David F. Larcker

The James Irvin Miller Professor of Accounting, Emeritus
Senior Faculty of the Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford
Academic Area:
David F. Larcker

Bio

David Larcker is the director of the Corporate Governance Research Initiative at Stanford Graduate School of Business and senior faculty of the Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University. He was previously the Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and professor of accounting and information systems at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He received his PhD in business from the University of Kansas and his BS and MS in Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla.

He is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Accounting and Economics, Journal of Accounting Research, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Journal of Applied Corporate Finance. He received the Notable Contribution to Managerial Accounting Research in 2001.

Stanford GSB Affiliations

Academic Degrees

  • PhD, University of Kansas, 1978
  • MS, University of Missouri-Rolla, 1974
  • BS, University of Missouri-Rolla, 1972

Academic Appointments

  • Professor of Law (by courtesy), Stanford Law School, until 2020
  • James Irvin Miller Professor of Accounting, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2006–2020
  • Professor of Accounting, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 2005–2006
  • Ernst & Young Professor of Accounting, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, 1985–2005
  • Assistant Professor - Professor, J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University, 1978–1985

Awards and Honors

  • Winnick Family Faculty Fellow, Stanford GSB, 2013–2014
  • Notable Contribution to Managerial Accounting Research, 2001
  • PhD Faculty Distinguished Service Award, Stanford GSB, 2010

Service to the Profession

Member

    • Accounting, Organization and Society, 1996–present
    • American Accounting Association
    • Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 2002–present

    Advisory Board

      • Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, 2004–present

      Corporate Governance

        • Internal Governance, Organization, & Processes Abstracts Advisory Board
        • Corporate Governance Network, SSRN, 2009–present

        Research Statement

        Professor Larcker’s research focuses on executive compensation, corporate governance, and managerial accounting. His work examines the choice of performance measures and compensation contracts in organizations. He has current research projects on the valuation implications of corporate governance, the impact of proxy advisory firms on shareholder proxy voting, and modeling the cost of executive stock options.

