The efect of size on the relationship between control structure and voluntary disclosure in Brazilian companies

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the influence of size on the relationship between the control structure on the voluntary disclosure policy of the listed companies in B3. To achieve this goal, we created a dependent variable, called "voluntary disclosure level", which corresponds to 38 indicators of information collected manually from the companies' statements and websites. Afterwards, we estimated a balanced panel data regression model with a threshold effect for size in order to identify the relationship between the variables. The results indicated that smaller companies, with a more concentrated control structure, tended to present a higher level of voluntary disclosure. However, for larger companies, the greater the concentration of the control structure, the less evidence of this information. These inferences lead to believe that the largest Brazilian corporations, with more concentrated control, may not be interested in disclosing voluntary information because most of their shareholders enjoy private control benefits.