IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ebl/ecbull/eb-23-00137.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of governance on environmental performance: evidence from African countries

Author

Listed:
  • Sana Ben Abdallah

    (Faculty of Economics and Management of Sfax, LED, University of Sfax, Tunisia)

  • Dhafer Saidane

    (SKEMA Business School – Université Côte d''Azur)

  • Sami Ben Mim

    (IHEC, LaREMFiQ, University of Sousse, Tunisia)

Abstract

This article assesses the impact of governance mechanisms on the environmental performance of a sample of 122 listed African firms between 2010 and 2022. We distinguish between the performance relative to the control of harmful emissions and that related to the firm's pro-environmental innovations. We also consider two governance proxies, reflecting the management quality and the corporate social responsibility strategy, respectively. The System GMM results show that enhancing the governance quality significantly contributes to promoting environmental performance. Results also reveal that the environmental scores are highly persistent, which reflects the African firms' commitment to a long-term CSR strategy. Finally, we notice that results differ from one sector to another. In particular, CSR has little effect on industrial harmful emissions and no effect on the industrial sector's ability to produce innovations. Such results suggest that the green transition in African industry is particularly difficult to implement and requires more resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Sana Ben Abdallah & Dhafer Saidane & Sami Ben Mim, 2024. "The impact of governance on environmental performance: evidence from African countries," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 44(1), pages 122-139.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-23-00137
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2024/Volume44/EB-24-V44-I1-P11.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nurlan Orazalin & Mady Baydauletov, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility strategy and corporate environmental and social performance: The moderating role of board gender diversity," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(4), pages 1664-1676, July.
    2. Halme, Minna & Huse, Morten, 1997. "The influence of corporate governance, industry and country factors on environmental reporting," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 137-157, June.
    3. Huang, Chi-Jui, 2010. "Corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and corporate performance," Journal of Management & Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 16(5), pages 641-655, November.
    4. Elizabeth Webb, 2004. "An Examination of Socially Responsible Firms’ Board Structure," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 8(3), pages 255-277, June.
    5. Tolossa Fufa Gulema & Yadessa Tadesse Roba, 2021. "Internal and external determinants of corporate social responsibility practices in multinational enterprise subsidiaries in developing countries: evidence from Ethiopia," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-19, December.
    6. Stefan Ambec & Paul Lanoie, 2009. "Performance environnementale et économique de l'entreprise," Economie & Prévision, La Documentation Française, vol. 0(4), pages 71-94.
    7. SAIDANE, Dhafer & ABDALLAH, Sana BEN, 2021. "African firm default risk and CSR," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    8. Pierre Mathieu, 2008. "La RSE : Fondements théoriques et problématiques gestionnaires," Post-Print halshs-00769063, HAL.
    9. Jerry Goodstein & Kanak Gautam & Warren Boeker, 1994. "The effects of board size and diversity on strategic change," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(3), pages 241-250, March.
    10. Andrew King & Michael Lenox, 2002. "Exploring the Locus of Profitable Pollution Reduction," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(2), pages 289-299, February.
    11. Heather R. Dixon-Fowler & Alan E. Ellstrand & Jonathan L. Johnson, 2017. "The Role of Board Environmental Committees in Corporate Environmental Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 423-438, February.
    12. Doonan, Julie & Lanoie, Paul & Laplante, Benoit, 2005. "Determinants of environmental performance in the Canadian pulp and paper industry: An assessment from inside the industry," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(1), pages 73-84, October.
    13. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    14. Md. Abdul Kaium Masud & Mohammad Nurunnabi & Seong Mi Bae, 2018. "The effects of corporate governance on environmental sustainability reporting: empirical evidence from South Asian countries," Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 1-26, December.
    15. Hoje Jo & Maretno Harjoto, 2012. "The Causal Effect of Corporate Governance on Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 106(1), pages 53-72, March.
    16. Sanja Pekovic & Sebastian Vogt, 2021. "The fit between corporate social responsibility and corporate governance: the impact on a firm’s financial performance," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 1095-1125, May.
    17. Brown, William O. & Helland, Eric & Smith, Janet Kiholm, 2006. "Corporate philanthropic practices," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 12(5), pages 855-877, December.
    18. Eugenio Zubeltzu‐Jaka & Igor Álvarez‐Etxeberria & Eduardo Ortas, 2020. "The effect of the size of the board of directors on corporate social performance: A meta‐analytic approach," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 1361-1374, May.
