IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i5p1854-d1596981.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Impact of Environmental Social and Governance Performance on Systematic Tail Risk of Chinese Corporations

Author

Listed:
  • Mingyue Fu

    (School of Finance, Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, Tianjin 300222, China)

  • Yanyan Jia

    (School of Finance, Tianjin University of Finance and Economics, Tianjin 300222, China)

Abstract

Based on the perspective of systematic tail risk, this study aims to explore the impact of environmental social and governance (ESG) performance on financial performance. At the same time, it also explores the mediating effects of financing constraints, information transparency, and corporate reputation in this relationship. This study uses the data from Chinese A-share listed companies from 2009 to 2022 as samples, uses two-way fixed-effect regression to test the benchmark model and mechanism model, and conducts a series of robustness tests and heterogeneity tests. The findings show that the following: (1) ESG performance significantly reduces systematic tail risk, with individual tail risk driving this negative relationship. (2) ESG performance lowers systematic tail risk through alleviating financing constraints, improving information transparency, and enhancing corporate reputation. (3) The inhibitory effect of ESG on systematic tail risk is more pronounced in the non-state-owned, low-pollution, high-liquidity, and high-information-efficiency samples. (4) Among the three dimensions of ESG, governance (G) has the most substantial impact in reducing systematic tail risk, compared to environmental (E) and social (S). This study is the first to explore the role of ESG performance on financial performance from the perspective of systematic tai risk. At the same time, we discuss for the first time how ESG performance affects tail system risk. This study contributes to an in-depth exploration of ESG’s role in financial performance, providing insights for preventing financial risk and achieving sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Mingyue Fu & Yanyan Jia, 2025. "The Impact of Environmental Social and Governance Performance on Systematic Tail Risk of Chinese Corporations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-23, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:1854-:d:1596981
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/1854/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/5/1854/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Becchetti, Leonardo & Ciciretti, Rocco & Hasan, Iftekhar, 2015. "Corporate social responsibility, stakeholder risk, and idiosyncratic volatility," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 297-309.
    2. Becchetti, Leonardo & Ciciretti, Rocco & Dalò, Ambrogio, 2018. "Fishing the Corporate Social Responsibility risk factors," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 25-48.
    3. 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.
    4. Samuel M. Hartzmark & Abigail B. Sussman, 2019. "Do Investors Value Sustainability? A Natural Experiment Examining Ranking and Fund Flows," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 74(6), pages 2789-2837, December.
    5. Maarten van Oordt & Chen Zhou, 2019. "Systemic risk and bank business models," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(3), pages 365-384, April.
    6. Bolton, Patrick & Kacperczyk, Marcin, 2021. "Do investors care about carbon risk?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 517-549.
    7. He, Feng & Du, Hanyu & Yu, Bo, 2022. "Corporate ESG performance and manager misconduct: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    8. Pedersen, Lasse Heje & Fitzgibbons, Shaun & Pomorski, Lukasz, 2021. "Responsible investing: The ESG-efficient frontier," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 572-597.
    9. Gigante, Gimede & Manglaviti, Davide, 2022. "The ESG effect on the cost of debt financing: A sharp RD analysis," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    10. Chabi-Yo, Fousseni & Ruenzi, Stefan & Weigert, Florian, 2018. "Crash Sensitivity and the Cross Section of Expected Stock Returns," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 53(3), pages 1059-1100, June.
    11. 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).
    12. Ellen Pei‐yi Yu & Christine Qian Guo & Bac Van Luu, 2018. "Environmental, social and governance transparency and firm value," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(7), pages 987-1004, November.
    13. Jahn, Johannes & Brühl, Rolf, 2019. "Can bad news be good? On the positive and negative effects of including moderately negative information in CSR disclosures," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 117-128.
    14. Andrew J. Patton, 2006. "Modelling Asymmetric Exchange Rate Dependence," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 47(2), pages 527-556, May.
    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. Vitor Azevedo & Christoph Kaserer & Lucila M. S. Campos, 2021. "Investor sentiment and the time-varying sustainability premium," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(7), pages 600-621, December.
    2. Ciciretti, Rocco & Dalò, Ambrogio & Dam, Lammertjan, 2023. "The contributions of betas versus characteristics to the ESG premium," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 104-124.
    3. Ferriani, Fabrizio, 2023. "Issuing bonds during the Covid-19 pandemic: Was there an ESG premium?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    4. Dunbar, Kwamie & Treku, Daniel & Sarnie, Robert & Hoover, Jack, 2023. "What does ESG risk premia tell us about mutual fund sustainability levels: A difference-in-differences analysis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    5. Yu, Haixu & Liang, Chuanyu & Liu, Zhaohua & Wang, He, 2023. "News-based ESG sentiment and stock price crash risk," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    6. Lars Hornuf & Gül Yüksel, 2022. "The Performance of Socially Responsible Investments: A Meta-Analysis," CESifo Working Paper Series 9724, CESifo.
    7. 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.
    8. An, Hui & Ran, Chenyang & Gao, Ya, 2025. "Does ESG information disclosure increase firm value? The mediation role of financing constraints in China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(PA).
    9. 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.
    10. Liu, Xufeng & Wan, Die, 2023. "Retail investor trading and ESG pricing in China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    11. Staněk Gyönyör, Lucie & Horváth, Matúš, 2024. "Does ESG affect stock market dependence? An empirical exploration of S&P 1200 companies shows the divergent nature of E–S–G pillars," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    12. Rudkin, Wanling & Cai, Charlie X., 2023. "Information content of sustainability index recomposition: A synthetic portfolio approach," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    13. Roman Kräussl & Tobi Oladiran & Denitsa Stefanova, 2024. "A review on ESG investing: Investors’ expectations, beliefs and perceptions," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 476-502, April.
    14. Agnese, Paolo & Giacomini, Emanuela, 2023. "Bank's funding costs: Do ESG factors really matter?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    15. Andrea Jacob & Martin Nerlinger, 2021. "Investors’ Delight? Climate Risk in Stock Valuation during COVID-19 and Beyond," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-17, November.
    16. Zhang, Ning & Zhang, Yue & Zong, Zhe, 2023. "Fund ESG performance and downside risk: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    17. Nicolás Magner & Jaime F. Lavín & Mauricio A. Valle, 2022. "Modeling Synchronization Risk among Sustainable Exchange Trade Funds: A Statistical and Network Analysis Approach," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(19), pages 1-30, October.
    18. Elisa Bocchialini & Demetrio Miloslavo Bova & Ilaria Colivicchi & Federica Ielasi, 2024. "Environmental-, Social-, and Governance-Oriented Pension Funds for Young Contributors: A Win–Win Option," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-19, December.
    19. Cortez, Maria Céu & Andrade, Nuno & Silva, Florinda, 2022. "The environmental and financial performance of green energy investments: European evidence," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    20. Al-Shaer, Habiba & Uyar, Ali & Kuzey, Cemil & Karaman, Abdullah S., 2023. "Do shareholders punish or reward excessive CSR engagement? Moderating effect of cash flow and firm growth," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(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:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:1854-:d:1596981. 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.