We derive a measure of earnings management cost and the associated equilibrium level of earnings management from the cross-sectional properties of earnings and prices. This approach enables us to separate economic shocks from reporting discretion by modeling the economic trade-off faced by...

We extend the general equilibrium economy of Holmstrom and Tirole (1997) to optimal reporting of productive assets and examine when the accounting process can contribute to financial acceleration. Given a small change in aggregate capital stock, the economy may respond with large readjustments...

Using a neural network, we develop novel measures of conservatism that fits non-linearities and interactions absent in prior literature. The machine-learning measures exhibit (i) fewer economically anomalous observations, (ii) economic associations consistent with existing studies, (iii) less...

How precise should accounting measurements be, if management has discretion to strategically withhold? We examine this question by nesting an optimal persuasion mechanism, which controls what measurements are conducted, within a voluntary disclosure framework a la Dye (85) and Jung and Kwon...

How should a firm measure a productive asset used as collateral in a credit agreement? To answer this question, we develop a model in which firms borrow funds subject to collateral constraints. We characterize the qualities of optimal asset measurements and analyze their interactions with...

This article develops a theory of standard-setting in which accounting standards emerge endogenously from an institutional bargaining process. It provides a unified framework with investment and voluntary disclosure to examine the links between regulatory institutions and accounting choice....

Does managing the production of information add value in economic environments where a manager may claim to be uninformed and withhold unfavorable news? We examine this question by nesting an optimal persuasion mechanism, controlling how evidence is organized, within a voluntary disclosure...