IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecanpo/v80y2023icp1396-1414.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

China stock market liberalization and company ESG performance: The mediating effect of investor attention

Author

Listed:
  • Yin, Zhichao
  • Li, Xinqi
  • Si, Dengkui
  • Li, Xiaolin

Abstract

As China has begun to promote a high level of opening up of its stock market, ESG indicators have gradually become one of the important decision-making tools for overseas investors to invest in China's stock market. Using the data of Chinese listed companies from 2011 to 2022, this paper examines the impact of stock market opening on the ESG of listed companies and the mediating role of investor attention in this process by using the Difference-in-Differences (DID) and mediating effect models. Research shows that the opening of the stock market improves the ESG performance of listed companies by attracting more investor attention. Investor focus, investor sentiment, and investor interaction all constitute the intermediary channels through which the stock market opening affects ESG. The above mediating effect is established in most industries and is stronger in state-owned enterprises. This mediating effect plays the largest role in improving corporate governance, followed by social and environmental responsibility. The opening of China's stock market provides a model for emerging market countries to improve their ESG performance. Based on the research conclusions, we propose suggestions for addressing the mediating effect of investor attention, expanding the opening of the stock market to provide sufficient channels for investors to fully participate in market transactions, and differentiated ESG information disclosure.

Suggested Citation

  • Yin, Zhichao & Li, Xinqi & Si, Dengkui & Li, Xiaolin, 2023. "China stock market liberalization and company ESG performance: The mediating effect of investor attention," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1396-1414.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecanpo:v:80:y:2023:i:c:p:1396-1414
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eap.2023.10.022
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0313592623002692
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eap.2023.10.022?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vo, Xuan Vinh, 2017. "Do foreign investors improve stock price informativeness in emerging equity markets? Evidence from Vietnam," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 986-991.
    2. Si, Deng-Kui & Wang, Meng & Ding, Hui, 2023. "Capital account liberalization and corporate maturity mismatch: The role of bank competition," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    3. Heyman, Fredrik & Sjoholm, Fredrik & Tingvall, Patrik Gustavsson, 2007. "Is there really a foreign ownership wage premium? Evidence from matched employer-employee data," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(2), pages 355-376, November.
    4. Malcolm Baker & Mark L. Egan & Suproteem K. Sarkar, 2022. "How Do Investors Value ESG?," NBER Working Papers 30708, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Si, Deng-Kui & Li, Xiao-Lin & Xu, XuChuan & Fang, Yi, 2021. "The risk spillover effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on energy sector: Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    6. Blundell, Richard, et al, 2000. "The Returns to Higher Education in Britain: Evidence from a British Cohort," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(461), pages 82-99, February.
    7. Jiang, Chun & Chang, Ya-Qi & Ge, Xinyu & Si, Deng-Kui, 2023. "Identifying the impact of bank competition on corporate shadow banking: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    8. Thorsten Beck & Ross Levine & Alexey Levkov, 2010. "Big Bad Banks? The Winners and Losers from Bank Deregulation in the United States," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 65(5), pages 1637-1667, October.
    9. Muttanachai Suttipun, 2021. "The influence of board composition on environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure of Thai listed companies," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(4), pages 391-402, December.
    10. Murad Harasheh & Roberta Provasi, 2023. "A need for assurance: Do internal control systems integrate environmental, social, and governance factors?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(1), pages 384-401, January.
    11. Zhi Da & Joseph Engelberg & Pengjie Gao, 2011. "In Search of Attention," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 66(5), pages 1461-1499, October.
    12. Becker, Martin G. & Martin, Fabio & Walter, Andreas, 2022. "The power of ESG transparency: The effect of the new SFDR sustainability labels on mutual funds and individual investors," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    13. Muhammad Islam & Craig Deegan, 2010. "Media pressures and corporate disclosure of social responsibility performance information: A study of two global clothing and sports retail companies," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(2), pages 131-148.
