Xinlei Li

Ph.D., Columbia University
M.Phil., Columbia University
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Tsinghua University

Research Expertise 
Corporate disclosure, Accounting information, Debt contracting

Assistant Professor Xinlei Li’s research focuses on the relationship between corporate disclosure, accounting information and debt contracting. For example, her work examines how personal lending relationships between lenders and managers are affected by borrowing firms’ information and accounting environments. Furthermore, Li’s research reveals the significance and uniqueness of individual-pair relationships cultivated through repeated loan interactions in reducing the cost of debt. In another paper, she finds that firms can reduce their cost of capital by committing to environmental protection through loan contracts. In another line of research, Li examines a regulatory change that increased the reporting frequency of mutual funds’ portfolios and finds that firms with greater ownership by mutual funds increase share repurchases following the regulatory change as a response to undervaluation.

Li’s research has been published in leading academic journals, including The Accounting Review, Review of Accounting Studies and Contemporary Accounting Research.

Li completed her Ph.D. in Accounting and M.Phil. at Columbia University, and her B.S. in Economics and Finance at Tsinghua University. Before joining the Graduate School of Management, Li held a faculty position at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.