Corporate governance and earnings quality: the behavioral theory of corporate governance (evidence from Iran)

Purpose This study aims to examine the relationship between corporate governance (CG) and various measures of earnings quality in listed companies on Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE). The theoretical intuition for prediction of any relationship between earnings quality and CG is based on the behavioral theory and the institutional settings in Iran. Design/methodology/approach This study used the data of 117 listed companies on the TSE for the period from 2005 to 2019. The authors use panel data regression as the main methodology, along with principal component analysis, t-test and rank-sum test. Findings This study finds that the CG has a positive association with earnings quality. More precisely, better CG mechanisms cause lower earnings smoothness, more predictable and persistent earnings, and higher levels of timeliness, conservatism and value relevance. The relationship between CG and earnings quality is statistically and economically significant for all models. Originality/value The findings further the understanding of the role of CG in improving earnings quality in an Islamic and emerging country. First, this study provides evidence on the relation between CG and earnings quality by focusing on the behavioral theory, which suggests that corporate decision-making is not only influenced by formal CG mechanisms, but also by informal CG arrangements. In this case, this study departs from the restrictive theories (specifically, agency theory) that are widely used in past literature. Second, this study constructs an index that fits to corporate context of Iran rather than applying indexes introduced in Anglo-American environments.