Abstract

We examine the link between earnings management and the environmental ratings' geographic spillover effect. Additionally, we explore the potential moderating impact of regional cultural traits like religiosity and political leanings. Using a sample of 18,012 firm-year observations, of 2319 publicly traded US firms, from 2010 to 2022, we find a negative relationship between green density and real activity-based earnings management such as abnormal production costs, abnormal discretionary expenses, and a combined measure of real activity-based earning management. These results hold even after including cultural and social standards of a geographic area such as religiosity and political affiliation. © 2025 The Authors