IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i4p2905-d1059141.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Corporations’ ESG for Sustainable Investment in China: The Moderating Role of Regional Marketization

Author

Listed:
  • Ningning Kong

    (Business School, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing 100029, China)

  • Yu Bao

    (Business School, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing 100029, China)

  • Yiyuan Sun

    (Business School, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing 100029, China)

  • Yawen Wang

    (Graduate School, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of Korea)

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate corporations’ ESG for sustainable investment in China, with the moderating role of regional marketization. ESG is a form of business value for enterprises, including the three pillars of environmental, social, and governance, aimed at promoting the sustainable development of the economy and society. ESG is vital for corporations’ sustainable investment, but such influence is always limited by the level of regional marketization, which has been rarely studied by the previous literature. In this study, we use data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2009 to 2021 to conduct an empirical analysis to examine whether ESG performance can improve firm investment and if the degree of regional marketization plays a moderating role. Furthermore, we identify the underlying mechanism of ESG performance influencing corporate investment. It has been discovered that ESG performance improves firm investment, and the impact of ESG performance on investment level enhancement is stronger in places with a higher level of marketization. The further tests still support our results. This study provides a reference to develop ESG and regional marketization to push corporations’ sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Ningning Kong & Yu Bao & Yiyuan Sun & Yawen Wang, 2023. "Corporations’ ESG for Sustainable Investment in China: The Moderating Role of Regional Marketization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:4:p:2905-:d:1059141
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/4/2905/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/4/2905/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. 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.
    2. Myers, Stewart C. & Majluf, Nicholas S., 1984. "Corporate financing and investment decisions when firms have information that investors do not have," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 187-221, June.
    3. Nick Bloom & Stephen Bond & John Van Reenen, 2007. "Uncertainty and Investment Dynamics," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 74(2), pages 391-415.
    4. Stewart C. Myers & Nicholas S. Majluf, 1984. "Corporate Financing and Investment Decisions When Firms Have InformationThat Investors Do Not Have," NBER Working Papers 1396, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Hwang, Byoung-Hyoun & Kim, Seoyoung, 2009. "It pays to have friends," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(1), pages 138-158, July.
    6. Ivan T. Kandilov & Asli Leblebicioglu, 2012. "Trade Liberalization and Investment: Firm-level Evidence from Mexico," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 26(2), pages 320-349.
    7. Gunnar Friede & Timo Busch & Alexander Bassen, 2015. "ESG and financial performance: aggregated evidence from more than 2000 empirical studies," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(4), pages 210-233, October.
    8. Lubos Pástor & Pietro Veronesi, 2012. "Uncertainty about Government Policy and Stock Prices," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 67(4), pages 1219-1264, August.
    9. Baron David P & Agus Harjoto Maretno & Jo Hoje, 2011. "The Economics and Politics of Corporate Social Performance," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 13(2), pages 1-48, August.
    10. Goss, Allen & Roberts, Gordon S., 2011. "The impact of corporate social responsibility on the cost of bank loans," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1794-1810, July.
    11. Fatemi, Ali & Fooladi, Iraj & Tehranian, Hassan, 2015. "Valuation effects of corporate social responsibility," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 182-192.
    12. 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.
    13. Dirk Czarnitzki & Andrew A. Toole, 2013. "The R&D Investment–Uncertainty Relationship: Do Strategic Rivalry and Firm Size Matter?," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), pages 15-28, January.
    14. Zhao, Tianjiao, 2021. "Board network, investment efficiency, and the mediating role of CSR: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 897-919.
    15. Wang, Yizhong & Chen, Carl R. & Huang, Ying Sophie, 2014. "Economic policy uncertainty and corporate investment: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 227-243.
    16. Hua Tang, 2022. "The Effect of ESG Performance on Corporate Innovation in China: The Mediating Role of Financial Constraints and Agency Cost," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-21, March.
    17. Lin, Yongjia & Fu, Xiaoqing & Fu, Xiaolan, 2021. "Varieties in state capitalism and corporate innovation: Evidence from an emerging economy," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    18. Ng, Anthony C. & Rezaee, Zabihollah, 2015. "Business sustainability performance and cost of equity capital," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 128-149.
    19. Greenwald, Bruce & Stiglitz, Joseph E & Weiss, Andrew, 1984. "Informational Imperfections in the Capital Market and Macroeconomic Fluctuations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(2), pages 194-199, May.
    20. 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.
    21. Karl V. Lins & Henri Servaes & Ane Tamayo, 2017. "Social Capital, Trust, and Firm Performance: The Value of Corporate Social Responsibility during the Financial Crisis," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 72(4), pages 1785-1824, August.
    22. Maretno Harjoto & Indrarini Laksmana & Robert Lee, 2015. "Board Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(4), pages 641-660, December.
    23. Caroline Flammer, 2015. "Does product market competition foster corporate social responsibility? Evidence from trade liberalization," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(10), pages 1469-1485, October.
