Research Highlights CSR Performance Role In Auditor-Client Contracting

Du, Shuili, Xiaolu Xu, and Kun Yu (forthcoming), "Does corporate social responsibility affect auditor-client contracting? Evidence from auditor selection and audit fees," Advances in Accounting.

Abstract: We find that firms with higher CSR performance are more likely to choose Big N auditors and less likely to switch to non-Big N auditors, consistent with socially responsible firms demanding higher audit quality. Furthermore, we provide robust evidence that firms with higher CSR performance pay lower audit fees using both levels and changes models, suggesting that higher CSR performance reduces auditor engagement risk. Our analysis based on the difference-in-differences approach indicates that it is higher CSR performance that leads to lower audit fees, not vice versa. Overall, the results highlight the important role of CSR performance in auditor-client contracting.