IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i14p5530-d382103.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainability Practices and Stability in the Insurance Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Laura Chiaramonte

    (Department of Business Administration, University of Verona, 37129 Verona, Italy)

  • Alberto Dreassi

    (Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics, University of Trieste, 34123 Trieste, Italy)

  • Andrea Paltrinieri

    (Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy)

  • Stefano Piserà

    (Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy
    Department of Accounting Finance and Management, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK)

Abstract

While the concept of sustainability is receiving growing attention from investors, firms, regulators, and researchers, little is known about its role in the insurance industry. As institutional investors and risk-absorbers from businesses and individuals, insurers adopt an operating model that is more inclined to target long-term objectives; they should be among the firms benefiting the most from engaging in sustainable practices. The existing literature provides evidence of the positive impact of sustainability on commercial stability, but this is the first study to examine this relationship for the insurance sector. Focusing on American listed insurers, we found that sustainability, proxied by Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) scores, enhances the stability of insurers, and that this relationship is driven by environmental and social dimensions. We did not observe a significant contribution from the governance dimension. Finally, we found a stronger association for life insurers. Our results are shown to be robust to endogeneity, enterprise heterogeneity and potential sample selection biases.

Suggested Citation

  • Laura Chiaramonte & Alberto Dreassi & Andrea Paltrinieri & Stefano Piserà, 2020. "Sustainability Practices and Stability in the Insurance Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-25, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:14:p:5530-:d:382103
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/14/5530/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/14/5530/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sandra A. Waddock & Samuel B. Graves, 1997. "The Corporate Social Performance–Financial Performance Link," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(4), pages 303-319, April.
    2. El Ghoul, Sadok & Guedhami, Omrane & Kwok, Chuck C.Y. & Mishra, Dev R., 2011. "Does corporate social responsibility affect the cost of capital?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 2388-2406, September.
    3. Hao Liang & Luc Renneboog, 2017. "On the Foundations of Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 72(2), pages 853-910, April.
    4. Iftekhar Hasan & Nada Kobeissi & Liuling Liu & Haizhi Wang, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Financial Performance: The Mediating Role of Productivity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(3), pages 671-688, May.
    5. Bhandari, Avishek & Javakhadze, David, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility and capital allocation efficiency," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 354-377.
    6. Wu, Meng-Wen & Shen, Chung-Hua, 2013. "Corporate social responsibility in the banking industry: Motives and financial performance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(9), pages 3529-3547.
    7. Beck, Thorsten & Laeven, Luc, 2006. "Resolution of failed banks by deposit insurers : cross-country evidence," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3920, The World Bank.
    8. Sarkis, Joseph & Dhavale, Dileep G., 2015. "Supplier selection for sustainable operations: A triple-bottom-line approach using a Bayesian framework," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 177-191.
    9. Christophe Revelli & Jean-Laurent Viviani, 2015. "Financial performance of socially responsible investing (SRI): what have we learned? A meta-analysis," Post-Print halshs-01141295, HAL.
    10. Mark P. Sharfman & Chitru S. Fernando, 2008. "Environmental risk management and the cost of capital," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 569-592, June.
    11. Orlitzky, Marc & Shen, Jie, 2013. "Corporate Social Responsibility, Industry, and Strategy," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(4), pages 346-350, December.
    12. Caporale, Guglielmo Maria & Cerrato, Mario & Zhang, Xuan, 2017. "Analysing the determinants of insolvency risk for general insurance firms in the UK," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 107-122.
    13. J. François Outreville, 2013. "The Relationship Between Insurance and Economic Development: 85 Empirical Papers for a Review of the Literature," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 16(1), pages 71-122, March.
    14. Fatemi, Ali & Fooladi, Iraj & Tehranian, Hassan, 2015. "Valuation effects of corporate social responsibility," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 182-192.
    15. Markus Kitzmueller & Jay Shimshack, 2012. "Economic Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 50(1), pages 51-84, March.
    16. Demirgüç-Kunt, Asli & Huizinga, Harry, 2010. "Bank activity and funding strategies: The impact on risk and returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(3), pages 626-650, December.
    17. Ioannis Oikonomou & Chris Brooks & Stephen Pavelin, 2012. "The Impact of Corporate Social Performance on Financial Risk and Utility: A Longitudinal Analysis," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 41(2), pages 483-515, June.
    18. Mike Adams & Bruce Burton & Philip Hardwick, 2003. "The Determinants of Credit Ratings in the United Kingdom Insurance Industry," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3‐4), pages 539-572, April.
    19. Laeven, Luc & Levine, Ross, 2009. "Bank governance, regulation and risk taking," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(2), pages 259-275, August.
    20. Heckman, James J, 1978. "Dummy Endogenous Variables in a Simultaneous Equation System," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 46(4), pages 931-959, July.
    21. Robert G. Eccles & Ioannis Ioannou & George Serafeim, 2014. "The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Processes and Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(11), pages 2835-2857, November.
