received additional monthly benefits because of the increase in the exempt amount. Further increases in the exempt amount would undoubtedly continue to be accompanied by even more rapid increases in the proportion of 4-quarter workers, including full-time workers, who would be able to draw benefits. One of the inequities of the retirement test before the 1954 amendments was the dual exemption g...

Between 1973 and 1987, men's average earnings declined and the percentage of men with low earnings (defined as annual earnings less than $12,000 a year) increased for whites, blacks, and Hispanics. We estimate regression models for the level and distribution of male earnings for each of these three groups using data from the 1974, 1980, and 1988 March Current Population Surveys. Much of the dec...

Earnings nonresponse in household surveys is widespread, yet there is limited evidence on whether and how nonresponse bias affects measured earnings. This paper examines the patterns and consequences of nonresponse using internal Current Population Survey individual records linked to administrative Social Security Administrative data on earnings for calendar years 2005-2010. Our findings confir...

We identify a novel aspect of potential collaboration between targets and acquirers in managing earnings during mergers and acquisitions. Using a sample of 2,128 mergers & acquisitions from 1985-2010, we find that target firms report lower earnings for quarters during the “quiet” period between announcement and completion of these deals. Targets‟ reduced earnings are due mainly to higher expens...

Earnings nonresponse in household surveys is widespread, yet there is limited evidence on whether and how nonresponse bias affects measured earnings. This paper examines the patterns and consequences of nonresponse using internal Current Population Survey individual records linked to administrative Social Security Administrative data on earnings for calendar years 2005-2010. Our findings confir...

We extend the analysis in Sloan (1996) to identify the source of information in accruals about earnings quality. Our results indicate that information in accruals about earnings quality is not limited to the current accruals analyzed by Sloan, but extends to non-current accruals. We also show that while information in accruals originates almost exclusively from asset accruals, liability accrual...

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between the intellectual capital of firms and their earnings quality. The Research was conducted with 158 accepted companies and 948 firm-year observations from Iran stock market. Empirical studies were conducted based on hypothesis by Value Added Intellectual Coefficient as measures of intellectual capital and taking absolute value of...

Earnings press releases are ‘‘the major news event of the season for many companies as well as investors, analysts, financial media, and the market’’ (Mahoney and Lewis 2004). The information content of earnings press releases has increased significantly over time (Kross and Kim 2000; Lo and Lys 2001; Francis, Schipper, and Vincent 2002a, 2002b; Landsman and Maydew 2002; Collins, Li, and Xie 20...