Reforma de la normativa contable española: análisis de su entramado institucional

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the institutional framework of the reform of the Spanish accounting standards in 2007. Using the insights of the institutional theory, we identify the interest groups that had a significant influence in the process and the consequences of such influences on the White Book of 2002 and on the 2007 Spanish GAAP. Following DiMaggio and Powell, we use the concept of isomorphism to identify the pressures that different interest groups exert on the accounting reform. We collect empirical evidence from different sources, including interviews to key participants in the process, official documents and opinions published in the press and specialized journals. Our analysis suggests that coercive pressures dominated the process, both at a national level (the role of the government through the Instituto de Contabilidad y Auditoría de Cuentas, the Spanish accounting regulator) and at a supranational level (the European Commission). We also find evidence of the influence of other regulators such as the stock market regulator (Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores) and the Spanish Central Bank (Banco de España). Their influence is an example of mimetic isomorphism: these regulators took the lead of the accounting reforms in their range of influence (listed companies and financial institutions, respectively). Different groups of experts (e.g., academics) also influenced the process through normative isomorphism. Finally, we highlight the dynamic and changing nature of such influences.