    14. Kong, Dongmin & Ji, Mianmian & Zhang, Fan, 2022. "Individual investors’ dividend tax reform and corporate social responsibility," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    15. Qiu, Guojing & Si, Deng-Kui & Hu, Debao & Li, Xinqi, 2023. "Banking deregulation and export product quality," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    16. Caroline Flammer, 2015. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Lead to Superior Financial Performance? A Regression Discontinuity Approach," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(11), pages 2549-2568, November.
    17. Li, Xiao-Lin & Li, Haofei & Ge, Xinyu & Si, Deng-Kui, 2023. "Capital market liberalization and systemic risk of non-financial firms: Evidence from Chinese Stock Connect scheme," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    18. Si, Deng-Kui & Li, Xiao-Lin, 2022. "Shadow banking business and firm risk-taking: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    19. Jang, Ga-Young & Kang, Hyoung-Goo & Kim, Woojin, 2022. "Corporate executives’ incentives and ESG performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    20. Shira Cohen & Igor Kadach & Gaizka Ormazabal & Stefan Reichelstein, 2023. "Executive Compensation Tied to ESG Performance: International Evidence," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(3), pages 805-853, June.
    21. Cao, Xing & Zhang, Yongjie & Feng, Xu & Meng, Xiangtong, 2021. "Investor interaction and price efficiency: Evidence from social media," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    22. Bazrafshan, Ebrahim, 2023. "The role of ESG ranking in retail and institutional investors' attention and trading behavior," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PC).
    23. Li, Xiao-Lin & Li, Jingya & Wang, Jia & Si, Deng-Kui, 2021. "Trade policy uncertainty, political connection and government subsidy: Evidence from Chinese energy firms," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    24. Fang, Fang & Si, Deng-Kui & Hu, Debao, 2023. "Green bond spread effect of unconventional monetary policy: Evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 398-413.
    25. Kong, Dongmin & Piao, Yin & Zhang, Wenzhe & Liu, Chenhao & Zhao, Ying, 2023. "Trust and corporate social responsibility: Evidence from CEO’s early experience," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 585-596.
    26. Sang Kim & Zhichuan (Frank) Li, 2021. "Understanding the Impact of ESG Practices in Corporate Finance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-15, March.
    27. Xingqiang Du & Wei Jian & Yingjie Du & Wentao Feng & Quan Zeng, 2014. "Religion, the Nature of Ultimate Owner, and Corporate Philanthropic Giving: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 123(2), pages 235-256, August.
    28. Si, Deng-Kui & Li, Xiao-Lin & Huang, Shoujun, 2021. "Financial deregulation and operational risks of energy enterprise: The shock of liberalization of bank lending rate in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    29. Kong, Dongmin & Xiong, Mengxu & Qin, Ni, 2022. "Business Tax reform and CSR engagement: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    30. Wang, Li & Dai, Yunhao & Kong, Dongmin, 2021. "Air pollution and employee treatment," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    31. Zhang, Qin & Wong, Jin Boon, 2022. "ESG reputational risks and board monitoring committees," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    32. Jungeun Cho & Haeyoung Ryu, 2022. "Impact of Managerial Ownership on Corporate Social Responsibility in Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-14, April.
    33. Chan, Marc K. & Kwok, Simon, 2017. "Risk-sharing, market imperfections, asset prices: Evidence from China’s stock market liberalization," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 166-187.
    34. Nicola Cucari & Salvatore Esposito De Falco & Beatrice Orlando, 2018. "Diversity of Board of Directors and Environmental Social Governance: Evidence from Italian Listed Companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(3), pages 250-266, May.
    35. Jaime F. Lavin & Alejandro A. Montecinos-Pearce, 2021. "ESG Disclosure in an Emerging Market: An Empirical Analysis of the Influence of Board Characteristics and Ownership Structure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-20, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Wan, Guochao & Zhang, Weike & Li, Chao, 2024. "How does low-carbon city pilot policy catalyze companies toward ESG practices? Evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 1593-1607.
    2. Yang Li & Tianye Zhao, 2024. "How Digital Transformation Enables Corporate Sustainability: Based on the Internal and External Efficiency Improvement Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-20, June.
    3. Zhang, Hua & Zhang, Huaqing & Tian, Li & Yuan, Shengli & Tu, Yongqian, 2024. "ESG performance and litigation risk," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    4. Zhao, Xiaomeng & Chen, Yinna & Si, Deng-Kui & Jiang, Cun-Yuan, 2024. "How does environmental legislation affect enterprise investment preferences? A quasi-natural experiment based on China's new environmental protection law," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 834-855.

