International reporting standards and democratic governance in emerging economies

Purpose This study investigates the impact of international reporting standards – specifically International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), and mandatory environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosures – on democratic governance in developing and transition countries. The study aims to explore whether the adoption of these standards contributes to democratic consolidation, focusing on the interplay between transparency reforms and institutional maturity. Design/methodology/approach Using panel data from a sample of 47 developing and transition countries that are members of the United Nations, this research applies econometric models to assess the relationship between the adoption of IFRS, IPSAS and ESG standards and measures of democratic governance. The study compares the effects of isolated versus simultaneous adoption of these standards and examines the moderating role of institutional maturity in influencing democratic outcomes. Findings The results indicate that the isolated adoption of IFRS, IPSAS or ESG disclosure does not significantly improve democratic governance. However, the simultaneous full adoption of these three frameworks has a positive and statistically significant impact on democratic consolidation. These findings highlight the importance of implementing transparency reforms in a coordinated manner across the private, public, and sustainability sectors. Additionally, the democratic benefits of these combined reforms are stronger in countries with higher institutional maturity, suggesting that institutional factors play a critical role in determining the effectiveness of reporting standards. Originality/value This study re evaluates the political economy of transparency by demonstrating that the impact of international reporting standards is not automatic. It bridges the gap between technical compliance and substantive accountability, revealing that partial transparency can create informational fragmentation and become a tool for elite capture rather than democratic progress. By testing the triple interaction (IFRS × IPSAS × ESG) within a unified framework, we show that isolated IFRS experience correlates with democratic decline – a “partial transparency trap” – whereas simultaneous adoption of all three frameworks yields democratic gains. However, these gains materialize only when institutional maturity is sufficient, and they are amplified by stronger rule of law and enforcement capacity. This challenges the prevailing “transparency as panacea” view and demonstrates that the effectiveness of reporting reforms depends critically on coordinated cross sectoral implementation and on the surrounding institutional environment. The study thus offers novel, conditional insights into how international standards can influence democratic governance, rejecting one size fits all approaches and highlighting the need to prioritize institutional capacity, especially in developing and transition countries where such capacities are often underdeveloped.