    19. Judith L. Walls & Pascual Berrone & Phillip H. Phan, 2012. "Corporate governance and environmental performance: is there really a link?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(8), pages 885-913, August.
    20. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    21. Robert D. Klassen & Curtis P. McLaughlin, 1996. "The Impact of Environmental Management on Firm Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(8), pages 1199-1214, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yasir Shahab & Ammar Ali Gull & Asad Ali Rind & Aitzaz Ahsan Alias Sarang & Tanveer Ahsan, 2022. "Do corporate governance mechanisms curb the anti-environmental behavior of firms worldwide? An illustration through waste management," Post-Print hal-03602986, HAL.
    2. Claude Francoeur & Réal Labelle & Souha Balti & Saloua EL Bouzaidi, 2019. "To What Extent Do Gender Diverse Boards Enhance Corporate Social Performance?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 343-357, March.
    3. Thi H.H. Nguyen & Mohamed H. Elmagrhi & Collins G. Ntim & Yue Wu, 2021. "Environmental performance, sustainability, governance and financial performance: Evidence from heavily polluting industries in China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2313-2331, July.
    4. Chidiebele Innocent Onyali & Chinedu Uchenna Okerekeoti, 2018. "Board Heterogeneity and Corporate Performance of Firms in Nigeria," International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, vol. 8(3), pages 103-117, July.
    5. Jinhua Cui & Hoje Jo & Manuel Velasquez, 2015. "The Influence of Christian Religiosity on Managerial Decisions Concerning the Environment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 203-231, November.
    6. Nekhili, Mehdi & Nagati, Haithem & Chtioui, Tawhid & Nekhili, Ali, 2017. "Gender-diverse board and the relevance of voluntary CSR reporting," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 81-100.
    7. Cuadrado Ballesteros, Beatriz & García Rubio, Raquel & Martínez Ferrero, Jennifer, 2015. "Efecto de la composición del consejo de administración en las prácticas de responsabilidad social corporativa," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 20-31.
    8. Jonathan Taglialatela & Ivan Miroshnychenko & Roberto Barontini & Francesco Testa, 2024. "Talk or walk? The board of directors and firm environmental strategies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 2890-2910, May.
    9. Derek Kruse & Kristie Briggs & Eric J. Neuman, 2022. "Mitigating endogeneity in corporate social responsibility research: An investigation using a neoclassical production function," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(1), pages 3-15, January.
    10. Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez & Jennifer Martínez‐Ferrero, 2018. "How do Independent Directors Behave with Respect to Sustainability Disclosure?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(4), pages 609-627, July.
    11. George Kassinis & Alexia Panayiotou & Andreas Dimou & Georgia Katsifaraki, 2016. "Gender and Environmental Sustainability: A Longitudinal Analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(6), pages 399-412, November.
    12. Young Kyun Chang & Won-Yong Oh & Jee Hyun Park & Myoung Gyun Jang, 2017. "Exploring the Relationship Between Board Characteristics and CSR: Empirical Evidence from Korea," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(2), pages 225-242, January.
    13. Hoje Jo & Hakkon Kim & Kwangwoo Park, 2015. "Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Firm Performance in the Financial Services Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 257-284, October.
    14. Ayman Issa & Mohammad A. A. Zaid & Jalal Rajeh Hanaysha, 2022. "Exploring the relationship between female director's profile and sustainability performance: Evidence from the Middle East," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(6), pages 1980-2002, September.
    15. Jing Jia & Zhongtian Li, 2022. "Corporate sustainability, earnings persistence and the association between earnings and future cash flows," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(1), pages 299-336, March.
    16. Liao, Lin & Luo, Le & Tang, Qingliang, 2015. "Gender diversity, board independence, environmental committee and greenhouse gas disclosure," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 409-424.
    17. Gull, Ammar Ali & Carvajal, Mariela & Atif, Muhammad & Nadeem, Muhammad, 2024. "The presence and composition of sustainability committee and waste management practices," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    18. Sachin B. Modi & David E. Cantor, 2021. "How Coopetition Influences Environmental Performance: Role of Financial Slack, Leverage, and Leanness," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 30(7), pages 2046-2068, July.
    19. Woon Leong Lin, 2024. "Too little of a good thing? Curvilinear effects of corporate social responsibility on corporate financial performance," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 18(8), pages 2197-2228, August.
    20. Laura Baselga-Pascual & Antonio Trujillo-Ponce & Emilia Vähämaa & Sami Vähämaa, 2018. "Ethical Reputation of Financial Institutions: Do Board Characteristics Matter?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(3), pages 489-510, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Governance; Environmental performance; African companies; SGMM.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics
    • G3 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-23-00137. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: John P. Conley (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.