This study aims to investigate the extent and nature of voluntary disclosure (VD) of the Palestinian companies listed on the Palestine Exchange (PEX). Furthermore, the impact of board characteristics on the level of voluntary disclosure is examined. Data was collected from a sample of 45 companies’ annual reports -constituting 93.7% of Palestinian-listed companies- for 2013-2017. In order to measure VD, a disclosure index including 55 items of voluntary information was constructed and applied. To achieve the study’s objectives, fixed effect multiple regression was used. The study results reveal that, on average, a company discloses 56.31% of the items included in the disclosure index. In addition, a significant positive relationship between board size and the level of voluntary disclosure. In contrast, there is a significant negative relationship between board gender diversity and the level of voluntary disclosure. Furthermore, board independence was found not to affect the level of voluntary disclosure. The study recommends that policymakers and regulators are encouraged to establish an official Palestinian VDI that can be used to evaluate and compare voluntary practice and disclosure among Palestinian companies. Keywords: Voluntary disclosure, Board Characteristics, PEX.

Conference Title

The Fifth Scientific Conference of the College of Economics and Social Sciences 2023 "Economic Sustainability in the Era of Industrial Revolution 5.0" CESS 2023

Conference Country

Palestine

Conference Date

May 10, 2023 - May 10, 2023

Conference Sponsor

An Najah National University

Additional Info

Conference Website