The Effect of Internal Control Quality and Internal Control Disclosure Regulation on Executive Perks: A Quasi Natural Experiment from China

This paper investigates the effect of internal control quality and mandatory internal control disclosure regulation on executive perks in China. Based on a sample of Chinese firms between 2008 and 2019, this study finds that internal control quality and the mandatory disclosure regulation limit both under-consumption and overconsumption of executive perks. Furthermore, the mandatory regulation strengthens the relationship between internal control quality and the levels of executive perks. The results are consistent across alternative measures of key variables and are robust to endogeneity analyses. The findings of this study have important implications for policymakers, managers, and investors seeking to understand the determinants of the abnormal consumption of executive perks and the associated economic consequences of the internal control system.