The pre-SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) period in the USA is a prominent
example of underproduction of accounting information in an unregulated environment. In our
setting, some developing jurisdictions do not have their own local GAAP. Similar to the preSEC
period, in these jurisdictions, simple bookkeeping rules might exist, or ‘accounting standards’
have emerged as best practices between firms and different contracting parties. In order
to meet the informational demands of different parties, the government-regulated supply of
accounting information has been deemed necessary, which is most likely to result in efficient contracting.
Kothari et al. (2010, p. 269) argue that ‘regulation of products with externalities is
expected to set production to welfare maximising levels’. Thus, adopting a set of internationally
acceptable accounting standards can serve the public interest by enhancing the credibility of
accounting information to external parties and also internally to firms’ managers