This study examines the role of the local auditor office in the comparability and quality of their clients' earnings. I construct of sample of firm-pairs in which each observation consists of two firms in the same industry-year. Accounting comparability is inferred by the closeness of total...

The importance of fostering more accurate audits has been heightened by a series of high-profile accounting scandals at the beginning of the millennium. These scandals prompted more stringent regulations over corporate governance and financial reporting and the creation of audit oversight bodies...

A large literature suggests that incentive pay and delegation of worker authority are positively related. Using data from a large cross section of British establishments, we show that the positive relationship found in the empirical literature masks a stark difference across jobs. Classifying...