Political connections and earnings quality: evidence from India

Abstract

This paper investigates the association between political connections and earnings quality in Indian companies. Recent corporate scandals (e.g., 2G mobile phone licences, coal block allocations, iron ore and granite mining licences) have underlined the political connectedness of Indian business entities. The increasing role of the private corporate sector in the economy in the wake of the economic liberalization has strengthened the traditional links between business organizations and the political system. The involvement of politicians in business and of business organizations in politics, the participation of senior civil servants in political and business-related activities and the dependence of political parties on donations from business organizations for funding elections have contributed to the importance of political connections in business. We find that connected firms have lower earnings quality than non-connected firms and are more likely to engage Big Four auditors.