Paul A. Griffin

Distinguished Professor

Research Expertise: Accounting, accounting and financial theory, evaluation of accounting methods, financial information and disclosures

Professor Paul Griffin is a leading international authority in accounting, financial information and disclosures. He has published over 60 articles in leading accounting and finance journals, five research monographs for the Financial Accounting Standards Board and two case books on U.S. corporate financial reporting. His research has had a substantial impact on the profession. According to a study of influential articles, he is one of a small group whose articles are now classics in the field.

His recent publications in accounting and auditing focus on relations between stock prices and greenhouse gas emissions, the informational role of short interest for corporate bond prices, and investors’ recognition of unburnable carbon on energy company balance sheets. His current research projects examine the impact of CSR performance ratings on analysts’ information costs, the effects of social norms on CSR disclosure, and how executive social networks affect earnings management. Professor Griffin recently served as co-editor of Accounting Horizons. Before arriving at UC Davis, Griffin was an assistant professor at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Griffin earned both his Ph.D. in accounting and his M.A. in operations research and economic theory from The Ohio State University.