The relationship between dividend policy and earnings management: a causality analysis

Purpose – The objective of this paper is to investigate the direction of the causal relationship between dividend policy (DP) and earnings management (EM). Design/methodology/approach – This research utilizes the panel data analysis to investigate the causal relationship between EM and DP. It provid...

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Main Authors: Olfa Ben Salah, Anis Jarboui
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Emerald Publishing 2024-03-01
Series:Journal of Economics Finance and Administrative Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JEFAS-09-2021-0198/full/pdf
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author Olfa Ben Salah
Anis Jarboui
author_facet Olfa Ben Salah
Anis Jarboui
author_sort Olfa Ben Salah
collection DOAJ
description Purpose – The objective of this paper is to investigate the direction of the causal relationship between dividend policy (DP) and earnings management (EM). Design/methodology/approach – This research utilizes the panel data analysis to investigate the causal relationship between EM and DP. It provides empirical insights based on a sample of 280 French nonfinancial companies listed on the CAC All-Tradable index during the period of 2008–2015. The study initiates with a Granger causality examination on the unbalanced panel data and employs a dynamic panel approach with the generalized method of moments (GMM). It further estimates the empirical models simultaneously using the three-stage least squares (3SLS) method and the iterative triple least squares (iterative 3SLS) method. Findings – The estimation of our various empirical models confirms the presence of a bidirectional causal relationship between DP and EM. Practical implications – Our study highlights the prevalence of EM in the French context, particularly within DP. It underscores the need for regulatory bodies, the Ministry of Finance, external auditors and stock exchange organizers to prioritize governance mechanisms for improving the quality of financial information disclosed by companies. Originality/value – This research is, to the best of our knowledge, the first is to extensively investigate the reciprocal causal relationship between DP and EM in France. Previous studies have not placed a significant emphasis on exploring this bidirectional link between these two variables.
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spelling doaj.art-6f46b084eae24a7c8ee35a92437268d42024-03-26T10:17:52ZengEmerald PublishingJournal of Economics Finance and Administrative Science2077-18862024-03-01295716618510.1108/JEFAS-09-2021-0198The relationship between dividend policy and earnings management: a causality analysisOlfa Ben Salah0Anis Jarboui1Faculty of Economics and Management of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, TunisiaISAAS, Sfax, TunisiaPurpose – The objective of this paper is to investigate the direction of the causal relationship between dividend policy (DP) and earnings management (EM). Design/methodology/approach – This research utilizes the panel data analysis to investigate the causal relationship between EM and DP. It provides empirical insights based on a sample of 280 French nonfinancial companies listed on the CAC All-Tradable index during the period of 2008–2015. The study initiates with a Granger causality examination on the unbalanced panel data and employs a dynamic panel approach with the generalized method of moments (GMM). It further estimates the empirical models simultaneously using the three-stage least squares (3SLS) method and the iterative triple least squares (iterative 3SLS) method. Findings – The estimation of our various empirical models confirms the presence of a bidirectional causal relationship between DP and EM. Practical implications – Our study highlights the prevalence of EM in the French context, particularly within DP. It underscores the need for regulatory bodies, the Ministry of Finance, external auditors and stock exchange organizers to prioritize governance mechanisms for improving the quality of financial information disclosed by companies. Originality/value – This research is, to the best of our knowledge, the first is to extensively investigate the reciprocal causal relationship between DP and EM in France. Previous studies have not placed a significant emphasis on exploring this bidirectional link between these two variables.https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JEFAS-09-2021-0198/full/pdfDPEMBidirectional causalityGranger causalitySimultaneous equation models
spellingShingle Olfa Ben Salah
Anis Jarboui
The relationship between dividend policy and earnings management: a causality analysis
Journal of Economics Finance and Administrative Science
DP
EM
Bidirectional causality
Granger causality
Simultaneous equation models
title The relationship between dividend policy and earnings management: a causality analysis
title_full The relationship between dividend policy and earnings management: a causality analysis
title_fullStr The relationship between dividend policy and earnings management: a causality analysis
title_full_unstemmed The relationship between dividend policy and earnings management: a causality analysis
title_short The relationship between dividend policy and earnings management: a causality analysis
title_sort relationship between dividend policy and earnings management a causality analysis
topic DP
EM
Bidirectional causality
Granger causality
Simultaneous equation models
url https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JEFAS-09-2021-0198/full/pdf
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