Abstract
This study intends to evaluate the relationship between the quality in accounting information and the organizational characteristics of Third Sector entities. The methodology is designed to follow a descriptive, documental and quantitative approach. The universe of the study is composed of Third Sector organizations, formally constituted in the Brazilian scenario. The target population has included organizations with OSCIP and UPF specifications. The 18,553 entities, which existed during the study, were investigated. The research used a probabilistic sample of 392 entities. The results indicate a predominance of the institutions established under the legal form of association. As for the size, the foundations are the larger ones. Regarding the quality of accounting information, we have identified a lower reported information quality index, when compared to the second sector. Finally, the results showed that the organizational characteristics of size, creation time and qualification as OSCIP have significant and positive influence on the quality of accounting information of the entities that we analyzed. This led to the conclusion that the non-profit organizations and regulatory organs need to make improvements regarding the accounting information reporting process, as well as the awareness of the importance of these reports for the decision-making process and public accountability. This study contributes to the discussion about the characteristics of the third sector organizations that relate with the quality of the accounting information reported by these institutions in the Brazilian scenario. It is the first study that analyzed this relationship in Brazil.
Keywords:
Quality in Accounting Information; Third Sector; Accountability; Accounting in the Third Sector