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Elections and Discretionary Accruals: Evidence from 2004
Author(s) -
RAMANNA KARTHIK,
ROYCHOWDHURY SUGATA
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of accounting research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.767
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1475-679X
pISSN - 0021-8456
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-679x.2010.00373.x
Subject(s) - accrual , incentive , scrutiny , outsourcing , earnings , business , earnings management , accounting , monetary economics , economics , market economy , political science , marketing , law
We examine the accrual choices of outsourcing firms with links to U.S. congressional candidates during the 2004 elections, when corporate outsourcing was a major campaign issue. We find that politically connected firms with more extensive outsourcing activities have more income‐decreasing discretionary accruals. Further, relative to adjacent periods, the evidence is concentrated in the two calendar quarters immediately preceding the 2004 election, consistent with heightened incentives for firms to manage earnings during the election season. The incentives can be attributed to donor firms' concerns about the potentially negative consequences of scrutiny over outsourcing for themselves and for their affiliated candidates.