How to help companies navigate the bureaucracy of sustainability reporting: Many companies view mandatory disclosure as a complex bureaucratic burden that causes rising costs, data procurement challenges and competitive risks.

In its recent official evaluation report on the Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive (ATAD), the European Commission cited three studies co-authored by #trr266 researchers and fellows.

Why ESG Reporting Obligations need Improvement. The potential to cut emissions within industries is significant: if companies with above-average emissions were brought down to their sector median, overall CO2 emissions could drop by 49%.

Does board diversity automatically improve firm performance? In #trr266 Working Paper No. 222, our researchers examine how board composition—diverse or homogeneous—affects monitoring dynamics, CEO incentives, and firm performance in repeated interactions.

Multinational companies often use internal transfer pricing to shift profits to low-tax jurisdictions. To counter this, governments implement stricter documentation rules—but do these mandates actually work, and what are their implications for real economic activity?

Auch nach Ablauf der europäischen Umsetzungsfrist im Juni begegnen deutsche Unternehmen der neuen Entgelttransparenzrichtlinie mit Skepsis. Die Bewertung der Richtlinie ist eng mit der Zufriedenheit der Unternehmen mit der aktuellen Wirtschaftspolitik verknüpft. Der aktuelle GBP-Monitor zeigt:

🎙️ „Transparenz ist ein Mittel, nicht Zweck an sich. Ich meine, Berichte alleine senken keine Emissionen.“ Das erklärt #trr266-Forscher Thorsten Sellhorn von der LMU Munich @lmu.de im Interview mit Florian Zinner vom MDR.

Companies seek to assess the costs of complying with environmental regulations and meeting voluntary emission targets. In #trr266 Working Paper No. 223, our researchers develop a carbon abatement cost model for firms operating a portfolio of assets with differing cost or load profiles.

Why mandatory ESG reporting? 🌍 Holding companies accountable for their carbon footprint requires clear and standardized disclosure rules on how and what to report

Exciting news from the Sustainability Reporting Navigator team! A new paper titled “Assessing corporate sustainability with large language models: evidence from Europe”, is out now in Nature Communications @natcomms.nature.com!

❗️Submissions are open for the 7th Emerging Scholars in Accounting Conference (Sept 30-Oct 1) at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. Designed for final-stage PhDs to present research and engage in interactive workshops. Travel and accommodation expenses are covered.

PhD student and research assistant Kim Alina Schulz spent three month at the Norwegian School of Economics as part of her #trr266 research stay abroad. In her experience report, she reflects on her time in a new academic environment and shares her amazing experiences both socially and in research.

Is Voluntary ESG Reporting enough? More and more companies are voluntarily disclosing their ecological and social sustainability efforts. Driven by the growing importance of these topics, firms use these reports to meet the expectations of investors, customers and employees.

That’s a wrap on the XX. Summer School on Accounting in Munich! ☀️ From July 6–8, LMU Munich @lmu.de served as the host for this year’s doctoral course on “Models of Corporate Governance“.

How does a wealth tax affect the cash flows of residential rental housing? In #trr266 Working Paper No. 221, our researchers find that a 2% wealth tax rate would lead to a negative cash flow after all costs are covered.

As part of our mission as the #trr266 science communication team we aim to empower researchers to communicate findings clearly. At this year’s faculty research workshop we were kindly invited to share our knowledge through the “Poster Presentation: Scientific Storytelling & Design“ workshop.

How effective is foreign investment screening in reducing geopolitical risk? 🌐 A new study by #trr266 researcher Gerrit von Zedlitz shows that while these controls rarely block deals entirely, they significantly deter investment and delay transactions.

Last week, we welcomed Allison Koester to @unipaderborn.bsky.social for our #trr266 seminar series! 🎓

Why Sustainability Reporting? Corporate CO2 emissions cause substantial societal costs. To make these environmental and social impacts systematically measurable and comparable across markets, voluntary guidelines are no longer enough.

PhD student Gerrit von Zedlitz spent 10 months at The Wharton School in Pennsylvania, USA, as part of his TRR 266 research stay abroad. In his report, he reflects on his time in a new academic setting, shares valuable lessons learned, and highlights the importance of such a cultural exchange.

How hierarchies shape management control choices. In #trr266 Working Paper No. 219, our researchers show that managers with a larger span of control tend to prioritize standardized over customized controls.

Gabriele Heinzel hat unser diesjähriges #trr266 Forum an der ESMT in Berlin als Graphic Recorderin begleitet, die Ergebnisse der Paneldiskussionen vor Ort festgehalten, in ansprechende Illustrationen übersetzt und als Gesamtbild zusammengefasst.

Am Dienstag fand das #trr266 Forum unter dem Titel „Lost in Regulation? Transparenzregulierung auf dem Prüfstand – Erkenntnisse aus Politik, Praxis und Forschung“ an der ESMT in Berlin statt.

How can strategic teambuilding leverage employee altruism to lower corporate costs? Abashidze finds that firms can structure teams optimally by balancing the level of altruism across teams — pairing highly altruistic individuals with their least altruistic colleagues to minimize incentive costs.

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐯𝐬. 𝐇𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞: 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝” 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐱 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐠𝐚𝐩? ⚖️ In #trr266 working paper No. 217, Harvey Upton shows that principal authority effectively neutralizes efficiency losses from hidden information in relational contracts.

How can Sustainability Reporting Requirements be optimized? While Sustainability Reporting Requirements are intended to reallocate capital flows toward sustainable investments, they are often counterproductive and can divert resources from real sustainability projects to pure reporting.

Do stakeholders read CSRD/ESRS Reports? In #trr266 Working Paper No. 216, Lea Hagemeier and Maximilian Müller @unicologne.bsky.social analyze web-tracking data of the corresponding publications to provide evidence on how different audiences interact with these disclosures.

Am 16. Juni 2026 diskutieren unsere Referent*innen beim #trr266 Forum, ob regulatorische Komplexität ein unvermeidbarer Nebeneffekt oder ein bewusst gewähltes Geschäftsmodell ist und welche Verantwortung mit der Transparenzregulierung für Gesetzgeber und Unternehmen einhergeht.

We are delighted to share that, at the currently ongoing #EAA Annual Congress in Prague, two #trr266 papers received one of the three EAA OIC Awards awarded this year.

We are proud to see such a strong presence of the #trr266 at the 48th Annual Congress of the 𝐄𝐀𝐀 – 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! Our members and research fellows are coming together in Prague at the 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 @vsecz.bsky.social.