Publications
Publications
- Journal of Accounting Research
Causal Inference in Accounting Research
By: Ian D. Gow, David F. Larcker and Peter C. Reiss
Abstract
This paper examines the approaches accounting researchers use to draw causal inferences using observational (or non-experimental) data. The vast majority of accounting research papers draws causal inferences notwithstanding the well-known difficulties in doing so with observational data. While a minority of papers seeks to use quasi-experimental methods to draw inferences, there are concerns about how these methods are typically applied. We believe that accounting research would benefit from a greater focus on the study of causal mechanisms (or causal pathways), increased emphasis on structural modeling of the phenomena of interest, and more in-depth descriptive research. We argue these changes are possible and offer a practical path forward for rigorous accounting research.
Keywords
Citation
Gow, Ian D., David F. Larcker, and Peter C. Reiss. "Causal Inference in Accounting Research." Journal of Accounting Research 54, no. 2 (May 2016): 477–523.