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The Role of Corporate Donations in Chinese Political Markets

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  • Ming Jia

    (Northwestern Polytechnical University)

  • Zhe Zhang

    (Xi’an Jiaotong University)

Abstract

Many corporations actively engage in political activities to enhance their relationships with politicians, facilitating access to scarce resources and creating competitive advantages. We investigate corporate donations to explore how they initiate interactions between firms and new local leaders in China. Specifically, we propose that political turnover creates unique opportunities for firms to win over new officials via corporate donations, especially in competitive markets. Moreover, we find that firms that make generous donations at the beginning of a new city secretary’s tenure receive more attention from representatives of new local leaders, especially firms that were politically disadvantaged under a predecessor’s governance. Empirical studies on the turnover of city secretaries between 2001 and 2012 in China strongly support our hypotheses. Consequently, this study improves our understanding of how corporate donations initiate social exchanges between firms and politicians.

Suggested Citation

  • Ming Jia & Zhe Zhang, 2018. "The Role of Corporate Donations in Chinese Political Markets," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(2), pages 519-545, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:153:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-016-3378-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-016-3378-1
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    5. Shahid Ali & Junrui Zhang & Muhammad Usman & Farman Ullah Khan & Amir Ikram & Bilal Anwar, 2019. "Sub-National Institutional Contingencies and Corporate Social Responsibility Performance: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-21, October.
    6. Heli Wang & Ming Jia & Zhe Zhang, 2021. "Good Deeds Done in Silence: Stakeholder Management and Quiet Giving by Chinese Firms," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(3), pages 649-674, May.
    7. Weiqi Dai & Juelin Yin & Mingqing Liao & Felix Arndt, 2023. "Corporate philanthropy, political connections, and external corporate venturing: Evidence from a transitional economy," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 1253-1287, September.
    8. Tahiru Azaaviele Liedong, 2022. "The Liability of Tribe in Corporate Political Activity: Ethical Implications for Political Contestability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 181(3), pages 623-644, December.
    9. Shiyu Lu & Bo Cheng, 2023. "Roses given, fragrance in hand: Charity law and corporate philanthropy—Evidence from a quasi‐natural experiment in China," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(2), pages 988-1003, March.
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    12. Ma Zhong & Weiqi Zhao & Yasir Shahab, 2022. "The philanthropic response of substantive and symbolic corporate social responsibility strategies to COVID‐19 crisis: Evidence from China," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(2), pages 339-355, March.

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