Amy E. Dunbar

The elusive ESOP—productivity link: evidence from U.S. firm-level data

Abstract This paper investigates whether employee participation in ownership or profit-sharing in publicly held firms through an ESOP or profit-sharing plan was positively associated with productivity measures. The sample consists of firms that adopted such plans during 1982 through 1987. Production function models augmented with age variables for ESOP and profit-sharing plans were estimated using panel data procedures. The productivity effect increased with the age of the ESOP at the rate of 1.8 to 2.7 percent per annum and with the age of the profit sharing plan at the rate of 3.9 to 4.6 percent per annum.

What Influences Accounting Research? A Citations Based Analysis

ABSTRACT: We compile and analyze the reference lists from papers published in nine accounting journals over the period 1996–2011 to identify the individual antecedent works that have been cited the most often by accounting research. We conduct our analyses separately for different topical areas (audit, financial, managerial, tax, other) and research methodologies (archival, experimental, theoretical, other). We then present and discuss lists of the individual works that are most heavily cited by each category. Our results should be useful to Ph.D. students and those who train them in identifying important prior work that continues to motivate and provide a foundation for contemporary accounting research.

Determination of Income Mobility Using Tax Return Data

This research addresses the question of whether taxpayers were income mobile during 1979-1990. Following prior research, the authors compare ranks of individuals in the sample distribution of income across years. Extending prior research, the question is asked: Does an individual draw his income from some fixed subset of the distribution of possible incomes, implying a limited income opportunity set, or from the total distribution of incomes, implying an unlimited income opportunity set? Group income distributions within each year are analyzed using stochastic dominance. The authors find limited income mobility over 1979-1990 and that individuals face a limited income opportunity set based on their group membership.