IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i5p1317-d210460.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of Political Connections on Corporate Environmental Performance: From a Green Development Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Liming Zhang

    (Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China)

  • Fei Ye

    (Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China)

  • Li Yang

    (Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China)

  • Guichuan Zhou

    (Business School, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China)

Abstract

Employing a sample consisting of Chinese A-share listed companies, this study carries out an empirical research to investigate the influence path of political connections on enterprise environmental performance. The results show a strong positive association between political connections and corporate environmental performance, and green technology innovation plays the mediating role between them. In addition, public participation negatively moderates the relationship between political connections and corporate environmental performance. When the level of public participation is higher, the relationship between political connections and corporate environmental performance becomes weaker.

Suggested Citation

  • Liming Zhang & Fei Ye & Li Yang & Guichuan Zhou, 2019. "Impact of Political Connections on Corporate Environmental Performance: From a Green Development Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-17, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:5:p:1317-:d:210460
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/5/1317/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/5/1317/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nanda, Ramana & Rhodes-Kropf, Matthew, 2013. "Investment cycles and startup innovation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(2), pages 403-418.
    2. Albort-Morant, Gema & Leal-Millán, Antonio & Cepeda-Carrión, Gabriel, 2016. "The antecedents of green innovation performance: A model of learning and capabilities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 4912-4917.
    3. Xianyan Wang & Lihong Wang, 2019. "State-enterprise relation, local economic priority, and corporate environmental responsibility," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(10), pages 995-1009, February.
    4. Maia David & Bernard Sinclair-Desgagné, 2010. "Pollution Abatement Subsidies and the Eco-Industry," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 45(2), pages 271-282, February.
    5. Karl Widerquist, 2018. "The Bottom Line," Exploring the Basic Income Guarantee, in: A Critical Analysis of Basic Income Experiments for Researchers, Policymakers, and Citizens, chapter 0, pages 93-98, Palgrave Macmillan.
    6. Minna Halme & Maria Korpela, 2014. "Responsible Innovation Toward Sustainable Development in Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises: a Resource Perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(8), pages 547-566, December.
    7. Vikrant Shirodkar & Alexander T. Mohr, 2015. "Resource Tangibility and Foreign Firms’ Corporate Political Strategies in Emerging Economies: Evidence from India," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 55(6), pages 801-825, December.
    8. Peter M. Clarkson & Michael B. Overell & Larelle Chapple, 2011. "Environmental Reporting and its Relation to Corporate Environmental Performance," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 47(1), pages 27-60, March.
    9. Johnson, Simon & Mitton, Todd, 2003. "Cronyism and capital controls: evidence from Malaysia," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 351-382, February.
    10. Zhiqiang Liu & Ji Li & Hong Zhu & Zhenyao Cai & Luning Wang, 2014. "Chinese firms’ sustainable development—The role of future orientation, environmental commitment, and employee training," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 195-213, March.
    11. Denis Cormier & Michel Magnan, 2015. "The Economic Relevance of Environmental Disclosure and its Impact on Corporate Legitimacy: An Empirical Investigation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(6), pages 431-450, September.
    12. Asim Ijaz Khwaja & Atif Mian, 2005. "Do Lenders Favor Politically Connected Firms? Rent Provision in an Emerging Financial Market," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 120(4), pages 1371-1411.
    13. Pratima Bansal, 2005. "Evolving sustainably: a longitudinal study of corporate sustainable development," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(3), pages 197-218, March.
    14. Brunnermeier, Smita B. & Cohen, Mark A., 2003. "Determinants of environmental innovation in US manufacturing industries," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 278-293, March.
    15. Ki‐Hoon Lee & Beom Cheol Cin & Eui Young Lee, 2016. "Environmental Responsibility and Firm Performance: The Application of an Environmental, Social and Governance Model," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 40-53, January.
    16. MARA FACCIO & RONALD W. MASULIS & JOHN J. McCONNELL, 2006. "Political Connections and Corporate Bailouts," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 61(6), pages 2597-2635, December.
    17. Charles Cho & Dennis Patten & Robin Roberts, 2006. "Corporate Political Strategy: An Examination of the Relation between Political Expenditures, Environmental Performance, and Environmental Disclosure," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 67(2), pages 139-154, August.
    18. F. Ganda, 2018. "Green research and development (R&D) investment and its impact on the market value of firms: evidence from South African mining firms," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(3), pages 515-534, February.
    19. Colin B. Gabler & Nikolaos Panagopoulos & Pavlos A. Vlachos & Adam Rapp, 2017. "Developing an Environmentally Sustainable Business Plan: An International B2B Case Study," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(4), pages 261-272, July.
    20. Judith L. Walls & Pascual Berrone & Phillip H. Phan, 2012. "Corporate governance and environmental performance: is there really a link?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(8), pages 885-913, August.
    21. Clarkson, Peter M. & Li, Yue & Richardson, Gordon D. & Vasvari, Florin P., 2008. "Revisiting the relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: An empirical analysis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 33(4-5), pages 303-327.
    22. Zhang, Cui, 2017. "Political connections and corporate environmental responsibility: Adopting or escaping?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 539-547.
    23. Yingyuan Guo & Xingneng Xia & Sheng Zhang & Danping Zhang, 2018. "Environmental Regulation, Government R&D Funding and Green Technology Innovation: Evidence from China Provincial Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-21, March.
    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. Shukuan Zhao & Bochen Zhang & Dong Shao & Shuang Wang, 2021. "Can Top Management Teams' Academic Experience Promote Green Innovation Output: Evidence from Chinese Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-21, October.
    2. Yubo Zhao & Shijing Zhu & Wei Kong & Liang Ren, 2023. "Global Value Chain Position and Corporate Environmental Performance: A Comparison of Domestic and Foreign Perspectives in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-23, May.
    3. Yu-Hong Ai & Di-Yun Peng & Huan-Huan Xiong, 2021. "Impact of Environmental Regulation Intensity on Green Technology Innovation: From the Perspective of Political and Business Connections," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-23, April.
    4. Yu Zhang & Yajuan Wang, 2022. "Do Managerial Ties Help or Hinder Corporate Green Innovation? The Moderating Roles of Contextual Factors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-19, March.
    5. Hongyu Long & Hongyong Liu & Xingwei Li & Longjun Chen, 2020. "An Evolutionary Game Theory Study for Construction and Demolition Waste Recycling Considering Green Development Performance under the Chinese Government’s Reward–Penalty Mechanism," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-21, August.
    6. Zeni, Federica, 2019. "Climate Regulation and Emissions Abatement: Theory and Evidence from Firms’ Disclosures," CEPR Discussion Papers 14155, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Budi Wahyono, 2023. "Do political connections affect the environmental performance of Sharia-compliant and non-Sharia-compliant firms? Evidence from Indonesia's PROPER program," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 43(4), pages 1771-1779.
    8. Yaru Yang & Desheng Liu & Luxiu Zhang & Yingkai Yin, 2021. "Social Trust and Green Technology Innovation: Evidence from Listed Firms in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-18, April.