        Journal Articles

        Andrew Baker, David F. Larcker, Charles McClure, Durgesh Saraph, Edward M. Watts
        Journal of Accounting Research
        April 2024
        Christopher S. Armstrong, John D. Kepler, David F. Larcker, Shawn X. Shi
        Journal of Accounting and Economics
        January 2024
        Ian D. Gow, David F. Larcker, Edward M. Watts
        Journal of Corporate Finance
        December 2023 Vol. 83
        David F. Larcker, Brian Tayan, Edward M. Watts
        European Financial Management (early access)
        May 2022
        Ian D. Gow, David F. Larcker, Anastasia A. Zakolyukina
        Journal of Accounting Research (advance online)
        May 21, 2021
        Alan D. Jagolinzer, David F. Larcker, Gaizka Ormazabal, Daniel J. Taylor
        The Journal of Finance
        August 2020 Vol. 75 Issue 4 Pages 1833–1876
        David F. Larcker, Edward M. Watts
        Journal of Accounting and Economics
        April 2020 Vol. 69 Issue 2–3
        Ed deHaan, David F. Larcker, Charles McClure
        Review of Accounting Studies
        February 27, 2019 Vol. 24 Issue 2 Pages 536-569
        Ian D. Gow, David F. Larcker, Peter C. Reiss
        Journal of Accounting Reseach
        April 19, 2016 Vol. 54 Issue 2 Pages 477-523
        Christopher S. Armstrong, Jennifer L. Blouin, Alan D. Jagolinzer, David F. Larcker
        Journal of Accounting and Economics
        August 2015 Vol. 60 Issue 1 Pages 1–17
        David F. Larcker, Allan L. McCall, Gaizka Ormazabal
        Journal of Law and Economics
        February 2015 Vol. 58 Issue 1 Pages 173-204
        Christopher S. Armstrong, Ian D. Gow, David F. Larcker
        Journal of Accounting Research
        December 2013 Vol. 51 Issue 5 Pages 909-950
        David F. Larcker, Allan L. McCall, Gaizka Ormazabal
        Journal of Accounting and Economics
        November 2013 Vol. 56 Issue 2–3 Pages 149–169
        Christopher S. Armstrong, David F. Larcker, Gaizka Ormazabal, Daniel J. Taylor
        Journal of Financial Economics
        August 2013 Vol. 109 Issue 2 Pages 327–350
        David F. Larcker, Eric C. So, Charles C.Y. Wang
        Journal of Accounting & Economics
        April 2013 Vol. 55 Issue 2–3 Pages 225–250
        Christopher S. Armstrong, Christopher D. Ittner, David F. Larcker
        Review of Accounting Studies
        June 2012 Vol. 17 Issue 2 Pages 322–351
        David F. Larcker, Anastasia A. Zakolyukina
        Journal of Accounting Research
        May 2012 Vol. 50 Issue 2 Pages 495–540
        Alan D. Jagolinzer, David F. Larcker, Daniel J. Taylor
        Journal of Accounting Research
        December 2011 Vol. 49 Issue 5 Pages 1249–1274
        David F. Larcker, Gaizka Ormazabal , Daniel J. Taylor
        Journal of Financial Economics
        August 2011 Vol. 101 Issue 2 Pages 431-448
        Chris Armstrong, Jennifer L. Blouin, David F. Larcker
        Journal of Accounting and Economics
        2011 Vol. 53 Issue 1–2 Pages 391-411
        Robert Daines, Ian D. Gow, David F. Larcker
        Journal of Financial Economics
        December 2010 Vol. 98 Issue 3 Pages 439–461
        Christopher S. Armstrong, David F. Larcker, Che-Lin Su
        Operations Research
        July 2010 Vol. 58 Pages 1090–1106
        Christopher S. Armstrong, Alan D. Jagolinzer, David F. Larcker
        Journal of Accounting Research
        May 2010 Vol. 48 Issue 2 Pages 225-271
        David F. Larcker, Tjomme O. Rusticus
        Journal of Accounting Research
        April 2010 Vol. 49 Issue 3 Pages 186–205
        Christopher Ittner, David F. Larcker, Daniel Taylor
        Marketing Science
        September 2009 Vol. 28 Issue 5 Pages 825–835
        Christopher S. Armstrong, David F. Larcker
        Journal of Accounting and Economics
        March 2009 Vol. 47 Issue 1–2 Pages 50–58
        John E. Core, Wayne Guay, David F. Larcker
        Journal of Financial Economics
        April 2008 Vol. 88 Issue 1 Pages 1–25
        Christopher D. Ittner , David F. Larcker, Mina Pizzini
        Journal of Accounting and Economics
        December 2007 Vol. 44 Issue 3 Pages 300–327
        David F. Larcker, Scott A. Richardson, Irem Tuna
        The Accounting Review
        July 2007 Vol. 82 Issue 4 Pages 963–1008
        David F. Larcker, Tjomme O. Rusticus
        European Accounting Review
        May 2007 Vol. 16 Issue 1 Pages 207–215
        Joseph J. Gerakos, Christopher D. Ittner, David F. Larcker
        Essays in Accounting Theory in Honour of Joel S. Demski
        2007 Pages 227–229
        David F. Larcker, Scott A. Richardson
        Journal of Accounting Research
        June 2004 Vol. 42 Issue 3 Pages 625–658
        Christopher D Ittner, David F. Larcker, Taylor Randall
        Accounting, Organizations and Society
        October 2003 Vol. 28 Issue 7–8 Pages 715–741
        Christopher D. Ittner, Richard A. Lambert, David F. Larcker
        Journal of Accounting and Economics
        January 2003 Vol. 34 Issue 1-3 Pages 89–127

        Working Papers

        Christopher S. Armstrong, John D. Kepler, David F. Larcker, Shawn Shi May 8, 2022
        Ian D. Gow, David F. Larcker, Edward M. Watts November 16, 2020
        David F. Larcker, Charles McClure, Christina Zhu February 11, 2019
        James Copland, David F. Larcker, Brian Tayan May 30, 2018
        Ian D. Gow, David F. Larcker, Brian Tayan May 25, 2017
        Ian D. Gow, Steven N. Kaplan, David F. Larcker, Anastasia A. Zakolyukina July 6, 2016
        David F. Larcker, Brian Tayan April 12, 2016
        David F. Larcker, Nicholas E. Donatiello (1960-2018), Brian Tayan March 3, 2016
        David F. Larcker, Peter C. Reiss, Youfei Xiao November 1, 2015
        Alan D. Jagolinzer, David F. Larcker, Gaizka Ormazabal, Daniel J. Taylor August 14, 2014
        Christopher S. Armstrong, Christopher D. Ittner, David F. Larcker April 17, 2014
        David F. Larcker, G. Ormazabal, D.J. Taylor 2013

        Books

        David F. Larcker, Brian Tayan
        Independently published
        June 23, 2023
        David F. Larcker, Brian Tayan, MBA ’03
        Pearson FT Press
        November 11, 2020
        David F. Larcker, Brian Tayan
        Larcker and Tayan
        August 29, 2013

        Cases

        James Baron, David Larcker, Brian Tayan
        2011
        David Larcker, Brian Tayan
        2010
        David Larcker, Allan McCall, Brian Tayan
        2010
        David Larcker, Robert Lawson, Brian Tayan
        2009
        David Larcker, Brian Tayan
        2009
        David Larcker, Brian Tayan
        2008
        David Larcker, Brian Tayan
        2007
        David Larcker, Brian Tayan
        2007

