International Accounting Regulation: Public Interest or Interest Groups?

This study investigated the regulatory environment of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in order to identify which regulation theory: Public Interest Theory (Pigou, 1932) or Interest Groups Theory (Becker, 1983), would be better suited to explain IASB 's regulatory conduct. We analyzed the possible association of characteristics of respondents to the commentary letters on the Exposure Draft for the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) 11 (Joint Arrangements) and its influence on the IASB's decision to not maintain the proportional consolidation method in accounting for jointly controlled ventures. The method used to test the influence of pressure groups in IASB 's regulatory process was logistic regression. Results showed strong evidence of successful lobbying from participants from countries with a common law legal system, characterized by the Anglo-American accounting model, with indicators that the international accounting regulation process would be principally identified with the Theory of Interest Groups.