In this paper, we examine the association between trust and observed accounting quality
across countries. We highlight the distinction between regulated (mandated) accounting
standards and firms‟ observed voluntary (non-mandated) accounting and disclosure practices that
evolve in response to the institutional environment. On one hand, high levels of trust (or lack of
mistrust) in an economy may decrease the demand for regulation, which suggests a negative
association between trust and mandated disclosures in an economy. Similarly, extensive
voluntary financial reporting by firms may be unnecessary if there is a high level of baseline trust
in an economy. On the other hand, other theories suggest the opposite association if: (i) greater
trust in an economy promotes the development of institutions that complement financial
reporting and disclosure, (ii) higher quality institutions can inhibit underlying corporate
malfeasance and expropriation which lower managers hiding incentives and thus increases both
observed accounting quality and trust, and (iii) higher quality financial accounting may causally
increase investor trust thus lead to a positive association between accounting quality and trust.