IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecmode/v128y2023ics0264999323003279.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The peer effect of digital transformation and corporate environmental performance: Empirical evidence from listed companies in China

Author

Listed:
  • Ren, Xiaohang
  • Zeng, Gudian
  • Sun, Xianming

Abstract

Enhancing corporate environmental performance is crucial to addressing the global climate crisis. The extant research has explored the factors influencing environmental performance at the macroeconomic level. In contrast, this study focuses on micro-firms and selects a sample of Chinese-listed companies from 2011 to 2021 to investigate how the peer effect of digital transformation impact corporate environmental performance. Machine learning and textual analysis are adopted to measure digital transformation. Environmental performance is measured by corporate carbon emission reduction and the environmental score in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) rating. This paper confirms that the industry and regional peer effects of digital transformation contribute to environmental performance. The industry peer effect of digital transformation can improve corporate environmental performance by promoting innovation, while the regional peer effect of digital transformation can alleviate corporate financing constraints, improving its environmental performance. This paper can serve as a reference for companies to explore sustainable development and for governments to formulate environmental protection policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Ren, Xiaohang & Zeng, Gudian & Sun, Xianming, 2023. "The peer effect of digital transformation and corporate environmental performance: Empirical evidence from listed companies in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecmode:v:128:y:2023:i:c:s0264999323003279
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econmod.2023.106515
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264999323003279
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.econmod.2023.106515?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. Caiyun Chen & Minghuan Li, 2023. "Does digital finance impact debt concentration of Chinese firms?," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(7), pages 871-874, April.
    2. Du, Kerui & Cheng, Yuanyuan & Yao, Xin, 2021. "Environmental regulation, green technology innovation, and industrial structure upgrading: The road to the green transformation of Chinese cities," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    3. Wang, Bo & Zhao, Jun & Dong, Kangyin & Jiang, Qingzhe, 2022. "High-quality energy development in China: Comprehensive assessment and its impact on CO2 emissions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    4. Matt, C. & Hess, Thomas & Benlian, Alexander, 2015. "Digital Transformation Strategies," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 75002, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    5. Samuel Drempetic & Christian Klein & Bernhard Zwergel, 2020. "The Influence of Firm Size on the ESG Score: Corporate Sustainability Ratings Under Review," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 167(2), pages 333-360, November.
    6. Toni M. Whited & Guojun Wu, 2006. "Financial Constraints Risk," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 19(2), pages 531-559.
    7. Krieger, Bastian & Zipperer, Vera, 2022. "Does green public procurement trigger environmental innovations?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(6).
    8. Christian Matt & Thomas Hess & Alexander Benlian, 2015. "Digital Transformation Strategies," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 57(5), pages 339-343, October.
    9. Michael Ash & James K. Boyce, 2011. "Measuring corporate environmental justice performance," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(2), pages 61-79, March.
    10. Joseph Berechman & Dilruba Ozmen & Kaan Ozbay, 2006. "Empirical analysis of transportation investment and economic development at state, county and municipality levels," Transportation, Springer, vol. 33(6), pages 537-551, November.
    11. Yuming Zhai & Zhenghuan Cai & Han Lin & Ming Yuan & Ye Mao & Mingchuan Yu, 2022. "Does better environmental, social, and governance induce better corporate green innovation: The mediating role of financing constraints," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1513-1526, September.
    12. Li, Wenfei & Li, Donghui & Yang, Shijie, 2022. "The impact of internet penetration on venture capital investments: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    13. Wang, Xiong & Yang, Wanping & Ren, Xiaohang & Lu, Zudi, 2023. "Can financial inclusion affect energy poverty in China? Evidence from a spatial econometric analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 255-269.
    14. Charles J. Hadlock & Joshua R. Pierce, 2010. "New Evidence on Measuring Financial Constraints: Moving Beyond the KZ Index," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(5), pages 1909-1940.
    15. Ma, Dan & Zhu, Qing, 2022. "Innovation in emerging economies: Research on the digital economy driving high-quality green development," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 801-813.
    16. Avramov, Doron & Cheng, Si & Lioui, Abraham & Tarelli, Andrea, 2022. "Sustainable investing with ESG rating uncertainty," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(2), pages 642-664.
    17. Tao Kong & RenJi Sun & Guanglin Sun & Youtao Song, 2022. "Effects of Digital Finance on Green Innovation considering Information Asymmetry: An Empirical Study Based on Chinese Listed Firms," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(15), pages 4399-4411, December.
    18. Xie, Sujuan & Lin, Bingxuan & Li, Jingjing, 2022. "Political Control, Corporate Governance and Firm Value: The Case of China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    19. Dong, Kangyin & Ren, Xiaohang & Zhao, Jun, 2021. "How does low-carbon energy transition alleviate energy poverty in China? A nonparametric panel causality analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    20. Zhang, Dongyang & Lucey, Brian M., 2022. "Sustainable behaviors and firm performance: The role of financial constraints’ alleviation," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 220-233.
    21. Li, Jie & Wu, Yu & Xiao, Jing Jian, 2020. "The impact of digital finance on household consumption: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 317-326.
