Adam Smith Business School

Professor  Araceli Mora, University of Valencia

"The use of "public good" as a rationale for coroporate reporting in the European Union." 
Wednesday, 22 April 2026. 12:00-13:30 

Room 487 The Adam Smith Business School building

Abstract

This study examines the use and evolution of the notions of “public interest” and “public good” in corporate reporting regulation in the European Union from 2000 to 2024. We aim to trace how the implicit meaning of these terms has shifted over time, employing two complementary approaches. First, by considering all European Commission corporate reporting documents, we demonstrate a change in the context in which these terms are used. Our findings point to a three-step evolution: initially framed within capital market efficiency, then linked to financial stability, and, more recently, to a multi-stakeholder and sustainable context. Based on different theoretical perspectives on public interest, the observed institutional changes in the standard-setting process align with a shift in that perspective. We conclude by highlighting the potential for unintended effects. We emphasise the role of empirical research in anticipating and interpreting their impact.

Bio

Araceli Mora is a full professor in Accounting and Finance at the University of Valencia (Spain), and President (2025-2028) of the European Accounting Association (EAA), in which she held several senior positions, including editor-in-chief of "Accounting in Europe". Her research interest mainly focuses on IFRS, corporate reporting quality, the usefulness of the information in the capital markets, and the role of public interest in financial and sustainability reporting. She is a member of the EFRAG Academic Panel and served in EFRAG as a TEG member (2009-2015). She is an editorial board member of Accounting in Europe, European Accounting Review, Accounting and Business Research and Spanish Journal of Finance and Accounting (past editor), among others. In Spain, she participated in the elaboration of the Spanish GAAP (PGC 2007) and has been a member of the advisory committee for the elaboration of the current Spanish GAAP (PGC 2021). She is a Member of the Accounting Principles Commission of the Spanish Association of Accounting and Business Administration (AECA) and director of the network “Financial Reporting and Analysis” of the Spanish Association of Accounting Academics (ASEPUC). She has been a member of the Commission for the evaluation of research in the Economics and Business and field (CNEAI), past president in 2011, the assessment of transfer of knowledge (2018) and the technical advisory committee of the ANECA Director (2013-2015). At the University of Valencia, she teaches at the Degree of International Business and Degree in Business, and PhD program on “Accounting and Corporate Finance. She was the vice dean of international relations. 

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First published: 5 March 2026