Abstract

The origin of this chapter lies in the observation that international standard-setters never refer to any of the prominent European theorists of accounting, and that the theoretical basis of standard-setting primarily acknowledges (Anglophone) financial economics rather than anything else. This chapter therefore sets out to provide a brief introduction to the better-known theorists from mainland Europe. What emerges is that our predecessors identified fundamental issues in financial reporting that still remain unresolved, even if each generation perhaps sees them as problems of their own period.