We examine annual report text for over 15,000 non-US companies from 42 countries over
the period 1998–2011, focusing on the length of disclosure, presence of boilerplate,
comparability with US and non-US firms, and complexity. We find that textual attributes
are predictably associated with regulation and incentives for more transparent disclosure
and are correlated with economic outcomes such as liquidity, institutional ownership, and
analyst following. Using mandatory IFRS adoption as an exogenous shock, annual report
disclosure improved in the sense that quantity of disclosure increased, boilerplate was
reduced, and comparability increased relative to both US and non-US firms. Firms with
the greatest improvements in financial reporting experienced the greatest improvements
in economic outcomes around IFRS adoption.