First, while previous research provides evidence
that Audit Integrity’s AR scores effectively capture accounting risk (e.g., Correia 2009;
Daines et al. 2010; Price et al. 2011), the validity of our results depends on the construct
validity of the AR measure. However, though the very small number of restatements
among our sample firms precludes us from using restatements as an alternative measure
of financial reporting quality, we obtain similar results using income-increasing discretionary
accruals.