Analysis of environmental financial reporting in the Spanish toll roads sector

• Basilio Acerete ^[1] ; Mar Gasca ^[1] ; Fernando Llena ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad de Zaragoza

     Universidad de Zaragoza

     Zaragoza, España

     
• Localización: Revista española de financiación y contabilidad, ISSN 0210-2412, Vol. 48, Nº 4, 2019, págs. 430-463
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1080/02102412.2019.1591880
• Títulos paralelos:
  • Análisis de la información financiera medioambiental en el sector de las autopistas de peaje españolas
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• Dialnet Métricas: 4 Citas
• Resumen
  • español

    Hay una gran variedad de información financiera medioambiental según su contenido, extensión y cómo se incluye en las cuentas anuales. España y, en particular, el sector de las autopistas de peaje han estado entre los primeros en exigir la revelación de información medioambiental. Estas empresas concesionarias también se han visto afectadas por cambios en la regulación contable nacional e internacional.

    El primer objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la calidad de la información financiera medioambiental en el sector de las autopistas de peaje españolas y su evolución tras la implementación de las Normas Internacionales de Información Financiera (NIIF). El segundo objetivo es comparar el comportamiento informativo de las empresas concesionarias con el de sus empresas matriz. El tercer objetivo consiste en verificar qué mecanismos institucionales influyen en la revelación de información medioambiental. El análisis de contenidos se ha aplicado al periodo 1999-2015. Los resultados muestran un nivel de información medioambiental mínimo que se limita a cumplir con los requisitos de la regulación contable, sin unos contenidos suficientes que revelen la integración de las cuestiones medioambientales en la gestión de las empresas. La implementación de las NIIF tampoco ha mejorado la revelación de información medioambiental y, en algunos casos, incluso ha empeorado. Además, de acuerdo con la teoría institucional, los resultados señalan que algunos factores institucionales (la regulación y el sub-sector) explican el comportamiento de las compañías analizadas respecto a la información financiera medioambiental.

  • English

    There is a great variety of environmental financial reporting as regards content, extension and how it is included in the annual accounts. Spain and, in particular, the toll roads sector was amongst the first to be required to disclose environmental information. These concessionaires have also been affected by changes in domestic and international accounting regulation.

    The first objective of the paper is to analyse the quality of environmental financial reporting in the Spanish toll roads sector and its evolution after International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) implementation. The second is to compare the reporting behaviour of concessionaires with that of their parent companies. The third is to test what institutional mechanisms influence environmental disclosure. Content analysis has been applied for the period 1999–2015.

    Results show a minimum environmental reporting level focused merely on complying with regulation requirements, without a useful content revealing the integration of environmental issues into the companies’ management. The implementation of IFRS has not improved environmental disclosure and, in some cases, has even worsened it. In addition, under institutional theory, results show that some institutional factors (regulation and sub-sector) explain the environmental financial reporting behaviour of the companies analysed.

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