    22. Anginer, Deniz & Demirgüç-Kunt, Asli & Mare, Davide S., 2018. "Bank capital, institutional environment and systemic stability," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 97-106.
    23. Alexander Bassen & Ana Maria Kovács, 2008. "Environmental, Social and Governance Key Performance - Indicators from a Capital Market Perspective," Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Unternehmensethik - Journal for Business, Economics & Ethics, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 9(2), pages 182-192.
    24. Najah Attig & Sadok El Ghoul & Omrane Guedhami & Jungwon Suh, 2013. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Credit Ratings," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 117(4), pages 679-694, November.
    25. Anginer, Deniz & Demirguc-Kunt, Asli & Huizinga, Harry & Ma, Kebin, 2018. "Corporate governance of banks and financial stability," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(2), pages 327-346.
    26. Stefano Dell'Atti & Annarita Trotta & Antonia Patrizia Iannuzzi & Federica Demaria, 2017. "Corporate Social Responsibility Engagement as a Determinant of Bank Reputation: An Empirical Analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(6), pages 589-605, November.
    27. Cheung, Adrian (Wai Kong), 2016. "Corporate social responsibility and corporate cash holdings," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 412-430.
    28. Leonardo Becchetti & Rocco Ciciretti & Pierluigi Conzo, 2020. "Legal Origins and Corporate Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-34, March.
    29. Alexander Bassen & Ana Maria Kovács, 2008. "Environmental, Social and Governance Key Performance - Indicators from a Capital Market Perspective," Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Unternehmensethik - Journal for Business, Economics & Ethics, Rainer Hampp Verlag, vol. 9(2), pages 182-192.
    30. Mike Adams & Bruce Burton & Philip Hardwick, 2003. "The Determinants of Credit Ratings in the United Kingdom Insurance Industry," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3-4), pages 539-572.
    31. Jeungbo Shim, 2017. "An Investigation Of Market Concentration And Financial Stability In Property–Liability Insurance Industry," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 84(2), pages 567-597, June.
    32. Pasiouras, Fotios & Gaganis, Chrysovalantis, 2013. "Regulations and soundness of insurance firms: International evidence," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(5), pages 632-642.
    33. Allen N. Berger & Björn Imbierowicz & Christian Rauch, 2016. "The Roles of Corporate Governance in Bank Failures during the Recent Financial Crisis," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 48(4), pages 729-770, June.
    34. Bert Scholtens, 2011. "Corporate social responsibility in the international insurance industry," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(2), pages 143-156, March/Apr.
    35. Gaganis, Chrysovalantis & Hasan, Iftekhar & Papadimitri, Panagiota & Tasiou, Menelaos, 2019. "National culture and risk-taking: Evidence from the insurance industry," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 104-116.
    36. Li, Kai & Griffin, Dale & Yue, Heng & Zhao, Longkai, 2013. "How does culture influence corporate risk-taking?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 1-22.
    37. S. Trevis Certo & John R. Busenbark & Hyun‐soo Woo & Matthew Semadeni, 2016. "Sample selection bias and Heckman models in strategic management research," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(13), pages 2639-2657, December.
    38. Weichieh Su & Mike W. Peng & Weiqiang Tan & Yan-Leung Cheung, 2016. "The Signaling Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility in Emerging Economies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(3), pages 479-491, March.
    39. Billie Ann Brotman, 1989. "The Reliability of Best's Insurer Ratings Using Financial Information Published in the Annual Report," Journal of Insurance Issues, Western Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 12(1), pages 58-70.
    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. Carlo Pugnetti & Sebastian Barth & Lukas Stricker, 2023. "Customer Expectations for Sustainability in the Swiss Insurance Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-16, June.
    2. Haitham Nobanee & Fayrouz Aksam Elsaied & Nouf Alhammadi & Noora Wazir, 2023. "Bibliometric analysis and visualization of green, sustainable, and environmental insurance research," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 28(4), pages 631-648, December.
    3. Li, Xuelian & Wu, Guanyang & Lin, Jyh-Horng, 2023. "Enhancing borrowing-firm equity through renewable energy adoption, consumer green awareness, and insurer sustainable finance," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    4. Chen, Shi & Huang, Fu-Wei & Lin, Jyh-Horng, 2023. "Green technology choices under the cap-and-trade mechanism with insurer green finance in a dragon-king environment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    5. Gehrig, Thomas & Iannino, Maria Chiara & Unger, Stephan, 2024. "Social responsibility and bank resiliency," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    6. Shi Chen & Fu-Wei Huang & Jyh-Horng Lin, 2022. "Effects of Cap-and-Trade Mechanism and Financial Gray Rhino Threats on Insurer Performance," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-20, July.
    7. Khan, Muhammad Arif & Hassan, M. Kabir & Maraghini, Maria Pia & Paolo, Biancone & Valentinuz, Giorgio, 2024. "Valuation effect of ESG and its impact on capital structure: Evidence from Europe," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 19-35.
    8. Silvia Bressan, 2023. "ESG, Taxes, and Profitability of Insurers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-13, September.
    9. Li, Xuelian & Zhou, Wei & Lin, Jyh-Jiuan & Chang, Ching-Hui, 2023. "Insurer financing for borrowing producers in a supply chain under alternative carbon allowance trades," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    10. Chen, Shi & Huang, Fu-Wei & Lin, Jyh-Horng, 2022. "Life insurance policyholder protection, government green subsidy, and cap-and-trade transactions in a black swan environment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    11. Silvia Bressan, 2023. "Effects from ESG Scores on P&C Insurance Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-15, August.

