Yue Li and Gordon D. Richardson receive Distinguished Contributions to Accounting Literature Award

Yue Li and Gordon D. Richardson are among the recipients of the 2023 Distinguished Contributions to Accounting Literature Award from the American Accounting Association (AAA), the largest accounting association in the world.

Two influential publications that Li and Richardson co-wrote contributed to their AAA win, including a 2008 study on the relationship between environmental performance and disclosure – cited more than 1,700 times in other academic papers – and their 2011 research on the determinants and consequences of proactive environmental strategies.

“I'm very humbled and honoured to receive this award alongside my co-authors. This recognition is a testament to the dedication and passion I have for environmental accounting research,” said Li, a professor of accounting at the Institute for Management & Innovation, with a cross-appointment at the Rotman School of Management.

Li, director of the master of management and professional accounting program at U of T Mississauga, studies the relationship between firms that voluntarily disclose their environmental strategies and their performance – both environmental and financial. He focuses on corporate environmental performance, corporate social responsibility and sustainability management.

Richardson, a professor of accounting at the Rotman School of Management, is a capital markets researcher who has published numerous studies related to environmental accounting involving greenhouse gases and corporate social responsibility. He specializes in accounting-based valuation models and the value relevance for investors of financial statements. In 2022, Richardson was inducted into the Canadian Accounting Hall of Fame.

The AAA award, presented in the form of unique glass art pieces and a $2,500 prize, will be given to Li, Richardson and their two co-authors at the 2023 AAA Annual Meeting next month in Denver, Colo.

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