Master Limited Partnership Research in Accounting, Economics, and Finance

Abstract

I review the research on master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) in the accounting, economics, and finance literature. I begin by outlining the scope of the review and providing a brief background on the structure, taxation, and governance of master limited partnerships. Next, I describe the various sources from which MLP data is derived. I then review the research, aggregating it into four broad categories: (1) taxes and organizational form; (2) taxes, capital structure, and payout policy; (3) valuation; and (4) governance research. Within each section, I present possible avenues for future research in accounting, economics, and finance.