We review US accounting standard-setting over the past
30 years to assess the impact that accounting standards
may have on accounting quality. Specifically, we examine
the attributes of 19 accounting standards promulgated by
the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). We classify
the accounting standards according to attributes commonly
associated with objectives-based accounting to
understand the characteristics of the standards issued over
this period of time. Further, we provide empirical evidence
on the impact of the standard-setting process on accounting
quality over this time period. Understanding how
accounting standards may impact accounting quality is
important for evaluating the standard-setting process.