        In the Media

        Insights by Stanford Business

        January 15, 2025
        Facing economic uncertainty, Millennial and Gen Z investors say they’re prioritizing profits over environmental and social priorities.
        August 21, 2024
        More companies are playing up their DEI efforts — without improving their records on racial and gender diversity.
        May 02, 2024
        A new survey offers a rare window into how the world’s largest institutional investors think about environmental, social, and governance priorities.
        April 15, 2024
        Sorry, our professors can’t help you do your taxes. But they can help you understand taxation better.
        June 06, 2023
        More than a decade and 100 papers later, Closer Look finds that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to questions about corporate governance.
        March 23, 2023
        Paying corporate accountants more removes incentives for financial misreporting.
        November 10, 2022
        Younger investors are more willing to put money behind environmental and social goals — even if it’s costlier.
        August 08, 2022
        Boards often don’t think about shaking up the C-suite until it’s too late.
        April 19, 2022
        Navigating the line between opportunity and uncertainty in the ESG boom
        July 26, 2021
        Linguistic analysis helps interpret what’s behind non-answers during corporate earnings calls.
        January 19, 2021
        New research drills down on C-suite diversity in Fortune 100 firms and finds there’s a lot more work to do.
        March 05, 2020
        A majority favors wealth tax, but not if it would hurt the economy or increase unemployment.
        January 06, 2020
        There’s little evidence that common board best practices lead to better oversight.
        December 19, 2019
        CEOs have traditionally shied away from politically charged issues, but that may be changing.
        September 24, 2019
        America’s top CEOs say their companies will focus on all stakeholders, but a corporate governance expert remains skeptical.
        May 23, 2019
        Despite the surging focus on environmental sustainability, research suggests investors still care about the old kind of green.
        December 03, 2018
        Seven Stanford business professors recommend their favorite books.
        November 28, 2018
        A new survey shows how Americans respond to CEOs who weigh in on controversial issues.
        November 02, 2018
        Private marketplaces are thriving as companies leverage a valuable recruitment tool.
        May 02, 2018
        How the company that overhauled the entertainment industry created a new model of corporate governance.
        January 26, 2018
        What fast-growing startups — and their boards — must understand about building culture.
        October 06, 2017
        A new survey highlights a tough CEO talent pool and which business leaders would be nearly impossible to replace.
        January 06, 2017
        Research shows what happens to succession winners and losers.
        November 07, 2016
        Researchers find connected bankers benefited by trading shares in their banks before government cash infusions.
        February 17, 2016
        A new survey shows Americans find flaws with executive compensation.
        January 27, 2016
        It’s an insular group, but with a couple surprises.
        October 12, 2015
        Should the chairman always be independent? Do CEOs actually make good directors?
        July 10, 2015
        Apply the fundamentals of corporate governance to charitable work.
        April 22, 2015
        A new survey shows many lack skills, engagement to effectively oversee organizations.
        February 17, 2015
        Investors say proxy statements are too long and too difficult to read.
        February 17, 2015
        Stanford scholars explain what investors need in order to understand companies’ annual statements.
        January 23, 2015
        Researchers show the pros and cons to this arrangement.
        November 20, 2014
        Not every CEO can spot a winner. Here’s what a board should consider.
        January 13, 2014
        Two experts on corporate governance say the firms’ influence “may not be for the better, as far as shareholder value is concerned.”
        September 20, 2013
        David Larcker and Brian Tayan explain why building trust in an organization pays off.
        July 31, 2013
        Nearly two-thirds of CEOs do not receive outside leadership advice, but nearly all want it.
        July 24, 2013
        In their latest book, corporate governance experts assess which governance practices really work.
        May 22, 2013
        In grading CEO performance, financials still dominate.
        May 16, 2013
        Whether shareholders benefit depends more on context than on corporate structure.
        October 25, 2012
        A new study reveals a disconnect between companies' understanding of social media and the actions they are taking to apply it to their business.
        June 01, 2011
        Corporate governance experts from Stanford GSB say criticism of CEO pay might be off the mark.
        May 19, 2011
        “Corporate Governance Matters” by Professor David Larcker and Brian Tayan provides a practical framework for organizational decisions.
        August 01, 2010
        Researchers find that speech patterns and words offer clues about whether an executive is being honest during a conference call.
        June 01, 2010
        A new survey says more than half of companies today could not immediately name a successor to their CEO should the need arise.
        September 01, 2009
        Research casts doubt on the value and validity of the ratings of governance advisory firms.
        April 01, 2008
        A study shows that media clamor over high executive compensation makes virtually no difference in company behavior.

        School News

        October 19, 2023
        Executives focused on sustainability and impact talk about their expanding roles and how collaboration drives their work.
        July 01, 2011
        Case studies explore governance challenges at top companies and myths surrounding board practices.
        September 01, 2005
        Three senior professors — in accounting, organizational behavior, and marketing — have joined the Stanford GSB faculty, along with six junior faculty.