Academic Member

Dr Douglas Edwin Stevens

Professor and Copeland/Deloitte Chair in Accountancy

Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University

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Biography

Douglas E. Stevens, Ph.D., is Professor and James E. & Patricia W. Copeland Deloitte Chair in Accountancy at the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. His research uses the methodology of experimental economics to expand economic theory in managerial accounting, financial accounting, and auditing and appears in leading academic journals including The Accounting Review; Contemporary Accounting Research; Accounting, Organizations and Society; Experimental Economics; Journal of Management Accounting Research; Management Accounting Research; Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory; Behavioral Research in Accounting; and Journal of Business Ethics. His latest research documents the role of shared values and social norms in economic decision-making related to the firm, which has significant implications for the theory of the firm and corporate governance. Dr. Stevens has published two books at Cambridge University Press: Social Norms and the Theory of the Firm: A Foundational Approach (Stevens 2019), and In Search of a Moral Foundation for Capitalism: From Adam Smith to Amartya Sen (Stevens 2024). His research on the theory of the firm has led him to study the causes and effects of the Chicago School’s misinterpretation of Adam Smith, which will be the topic of a third book at Cambridge University Press. Dr. Stevens was awarded a University-Wide Outstanding Achievement in Research Award at GSU in the Fall of 2022.

Current Projects

“Financial Reporting with a Responsible Agent: A Model and Experimental Evidence,” with Heba Abdel-Rahim and Jing Liu.

“Should Accounting Researchers Care About Information Asymmetry in the New Economy? A Presentation of Old Intuition and New Evidence Using Financial Analysts’ Forecast Revisions,” with Orie Barron and Richard Schneible, Jr.

“The Chicago School’s Distorted View of The Wealth of Nations: Causes, Effects, and Opportunities for Corporate Governance.”

“How Adam Smith’s Moral Theory Explains the Rise and Fall of ESG—and Provides a Responsible Path Forward.”

“Increasing the Value of Accounting Theory to Researchers, Practitioners, and Policymakers: A Pragmatic Theory of the Firm,” with Bartley J. Madden.

“The Pragmatic Theory of the Firm: A Platform for Understanding and Driving Long-Term Value Creation,” with Bartley J. Madden.

Research Interests

Professor Stevens uses experimental economics to advance economic theory in managerial accounting, financial accounting, and auditing. His managerial accounting research examines the emergence of social norms in agency settings, his financial accounting research examines the effects of financial information on heterogeneous beliefs of investors and financial analysts, and his auditing research examines the effects of social norms on audit quality. Professor Stevens has published his research in top academic journals including The Accounting Review; Contemporary Accounting Research; Accounting, Organizations and Society; Experimental Economics; Journal of Management Accounting Research; Management Accounting Research; Auditing: A Journal of Practice and Theory; Behavioral Research in Accounting; and Journal of Business Ethics. His research also appears in two academic books published at Cambridge University Press: Social Norms and the Theory of the Firm: A Foundational Approach (Stevens 2019), and In Search of a Moral Foundation for Capitalism: From Adam Smith to Amartya Sen (Stevens 2024). His research on the theory of the firm has led him to study the causes and effects of the Chicago School’s misinterpretation of Adam Smith, which will be the topic of a third book at Cambridge University Press. Professor Stevens was awarded a University-Wide Outstanding Achievement in Research Award at GSU in the Fall of 2022.