The influence of board and audit committee characteristics on CSR reporting in Bahrain: the legitimacy perspective

Purpose - This study aims to examine, from a legitimacy perspective, the potential influence of board and audit committee (AC) characteristics on the level of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure by listed firms in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Design/methodology/approach - Throughout a 10-year period (2013–2022), 160 firm-year observations from listed firms in Bahrain are used. Four hierarchical multiple regression (HMR) models are developed to examine the effects of five independent variables and three control variables. Findings - HMR model results show that CSR reporting is determined by only two independent variables: board independence and AC independence. Also, the results of this study partially support the argument that legitimacy theory is a key factor in explaining CSR. Research limitations/implications - Limitations include a small sample of 160 firm-year observations over a 10-year period (2013–2022) using a small CSR index of 16 items and not considering other board and AC characteristics. Practical implications - This study assists policymakers in achieving strategic goals and guiding future environmental, social and governance reporting guidelines. Social implications - This study reveals that the CSR practices of Bahraini listed firms are not determined by factors like board size, AC size and AC number of meetings. It offers insights for accounting scholars on the importance of including board and AC features in CSR research. Originality/value - To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is among the first to investigate this topic in Bahrain and to use board and AC characteristics as independent variables.