Personal Wealth Interests of Politicians and Government Intervention in the Economy
Tahoun, A., & van Lent, L. (2018) · European Finance Review · doi:10.1093/rof/rfy015 · Cited by 77
Self-citationCreative Accounting, Fraud and International Accounting Scandals
Barnes, P. A. (2011) · Accounting and Business Research · doi:10.1080/00014788.2011.610703 · Cited by 77
Richard, J. (2004) · Critical Perspectives on Accounting · doi:10.1016/j.cpa.2003.06.008 · Cited by 75
Mandated accounting changes and managerial discretion
Balsam, S., Haw, I.-M. G., & Lilien, S. B. (1995) · Journal of Accounting and Economics · doi:10.1016/0165-4101(94)00374-e · Cited by 75
The Origins of the Blue‐Sky Laws: A Test of Competing Hypotheses
Mahoney, P. G. (2003) · The Journal of Law and Economics · doi:10.1086/345580 · Cited by 70
The Political Economy of the Securities Act of 1933
Mahoney, P. G. (2001) · The Journal of Legal Studies · doi:10.1086/468109 · Cited by 69
Are legislators ideologues or the agents of constituents?
Poole, K. T., & Rosenthal, H. L. (1996) · European Economic Review · doi:10.1016/0014-2921(95)00080-1 · Cited by 57
Memory, transaction records, and The Wealth of Nations
Basu, S., Kirk, M. P., & Waymire, G. (2009) · Accounting Organizations and Society · doi:10.1016/j.aos.2009.07.002 · Cited by 55
Economic crisis and accounting evolution
Waymire, G. B., & Basu, S. (2011) · Accounting and Business Research · doi:10.1080/00014788.2011.574266 · Cited by 53
Financial Engineering and the Arms Race Between Accounting Standard Setters and Preparers
Dye, R. A., Glover, J. C., & Sunder, S. (2014) · Accounting Horizons · doi:10.2308/acch-50992 · Cited by 49
“It may be earlier than you think": evidence, myths and informed debate in accounting history
Arnold, A. J. T., & McCartney, S. (2003) · Critical Perspectives on Accounting · doi:10.1006/cpac.2001.0529 · Cited by 43
Rethinking Financial Reporting: Standards, Norms and Institutions
Sunder, S. (2016) · Foundations and Trends® in Accounting · doi:10.1561/1400000034 · Cited by 34
O’Connor, S. M. (2004) · bepress Legal Repository · Cited by 33
Nobes, C. W. (1991) · Accounting and Business Research · doi:10.1080/00014788.1991.9729840 · Cited by 32
Overfelt, W. V., Deloof, M., & Vanstraelen, A. (2009) · European Accounting Review · doi:10.1080/09638180902731539 · Cited by 28
The regulation of asset valuation in Germany
Hoffmann, S., & Detzen, D. (2013) · Accounting History · doi:10.1177/1032373213492405 · Cited by 26
A Global History of Accounting, Financial Reporting and Public Policy: Europe
Cameran, M., & Pettinicchio, A. (2010) · Cited by 21
The Great mirror of folly: finance, culture, and the crash of 1720
(2014) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.51-5695 · Cited by 17
A Global History of Accounting, Financial Reporting and Public Policy-Asia and Oceania.
Upton, W. S. (2013) · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Cited by 16
Professional Accounting in 25 Countries.
Mosich, A. N. (1965) · The Journal of Finance · doi:10.2307/2977275 · Cited by 15
Securities Markets and Corporate Governance: A Chinese Experience
Wei, Y. (2009) · Cited by 6
Flagged first, then by citations
3 of the 74 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 6
- Engstrom D., 2013, Corralling Capture, Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, 36, 31
- Littleton A., 1933, Accounting Evolution to 1900
- McCraw T., 1984, Prophets of Regulation
- Pigou A., 1938, The Economics of Welfare
- Tamny J., 2015, Popular Economics
- Yandle B., 1983, Bootleggers and Baptists: The Education of a Regulatory Economist, Regulation, 7, 12
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review
Christensen, H. B., Hail, L., & Leuz, C. (2021) · Review of Accounting Studies · doi:10.1007/s11142-021-09609-5 · Cited by 1,923
Self-citationChatGPT for Textual Analysis? How to Use Generative LLMs in Accounting Research
de Kok, T. (2025) · Management Science · doi:10.1287/mnsc.2023.03253 · Cited by 192
Public Oversight and Reporting Credibility: Evidence from the PCAOB Audit Inspection Regime
Gipper, B., Leuz, C., & Maffett, M. G. (2019) · Review of Financial Studies · doi:10.1093/rfs/hhz149 · Cited by 153
Isidro, H., Nanda, D., & Wysocki, P. D. (2019) · The Accounting Review · doi:10.2308/accr-52607 · Cited by 149
Moşteanu, N. R., & Faccia, A. (2021) · Journal of Open Innovation Technology Market and Complexity · doi:10.3390/joitmc7010019 · Cited by 127
Metadata
- Authors
- HAIL, L., TAHOUN, A., & WANG, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- London Business School (GB)
- University of Iowa (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Accounting Research
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2018-03-30
- Volume
- 56
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 617-671
- ISSN
- 0021-8456 (ISSN-L)
- 1475-679X
- OpenAlex
- W2795323841
- Cited by
- 111
- References
- 74
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 5
- FWCI
- 21.33
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Accounting Research (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Accounting › Auditing, Earnings Management, Governance
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Regulation and Compliance Studies
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Finance › Corporate Finance and Governance
- Keywords
- corporate scandals, accounting regulation, regulatory effectiveness, principal-agent problem, regulatory capture, lead-lag relationship, market failure, regulatory delays, market development, legal tradition, cross-national comparison
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review