    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. Yang, Guang-Zhao & Si, Deng-Kui & Ning, Guang-Jie, 2023. "Does digital transformation reduce the labor income share in enterprises?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1526-1538.
    2. Zhao, Xiaomeng & Chen, Yinna & Si, Deng-Kui & Jiang, Cun-Yuan, 2024. "How does environmental legislation affect enterprise investment preferences? A quasi-natural experiment based on China's new environmental protection law," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 834-855.
    3. Zeng, Yongliang & Zhao, Xiangfang & Zhu, Yiwen, 2023. "Equity incentives and ESG performance: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PC).
    4. Ge, Qian-Qian & Liu, Xi-Hua & Zhang, Yu-Chen & Liu, Shi-Qi, 2023. "Has China’s Free Trade Zone policy promoted the upgrading of service industry structure?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1171-1186.
    5. Si, Deng-Kui & Zhuang, Jiali & Ge, Xinyu & Yu, Yong, 2024. "The nexus between trade policy uncertainty and corporate financialization: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    6. Xiao, Zumian & Wang, Shuhan & Zhang, Yepeng & Si, Deng-Kui, 2023. "Power of competition: Unraveling the impact of China's fair competition review system implementation on firm innovation," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1561-1581.
    7. Laiqun Jin & Xiuyan Liu & Sam Hak Kan Tang, 2021. "High-Technology Zones, Misallocation of Resources among Cities and Aggregate Productivity: Evidence from China," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 21-11, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    8. Shaista Wasiuzzaman & Vasanthan Subramaniam, 2023. "Board gender diversity and environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure: Is it different for developed and developing nations?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(5), pages 2145-2165, September.
    9. Cheng, Yudan & Jia, Shanghui & Meng, Huan, 2022. "Fiscal policy choices of local governments in China: Land finance or local government debt?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 294-308.
    10. Zhang, Yanan & Zhang, Xiaoyu, 2024. "Top management team functional diversity and ESG performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    11. Nejla Ould Daoud Ellili, 2023. "Impact of corporate governance on environmental, social, and governance disclosure: Any difference between financial and non‐financial companies?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 858-873, March.
    12. Ibrahim Khalifa Elmghaamez & Jacinta Nwachukwu & Collins G. Ntim, 2024. "ESG disclosure and financial performance of multinational enterprises: The moderating effect of board standing committees," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(3), pages 3593-3638, July.
    13. Wang, Zhen & Chu, Erming & Hao, Yukai, 2024. "Towards sustainable development: How does ESG performance promotes corporate green transformation," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    14. Tang, Meili & Wang, Yu, 2022. "Tax incentives and corporate social responsibility: The role of cash savings from accelerated depreciation policy," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    15. Qian, Shuitu & Yu, Wenzhe, 2024. "Green finance and environmental, social, and governance performance," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(PA), pages 1185-1202.
    16. Patrick J. Ferguson & Jane Hronsky & Matt Pinnuck, 2023. "Who pays attention to sustainability reports and why? Evidence from Google search activity," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(3), pages 3519-3551, September.
    17. Salisu, Afees A. & Vo, Xuan Vinh, 2021. "Firm-specific news and the predictability of Consumer stocks in Vietnam," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    18. Yusuf Babatunde Adeneye & Setareh Fasihi & Ines Kammoun & Khaldoon Albitar, 2024. "Does earnings management constrain ESG performance? The role of corporate governance," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(1), pages 69-92, March.
    19. Liu, Dayong & Gu, Kaiyuan & Hu, Wenhua, 2023. "ESG performance and stock idiosyncratic volatility," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PB).
    20. Lipeng Sun & Nur Ashikin Mohd Saat, 2023. "How Does Intelligent Manufacturing Affect the ESG Performance of Manufacturing Firms? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-20, February.

    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:eee:ecanpo:v:80:y:2023:i:c:p:1396-1414. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/economic-analysis-and-policy .

    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.