Asymmetric cost behavior: Theory, meta-analysis, and implications

Asymmetric cost behavior is an emerging and dynamic research area within the context of contemporary cost management research. This study systematically reviews asymmetric cost behavior research published in ABS-ranked journals (53 English-speaking journals) between 2003 and 2020. Additionally, we provide a review of the econometric models and instruments employed in empirical asymmetric cost behavior research and a meta-analysis of prior empirical evidence for the main determinants of the direction and intensity of the asymmetric cost behavior phenomenon. Several research streams are recognized within two major themes of cost asymmetry empirical research: (i) determinants of the asymmetric cost behavior phenomenon, and (ii) cost asymmetry as a determinant of earnings behavior, earnings prediction, and other microeconomic and macroeconomic phenomena. Each major component of our review is accompanied by critical analysis and suggestions for future research. Meta-analysis of the existing body of cost asymmetry studies reveals no publication bias but increasing heterogeneity within existing empirical evidence for cost asymmetry.