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The Impact of Information Processing Costs on Firm Disclosure Choice: Evidence from the XBRL Mandate

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  • ELIZABETH BLANKESPOOR

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of market participants’ information processing costs on firms’ disclosure choice. Using the recent eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) regulation, I find that firms increase their quantitative footnote disclosures upon implementation of XBRL detailed tagging requirements designed to reduce information users’ processing costs. These results hold in a difference‐in‐difference design using matched nonadopting firms as controls, as well as two additional identification strategies. Examination of the disclosure increase by footnote type suggests that both regulatory and nonregulatory market participants play a role in monitoring firm disclosures. Overall, these findings suggest that the processing costs of market participants can be significant enough to impact firms’ disclosure decisions.

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  • Elizabeth Blankespoor, 2019. "The Impact of Information Processing Costs on Firm Disclosure Choice: Evidence from the XBRL Mandate," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(4), pages 919-967, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:joares:v:57:y:2019:i:4:p:919-967
    DOI: 10.1111/1475-679X.12268
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    9. Belnap, Andrew, 2023. "The effect of intermediary coverage on disclosure: Evidence from a randomized field experiment," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(1).
    10. Katarzyna Anna Bilicka & Elisa Casi & Carol Seregni & Barbara Stage, 2021. "Tax Strategy Disclosure: A Greenwashing Mandate?," CESifo Working Paper Series 9030, CESifo.
    11. Wafa Sassi & Hakim Ben Othman & Khaled Hussainey, 2023. "The determinants of eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) adoption : a cross-country study," Post-Print hal-04191489, HAL.
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