    24. Remmer Sassen & Anne-Kathrin Hinze & Inga Hardeck, 2016. "Impact of ESG factors on firm risk in Europe," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 86(8), pages 867-904, November.
    25. Changhong Zhao & Yu Guo & Jiahai Yuan & Mengya Wu & Daiyu Li & Yiou Zhou & Jiangang Kang, 2018. "ESG and Corporate Financial Performance: Empirical Evidence from China’s Listed Power Generation Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-18, July.
    26. Baron, David P. & Agus Harjoto, Maretno & Jo, Hoje, 2011. "The Economics and Politics of Corporate Social Performance," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(2), pages 1-46, August.
    27. Deng, Xin & Kang, Jun-koo & Low, Buen Sin, 2013. "Corporate social responsibility and stakeholder value maximization: Evidence from mergers," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(1), pages 87-109.
    28. Hong, Harrison & Kacperczyk, Marcin, 2009. "The price of sin: The effects of social norms on markets," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(1), pages 15-36, July.
    29. Ker-Tah Hsu, 2012. "The Advertising Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Corporate Reputation and Brand Equity: Evidence from the Life Insurance Industry in Taiwan," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 109(2), pages 189-201, August.
    30. Breuer, Wolfgang & Müller, Torbjörn & Rosenbach, David & Salzmann, Astrid, 2018. "Corporate social responsibility, investor protection, and cost of equity: A cross-country comparison," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 34-55.
    31. C. Edward Fee & Charles J. Hadlock & Joshua R. Pierce, 2009. "Investment, Financing Constraints, and Internal Capital Markets: Evidence from the Advertising Expenditures of Multinational Firms," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(6), pages 2361-2392, June.
    32. Beat Reber & Agnes Gold & Stefan Gold, 2022. "ESG Disclosure and Idiosyncratic Risk in Initial Public Offerings," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 179(3), pages 867-886, September.
    33. 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.
    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. Liuyang Xue & Junan Dong & Shiyao Jiang, 2024. "Digital financial development and inefficient investment: a study based on the dual perspectives of resource and governance effects," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    2. Xuemei Zhou & Sifeng Nian, 2024. "Sustainable Pathways: ESG Disclosure Performance and Optimization in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-25, May.
    3. Ting Qian & Caoyuan Yang, 2023. "State-Owned Equity Participation and Corporations’ ESG Performance in China: The Mediating Role of Top Management Incentives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-21, July.
    4. Jiang, Yihuo & Ni, Hongliang & Ni, Yihan & Guo, Xiaomei, 2023. "Assessing environmental, social, and governance performance and natural resource management policies in China's dual carbon era for a green economy," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PB).
    5. Jing Zhang & Ziyang Liu, 2023. "Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Top Management Team Social Networks on the Homophily Effect of ESG Disclosure in Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-14, 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. 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).
    2. Ho, Ly & Bai, Min & Lu, Yue & Qin, Yafeng, 2021. "The effect of corporate sustainability performance on leverage adjustments," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(5).
    3. 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.
    4. Jan Diebecker & Friedrich Sommer, 2017. "The impact of corporate sustainability performance on information asymmetry: the role of institutional differences," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 471-517, March.
    5. Trung K. Do & Henry Hongren Huang & Te-Chien Lo, 2023. "Does corporate social responsibility affect leverage adjustments?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1569-1604, May.
    6. Maretno Harjoto & Hoje Jo, 2015. "Legal vs. Normative CSR: Differential Impact on Analyst Dispersion, Stock Return Volatility, Cost of Capital, and Firm Value," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 128(1), pages 1-20, April.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. Kim, Taeyeon & Kim, Hyun-Dong & Park, Kwangwoo, 2020. "CEO inside debt holdings and CSR activities," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 508-529.
    10. 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).
    11. 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).
    12. Asimakopoulos, Panagiotis & Asimakopoulos, Stylianos & Li, Xinyu, 2023. "The role of environmental, social, and governance rating on corporate debt structure," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    13. Hans B. Christensen & Luzi Hail & Christian Leuz, 2021. "Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1176-1248, September.
    14. Haifeng Zhang & Zhuo Zhang & Ekaterina Steklova, 2020. "Do Companies Need Financial Flexibility for Sustainable Development?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-14, February.
    15. 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.
    16. Chowdhury, Hasibul & Hodgson, Allan & Hasan, Mostafa Monzur, 2022. "Does a competitive external labour market affect corporate social responsibility? Evidence from industry tournament incentives," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(C).
    17. Mohammed Benlemlih, 2017. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Debt Maturity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(3), pages 491-517, September.
    18. Bai, Min & Ho, Ly, 2022. "Corporate social performance and firm debt levels: Impacts of the covid-19 pandemic and institutional environments," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    19. 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).
    20. Abdelmajid Hmaittane & Kais Bouslah & Bouchra M’Zali & Imane Ibariouen, 2022. "Corporate Sustainability and Cost of Equity Capital: Do Managerial Abilities Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-17, September.

    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:15:y:2023:i:4:p:2905-:d:1059141. 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.