PCAOB 2023 Conference on Auditing and Capital Markets Attracts 359 Participants From Across Academia

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) today concluded its two-day 2023 Conference on Auditing and Capital Markets, held in Washington, DC. Open to academics and Ph.D. students, the research conference attracted 359 participants this year.

“Whether it’s workers saving for retirement, parents saving to put their kids through college, or anyone who depends on the soundness of our capital markets to invest and build their own version of the American dream, quality audits protect people – and that’s why we are here,” PCAOB Chair Erica Y. Williams told the conference. “Our work to protect investors relies on high-quality economic analysis, and we depend on the academic community to expand our knowledge and understanding of the economic impact of auditing and audit regulation on our capital markets.”

Established by the PCAOB in 2014, the Conference on Auditing and Capital Markets is designed to foster rigorous economic research on audit-related topics (including the economic impact of auditing and audit regulation on capital markets), inform the academic community about PCAOB activities and developments, and obtain input from the academic community on topics of interest to the PCAOB.

At the 2023 conference, academics presented research during panels focused on the following topics:

• Audit Partner Accountability, Reputation, and Repercussions
• Auditor Expertise and Team Dynamics
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Auditing Profession
• Modeling Assisted Decision Making in Auditing and Audit Regulation
• Critical Audit Matters

In addition to these panels and sessions featuring PCAOB speakers, participants heard keynote remarks from Jennifer R. Joe, the John E. Peterson Professor in the Accounting and Information Systems Department of the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech and the President of the Auditing Section of the American Accounting Association; and Karthik Ramanna, Professor of Business and Public Policy at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government and a fellow at St. John’s College.

“We thank all the participants in this year’s Conference on Auditing and Capital Markets,” said Dr. Martin C. Schmalz, the PCAOB’s Chief Economist and the Director of its Office of Economic and Risk Analysis. “Their insights and perspectives build understanding of opportunities and challenges facing not just the auditing world, but also the broader economy.”

Learn more about the PCAOB’s work related to economic analysis on our website.

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About the PCAOB

The PCAOB is a nonprofit corporation established by Congress to oversee the audits of public companies in order to protect investors and further the public interest in the preparation of informative, accurate, and independent audit reports. The PCAOB also oversees the audits of brokers and dealers registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including compliance reports filed pursuant to federal securities laws.

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