Wanli Zhao

Wanli Zhao is Full Professor of Accounting at Bocconi University, recognized as Outstanding Researcher of the Year (2015). His research examines corporate governance through political economy and behavioral lenses, with publications in Journal of Finance, Journal of Accounting & Economics, and Management Science.

Research investigates: political capture in antitrust reviews; innovation measurement beyond patents; and shadow trading by stakeholders. Recent work analyzes how political connections influence SEC enforcement and capital expenditures in banking.

Teaching includes advanced accounting courses on data analytics for financial disclosures, governance mechanisms, and narrative analysis. His pedagogical approach integrates empirical methods with theoretical frameworks for analyzing financial reporting quality.