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Directors’ prior life experience and corporate donations: Evidence from China

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  • Su, Zhong-qin
  • Xu, Yuyang
  • Xiao, Zuoping
  • Fung, Hung-Gay

Abstract

We use a recent dataset of 16,082 firm-year observations from publicly traded Chinese firms to show that directors who have prior foreign study or work experience make more corporate donations, a result that supports the path dependency theory related to the effect of prior experiences on subsequent behaviors. The relationship between a director’s prior life experiences and corporate charitable contributions is robust across different types of ownership and industry. We show that corporate donations enable firms to have better access to bank loans, reducing their financial constraints. In addition, these directors appear to consume fewer perquisites, implying lower agency cost with corporate donations.

Suggested Citation

  • Su, Zhong-qin & Xu, Yuyang & Xiao, Zuoping & Fung, Hung-Gay, 2020. "Directors’ prior life experience and corporate donations: Evidence from China," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecofin:v:53:y:2020:i:c:s1062940820300887
    DOI: 10.1016/j.najef.2020.101191
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    2. Cao, Feng & Zhang, Xueyan & Yuan, Rongli, 2022. "Do geographically nearby major customers mitigate suppliers’ stock price crash risk?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(6).
    3. Weibing Li & Siyuan Chen & Kaixia Zhang, 2023. "Responsible Behavior of Irresponsible Companies: Air Pollution and Charitable Donations of Polluting Companies," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 31(4), pages 90-119, July.
    4. Huiming Zhang & Lirong Li & Cheng Fan & Zixuan Hang & Haroon ur Rashid Khan, 2021. "How Does Corporate Party Committee Governance Affect Charitable Donations? Evidence from Heavy-Pollution Industries in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-14, November.
    5. Shan Xu & Panyi Ma, 2022. "CEOs’ Poverty Experience and Corporate Social Responsibility: Are CEOs Who Have Experienced Poverty More Generous?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(2), pages 747-776, October.

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