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Measuring quality of popular annual financial reports: Features of the rewarded US reporting municipalities

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Listed:
  • Nicola Raimo
  • Michele Rubino
  • Paolo Esposito
  • Filippo Vitolla

Abstract

The advent of New Public Management has brought significant changes in accountability mechanisms. In recent years, the information needs of citizens interested in financial issues and the nonfinancial aspects of public management have increased. Regulators' commitment to transparency has led US municipalities since the 1990s to adopt Popular Annual Financial Reporting (PAFR). This reporting tool, capable of transmitting information to citizens clearly and simply, has also attracted the attention of academics. Despite the presence of several studies on the subject, the quality of the information contained within the popular annual financial reports remains an unexplored topic. This study aims to fill this gap by examining a sample of 100 rewarded US municipalities. The results show a low quality of the popular annual financial reports and demonstrate a positive effect of the population size and a negative impact of the population average age on the quality of these documents.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicola Raimo & Michele Rubino & Paolo Esposito & Filippo Vitolla, 2023. "Measuring quality of popular annual financial reports: Features of the rewarded US reporting municipalities," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(1), pages 17-27, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:30:y:2023:i:1:p:17-27
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.2336
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    References listed on IDEAS

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