    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. Kabir Hassan, M. & Chiaramonte, Laura & Dreassi, Alberto & Paltrinieri, Andrea & Piserà, Stefano, 2021. "The crossroads of ESG and religious screening on firm risk," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    2. Hassan, M. Kabir & Chiaramonte, Laura & Dreassi, Alberto & Paltrinieri, Andrea & Piserà, Stefano, 2023. "Equity costs and risks in emerging markets: Are ESG and Sharia principles complementary?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    3. Boubaker, Sabri & Cellier, Alexis & Manita, Riadh & Saeed, Asif, 2020. "Does corporate social responsibility reduce financial distress risk?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 835-851.
    4. Malik, Ihtisham A. & Chowdhury, Hasibul & Alam, Md Samsul, 2023. "Equity market response to natural disasters: Does firm's corporate social responsibility make difference?," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    5. Boubaker, Sabri & Chebbi, Kaouther & Grira, Jocelyn, 2020. "Top management inside debt and corporate social responsibility? Evidence from the US," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 98-115.
    6. Amir Gholami & John Sands & Habib Ur Rahman, 2022. "Environmental, Social and Governance Disclosure and Value Generation: Is the Financial Industry Different?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-17, February.
    7. Azmi, Wajahat & Hassan, M. Kabir & Houston, Reza & Karim, Mohammad Sydul, 2021. "ESG activities and banking performance: International evidence from emerging economies," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    8. Irene Wei Kiong Ting & Noor Azlinna Azizan & Rajesh Kumar Bhaskaran & Sujit K Sukumaran, 2019. "Corporate Social Performance and Firm Performance: Comparative Study among Developed and Emerging Market Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-21, December.
    9. Giovanni Catello Landi & Francesca Iandolo & Antonio Renzi & Andrea Rey, 2022. "Embedding sustainability in risk management: The impact of environmental, social, and governance ratings on corporate financial risk," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 1096-1107, July.
    10. Caterina Di Tommaso & John Thornton, 2020. "Do ESG scores effect bank risk taking and value? Evidence from European banks," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(5), pages 2286-2298, September.
    11. Farah, Tazrina & Li, Jialong & Li, Zhicheng & Shamsuddin, Abul, 2021. "The non-linear effect of CSR on firms’ systematic risk: International evidence," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    12. Monica Singhania & Dimple Gupta, 2024. "Impact of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosure on firm risk: A meta‐analytical review," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 3573-3613, July.
    13. Yufen Wei & Qigui Liu & Jinbo Luo, 2023. "How does corporate social responsibility have influence on firms' access to trade credit," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(S1), pages 1321-1349, April.
    14. Dutordoir, Marie & Strong, Norman C. & Sun, Ping, 2018. "Corporate social responsibility and seasoned equity offerings," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 158-179.
    15. Gaganis, Chrysovalantis & Hasan, Iftekhar & Papadimitri, Panagiota & Tasiou, Menelaos, 2019. "National culture and risk-taking: Evidence from the insurance industry," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 104-116.
    16. Francesco Gangi & Antonio Meles & Eugenio D'Angelo & Lucia Michela Daniele, 2019. "Sustainable development and corporate governance in the financial system: Are environmentally friendly banks less risky?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(3), pages 529-547, May.
    17. Danisman, Gamze Ozturk & Tarazi, Amine, 2024. "ESG activity and bank lending during financial crises," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    18. Angelidis, Timotheos & Michairinas, Athanasios & Sakkas, Athanasios, 2024. "World ESG performance and economic activity," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    19. Jaspreet Kaur & Madhu Vij & Ajay Kumar Chauhan, 2023. "Signals influencing corporate credit ratings—a systematic literature review," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 50(1), pages 91-114, March.
    20. Mussa Hussaini & Ugo Rigoni & Paolo Perego, 2023. "The strategic choice of payment method in takeovers: The role of environmental, social and governance performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 200-219, January.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:14:p:5530-:d:382103. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.