    22. Matt, C. & Hess, Thomas & Benlian, Alexander, 2015. "Digital Transformation Strategies," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 75202, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    23. Ren, Xiaohang & Wang, Rui & Duan, Kun & Chen, Jinyu, 2022. "Dynamics of the sheltering role of Bitcoin against crude oil market crash with varying severity of the COVID-19: A comparison with gold," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    24. Gillan, Stuart L. & Koch, Andrew & Starks, Laura T., 2021. "Firms and social responsibility: A review of ESG and CSR research in corporate finance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    25. An, Heng & Chen, Carl R. & Wu, Qun & Zhang, Ting, 2021. "Corporate Innovation: Do Diverse Boards Help?," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 56(1), pages 155-182, February.
    26. Jo, Hoje & Kim, Hee-Eun & Sim, Myounghwa, 2022. "Environmental preference, air pollution, and fund flows in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    27. Elitsa R Banalieva & Charles Dhanaraj, 2019. "Internalization theory for the digital economy," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 50(8), pages 1372-1387, October.
    28. Bhutta, Umair Saeed & Tariq, Adeel & Farrukh, Muhammad & Raza, Ali & Iqbal, Muhammad Khalid, 2022. "Green bonds for sustainable development: Review of literature on development and impact of green bonds," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    29. Ren, Xiaohang & Zeng, Gudian & Zhao, Yang, 2023. "Digital finance and corporate ESG performance: Empirical evidence from listed companies in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    30. Paige Ouimet & Geoffrey Tate, 2020. "Learning from Coworkers: Peer Effects on Individual Investment Decisions," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 75(1), pages 133-172, February.
    31. Steven N. Kaplan & Luigi Zingales, 1997. "Do Investment-Cash Flow Sensitivities Provide Useful Measures of Financing Constraints?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 112(1), pages 169-215.
    32. Kai Chang & Xiaochang Cheng & Yiran Wang & Qiming Liu & Jie Hu, 2023. "The impacts of ESG performance and digital finance on corporate financing efficiency in China," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(4), pages 516-523, February.
    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. Li, Weiping & Shi, Chang & Xiao, Zhongyi & Zhang, Xuezhi, 2024. "Bridging the green gap: How digital financial inclusion affects corporate ESG greenwashing," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 69(PA).
    2. Zhang, Yijun & Meng, Zhenzhen & Song, Yi, 2023. "Digital transformation and metal enterprise value: Evidence from China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(PB).
    3. Cheng, Linyin, 2024. "Does digital transformation matter for trade credit provision? Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    4. Wang, Sai & Wen, Wen & Niu, Yuhao & Li, Xin, 2024. "Digital transformation and corporate labor investment efficiency," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    5. Hongyi Wang & Yi Li & Bingyang He, 2024. "Spatial Spillover Effects of Digital Finance on Corporate ESG Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-20, August.
    6. Ponzoa, José M. & Gómez, Andrés & Mas, José M., 2023. "EU27 and USA institutions in the digital ecosystem: Proposal for a digital presence measurement index," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    7. Ren, Xiaohang & Zeng, Gudian & Zhao, Yang, 2023. "Digital finance and corporate ESG performance: Empirical evidence from listed companies in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    8. Wang, Ye & Liu, Xufeng & Wan, Die, 2023. "Stock market openness and ESG performance: Evidence from Shanghai-Hong Kong connect program," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 1306-1319.
    9. Zhang, Jiawei & Li, Yuan & Xu, Hanwen & Ding, Yi, 2023. "Can ESG ratings mitigate managerial myopia? Evidence from Chinese listed companies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    10. Ma, Dan & He, Yuhang & Zeng, Linggang, 2024. "Can green finance improve the ESG performance? Evidence from green credit policy in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    11. Changling Sun & Ziang Lin & Marek Vochozka & Zuzana Vincúrová, 2022. "Digital transformation and corporate cash holdings in China’s A-share listed companies," Oeconomia Copernicana, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 13(4), pages 1081-1116, December.
    12. Deli Wang & Ke Peng & Kaiye Tang & Yewei Wu, 2022. "Does Fintech Development Enhance Corporate ESG Performance? Evidence from an Emerging Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-21, December.
    13. Geng, Yong & Xiang, Xiaojian & Zhang, Guosheng & Li, Xue, 2024. "Digital transformation along the supply chain: Spillover effects from vertical partnerships," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    14. Hong, Jifeng & Kazakis, Pantelis & Strieborny, Martin, 2024. "Green Bond Issuance by Firms, External Monitoring, and Probability of Default: An Empirical Research Based on Green Policies," MPRA Paper 123049, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Khalid, Fahad & Irfan, Muhammad & Srivastava, Mohit, 2024. "The impact of digital inclusive finance on ESG disputes: Evidence from Chinese non-financial listed companies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    16. Niu, Yuhao & Wen, Wen & Wang, Sai & Li, Sifei, 2023. "Breaking barriers to innovation: The power of digital transformation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    17. Yang Yang & Jinmian Han, 2023. "Digital transformation, financing constraints, and corporate environmental, social, and governance performance," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(6), pages 3189-3202, November.
    18. Fleury, Afonso & Fleury, Maria Tereza Leme & Oliveira, Luis & Leao, Pablo, 2024. "Going digital EMNEs: The role of digital maturity capability," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(4).
    19. Fafaliou, Irene & Giaka, Maria & Konstantios, Dimitrios & Polemis, Michael, 2022. "Firms’ ESG reputational risk and market longevity: A firm-level analysis for the United States," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 161-177.
    20. Liu, Qiongzhi & Li, Renke & Wang, Yuqin, 2024. "Digital finance and capital mobility: Evidence from cross-regional investment of listed companies in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).

    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:ecmode:v:128:y:2023:i:c:s0264999323003279. 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.elsevier.com/locate/inca/30411 .

    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.