Christian Leuz studies the role of corporate disclosures, accounting transparency and disclosure regulation in capital markets, corporate governance and financing, and international accounting. Leuz was first drawn to his research by "the fascinating interplay of corporate information, managers' reporting incentives, and the workings of the capital markets as well as the ability of empirical research to speak to real-world problems," he said. "My work links several key areas in finance and accounting and sheds light on financial regulatory issues."
Leuz's work has been published in the Journal of Accounting Research, the Journal of Accounting and Economics, the Review of Financial Studies, and the Journal of Financial Economics.
He is a Co-Director of the Initiative on Global Markets, a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and at the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI), a Fellow at Wharton's Financial Institution Center and a Fellow of the CESifo Research Network. He is an editor of the Journal of Accounting Research and also an associate editor of the Journal of Accounting and Economics. He edited the book, The Economics and Politics of Accounting: International Perspectives on Research Trends, Policy and Practice, with D. Pfaff and A. Hopwood which was published by Oxford University Press.
He has received several grants and honors, including the 2011 Wildman Medal Award, 2010 Notable Contribution to the Accounting Literature Award and a JFE All Star Paper Award.
He has served as the Harold Stott Term Assistant Professor of Accounting at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania as well as held positions at WHU Otto Beisheim Hochschule, Universität Tübingen, JW Goethe Universität, and the Simon School of Business at the University of Rochester.
Born in Germany, Leuz is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he earned a master's degree in finance and management in 1991. He earned a doctorate degree in business administration in 1996 and a postdoctoral degree in 2000, both from JW Goethe Universität Frankfurt. He joined the Chicago Booth faculty in 2006.
Selected Publications
With Christian Laux, “Did Fair-Value Accounting Contribute to the Financial Crisis?” Journal of Economic Perspectives (2010).
With Karl Lins and Frank Warnock, “Do Foreigners Invest Less in Poorly Governed Firms?,“ Review of Financial Studies (2009).
With F. Oberholzer, "Political Relationships, Global Financing, and Corporate Transparency: Evidence from Indonesia," Journal of Financial Economics (2006).
With D. Nanda and P. Wysocki, "Earnings Management and Investor Protection: An International Comparison," Journal of Financial Economics (2003).
With R. Verrecchia, "The Economic Consequences of Increased Disclosure," Journal of Accounting Research (2000).
