Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine whether firms from countries presenting higher levels of corruption are more likely to have higher levels of earnings management than their counterparts from countries with lower levels of corruption. It also explicitly examines how this relationship compares between emerging and developed economies. Design/methodology/approach Using multiple regression analysis, this study tests the hypothesis of positive association between the countries’ level of corruption and the level of earnings management using a sample of foreign firms with American Depositary Receipts in the US market. Findings Findings indicate that higher corruption perception is related to higher incentives for firms to manipulate earnings in the case of emerging countries. Such results are not identified in developed countries where the level of minority investors’ protection is higher. Findings also indicate that in developed countries earnings management is negatively related to investor protection, which is not the case for emerging countries. Originality value As far as the authors are aware, this study is the first to examine the effects of corruption on earnings management on the basis of accounting firm-level data.

ResumoEssa pesquisa analisa o nível de gerenciamento de resultados na América Latina após a adoção das International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), em comparação aos países anglo-saxões e europeu-continentais. Ela também analisa o efeito da listagem de ações nos Estados Unidos sobre a comparação do nível de gerenciamento de resultados das empresas latino-americanas com empresas estrangeiras. A literatura sobre gerenciamento de resultados considerando países menos desenvolvidos ainda está em construção, e poucos estudos focam esse tema, especialmente na América Latina, apesar de sua relevância para a economia global. A presente pesquisa preenche essa lacuna por meio do exame do nível de gerenciamento de resultados nos principais países latino-americanos que adotam as IFRS (Brasil e Chile), em comparação com os principais países anglo-saxões com tradição em IFRS (Reino Unido e Austrália), e com as principais economias da Europa Continental (França e Alemanha). Os resultados demonstram que os latino-americanos apresentam um maior nível de gerenciamento de resultados que os anglo-saxões e europeu-continentais, e esse comportamento oportunista se mantém significativo quando apenas global players com listagem de ações nos Estados Unidos são analisados. Logo, mesmo com um conjunto único de padrões contábeis de elevada qualidade (IFRS) e fortes incentivos à divulgação, as características específicas dos países produzem forte influência na forma como as IFRS são implementadas em cada país. Palavras-chave: IFRS; gerenciamento de resultados; América Latina. AbstractThis study analyzes the level of earnings management in Latin America after the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and analyzes the role of cross-listing in the United States. The literature on earnings management in less developed countries is still under construction, and few studies focus on this issue, especially with respect to Latin America, despite its relevant role in the global economy. This paper fills this gap in the literature as it analyzes the level of IFRS earnings management regarding the first and main Latin American countries applying IFRS (Brazil and Chile), when compared to the main Anglo-Saxon countries with IFRS tradition (United Kingdom and Australia), and with the main Continental European economies (France and Germany). The results show that Latin American firms present a higher level of earnings management than Continental European and Anglo-Saxon firms, and this opportunistic behavior remains significant when only global players with cross-listing in the United States are analyzed. Thus, even with a unique set of high quality accounting standards (IFRS) and strong reporting incentives, countries' specific characteristics still play an important role in the way IFRS is implemented in each country.

the involvement of homologous recombination in the determination of dormancy in T. cruzi, we treated CL Brener cells with gamma radiation, which generates DNA lesions repaired by this process. Interestingly, the dormancy percentage was increased in gamma-irradiated cells. Since, we have previously shown that naturally-occurring hybrid T. cruzi strains present higher transcription of RAD51-a key gene in recombination process-we also measured the percentage of dormant cells from T. cruzi clone CL Brener harboring single knockout for RAD51. Our results showed a significative reduction of dormant cells in this T. cruzi CL Brener RAD51 mutant, evidencing a role of homologous recombination in the process of dormancy in this parasite. Altogether, our data suggest the existence of an adaptive difference between T. cruzi strains to generate dormant cells, and that homologous recombination may be important for dormancy in this parasite.

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