    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. Rodolphe Durand & Robert M. Grant & Tammy L. Madsen & Sinziana Dorobantu & Aseem Kaul & Bennet Zelner, 2017. "Nonmarket strategy research through the lens of new institutional economics: An integrative review and future directions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 114-140, January.
    2. Lu Zhang & Shenggang Ren & Xiaohong Chen & Dayuan Li & Duanjinyu Yin, 2020. "CEO Hubris and Firm Pollution: State and Market Contingencies in a Transitional Economy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 459-478, January.
    3. Omaima A.G. Hassan & Peter Romilly, 2018. "Relations between corporate economic performance, environmental disclosure and greenhouse gas emissions: New insights," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(7), pages 893-909, November.
    4. Charles H. Cho & Jonathan Maurice & Emmanuelle Nègre & Marie-Anne Verdier, 2016. "Is environmental disclosure good for the environment? A meta-analysis and research agenda," Post-Print halshs-01369422, HAL.
    5. Camélia Radu & Nadia Smaili, 2021. "Corporate performance patterns of Canadian listed firms: Balancing financial and corporate social responsibility outcomes," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7), pages 3344-3359, November.
    6. Fawad Rauf & Cosmina Lelia Voinea & Hammad Bin Azam Hashmi & Cosmin Fratostiteanu, 2020. "Moderating Effect of Political Embeddedness on the Relationship between Resources Base and Quality of CSR Disclosure in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-19, April.
    7. Camélia Radu & Claude Francoeur, 2017. "Does Innovation Drive Environmental Disclosure? A New Insight into Sustainable Development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(7), pages 893-911, November.
    8. My Hanh Doan & Remmer Sassen, 2020. "The relationship between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: A meta‐analysis," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 24(5), pages 1140-1157, October.
    9. Mohammed S. Y. Omran & Mohammad A. A. Zaid & Aladdin Dwekat, 2021. "The relationship between integrated reporting and corporate environmental performance: A green trial," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 427-445, January.
    10. Lihong Wang & Shaoqing Kang & Hongjun Wu, 2021. "Do Politically Connected Firms Pay Less Toward Environmental Protection? Firm‐level Evidence from Polluting Industries in China," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 57(2), pages 362-405, June.
    11. Nurlan Orazalin & Mady Baydauletov, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility strategy and corporate environmental and social performance: The moderating role of board gender diversity," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(4), pages 1664-1676, July.
    12. Francis,David C. & Kubinec ,Robert, 2022. "Beyond Political Connections : A Measurement Model Approach to Estimating Firm-levelPolitical Influence in 41 Economies," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10119, The World Bank.
    13. Carvalho, Augusto & Guimaraes, Bernardo, 2018. "State-controlled companies and political risk: Evidence from the 2014 Brazilian election," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 66-78.
    14. Liu, Li & Liu, Qigui & Tian, Gary & Wang, Peipei, 2018. "Government connections and the persistence of profitability: Evidence from Chinese listed firms," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 110-129.
    15. Yu-Hong Ai & Di-Yun Peng & Huan-Huan Xiong, 2021. "Impact of Environmental Regulation Intensity on Green Technology Innovation: From the Perspective of Political and Business Connections," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-23, April.
    16. Zhang, Cui, 2017. "Political connections and corporate environmental responsibility: Adopting or escaping?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 539-547.
    17. Hallward-Driemeier,Mary C. & Kochanova,Anna & Rijkers,Bob, 2020. "Does Democratization Promote Competition? : Indonesian Manufacturing Pre and Post Suharto," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9112, The World Bank.
    18. Clement Chow & Michael Fung & Kevin Lam & Heibatollah Sami, 2012. "Investment opportunity set, political connection and business policies of private enterprises in China," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 367-389, April.
    19. Tarek A Hassan & Stephan Hollander & Laurence van Lent & Ahmed Tahoun, 2019. "Firm-Level Political Risk: Measurement and Effects," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(4), pages 2135-2202.
    20. Yuxuan Li & Xin Miao & Dequan Zheng & Yanhong Tang, 2019. "Corporate Public Transparency on Financial Performance: The Moderating Role of Political Embeddedness," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-17, October.

    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:11:y:2019:i:5:p:1317-:d:210460. 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.