International culture and audit deficiencies: Evidence from inspection reports of non-US companies listed in the US

We investigate an important corporate governance mechanism that provides a monitoring function to facilitate the growth and development of international capital markets. Specifically, we investigate the relationship between Hofstede’s cultural values and the audit deficiencies of non-US companies listed on US equity markets, as measured by the number of audit deficiencies found by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) from 2005 to 2017. We find evidence supporting a conclusion that audit deficiencies are lower in countries with lower Uncertainty Avoidance scores, higher Individualism scores, and lower Power Distance scores. We conclude that countries with cultures more accepting of ambiguity and uncertainty, having more flexible business practices, and being more tolerant of individual contributions are associated with higher quality audits, as measured by fewer audit deficiencies.