The evidence speaks to the debate on how corporate governance regulation interacts with firms' and managers' incentives, and ultimately affects corporate operating and investment strategies. The evidence contributes to the literature on the economic effects of the governance regulations in SOX on CEOs’ compensation contracts and corporate investment strategies. The evidence also contributes to this literature by documenting how the period after SOX is associated with changes in stock- and option-based compensation. The authors find evidence that the changes in investments are related to lower operating performances of firms, suggesting that these changes were costly to investors.

Cohen, D. A., Dey, A., & Lys, T. Z. 2013. Corporate Governance Reform and Executive Incentives: Implications for Investments and Risk Taking. Contemporary Accounting Research 30 (4), 1296-1332.

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The analysis shows that (1) equity incentives are more effective in reducing company-level control problems; (2) restricted equity provides greater incentives than unrestricted equity; and (3) CFO incentives have a more significant impact on the quality of internal control than CEO incentives. These insights have important implications for compensation committees who make compensation recommendations and the full board of directors who ratifies those recommendations. They suggest that both the level and type of equity incentives should be considered in compensation design to motivate managers to invest in strong internal controls.

Balsam, S., Jiang, W., Lu, B. 2014. Equity Incentives and Internal Control Weaknesses. Contemporary Accounting Research 31 (1):178-201. 

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