Purpose: This paper examined the interactive role of Political Cycles on the relationship between Fiscal Policy and Capital Flight in Africa. Design/methodology/approach: A two-step System Generalized Methods of Moment empirical estimator was employed. This study used data on 40 African countries from 2009 to 2018. Findings: The findings revealed that the interaction between political structures and fiscal policy is positive and significant, indicating that fiscal policies during election periods or different regimes would increase capital flight. The study found that political cycles positively affect capital flight, indicating that election periods and possible government changes promote capital flight activities. The tension and volatile atmosphere characterizing election periods in most African countries cause investors to use all alternatives, including illegal systems, to fly funds to a potentially stable economy. Practical implications: This study recommends that government and policymakers maintain fiscal discipline during election years and enact pragmatic policies to ensure the continuity of critical fiscal policies to promote business climate and economic stability, especially when there is a change in government. Originality/value: This study contributes to capital flight literature in two forms. One, the study, to the best knowledge of the authors, is the first to proxy tax with corporate tax (a sound proxy for tax within the business space). Also, this study is the first to empirically show that elections worsen the effect of fiscal policy on capital flight in Africa. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-02-2024-0130

In periods of crisis, organizations and nations experience heightened demands to achieve financial targets, which result in unethical conduct such as the manipulation of financial data and the misrepresentation of financial information or funds. The study aimed at assessing the relationships between Crisis Accounting, Ethical Considerations and Financial Irregularities and establish the moderating role of Ethical Consideration in the relationship that exists between Crisis Accounting and Financial Irregularities. Data from 309 accountants were used to establish the relation between the variables using Partial Least Square - Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) analysed in SmartPLS 3. The results revealed a positive relationship between Crisis Accounting and Financial Irregularities and also significant impact in the relationship between Ethical Consideration and Financial Irregularities. The results also revealed a strong moderating role of ethical consideration on the relation between Crisis Accounting and Financial Irregularities. The study, therefore, recommends that ethical standards and considerations should be enhanced in accounting practice to limit or deter financial irregularities in crisis situations.