IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jbfnac/v52y2025i5p2438-2463.html

Does ESG Reporting Matter for Shareholder Value?—Evidence on Mandatory ESG Regulations in India

Author

Listed:
  • Prasenjit Chakrabarti
  • Santushti Gupta

Abstract

In 2012, India's market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, began mandating (Environmental, Social, and Governance) ESG disclosures for listed firms based on their market capitalization. By 2021, there had been five related announcements. This study employs these five regulatory events from 2012 to 2021 to investigate whether mandatory ESG reporting creates shareholder value. Our event study employs a regression discontinuity design to understand the causal impact of the mandates on shareholder value. We find that over the course of five events, relative to the non‐mandated firms, the stock prices for the mandated firms dropped approximately 7%–8%. We then examine cross‐sectional variation across polluting, financial, and high rent‐seeking industries, where ESG information is material and competitive. We find an approximately 5%–9% increase in stock prices for the mandated firms relative to the non‐mandated firms in these industries over the course of five events. Market‐wide, we find no evidence of long‐term value creation for the mandated firms in the years following the implementation of regulations requiring mandatory ESG reporting. We carry out a battery of robustness tests to validate the results. Our results have important policy implications. Regulations that arbitrarily mandate ESG reporting for firms based on market capitalization destroy the shareholder value of those firms. By contrast, a targeted mandate based on industry materiality can create shareholder value for the firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Prasenjit Chakrabarti & Santushti Gupta, 2025. "Does ESG Reporting Matter for Shareholder Value?—Evidence on Mandatory ESG Regulations in India," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(5), pages 2438-2463, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jbfnac:v:52:y:2025:i:5:p:2438-2463
    DOI: 10.1111/jbfa.70005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jbfa.70005
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/jbfa.70005?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bernard, Darren, 2016. "Is the risk of product market predation a cost of disclosure?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 305-325.
    2. Mukherjee, Abhishek & Bird, Ron & Duppati, Geeta, 2018. "Mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility: The Indian experience," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 254-265.
    3. Praveen Bhagawan & Jyoti Prasad Mukhopadhyay, 2024. "Does mandatory expenditure on CSR affect firm value? Empirical evidence from Indian firms," Journal of Accounting Literature, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 47(3), pages 525-546, February.
    4. Yan Li & Yutao Li, 2020. "The effect of trade secrets protection on disclosure of forward‐looking financial information," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(3-4), pages 397-437, March.
    5. Baiman, S & Verrecchia, RE, 1996. "The relation among capital markets, financial disclosure, production efficiency, and insider trading," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), pages 1-22.
    6. Glaeser, Stephen, 2018. "The effects of proprietary information on corporate disclosure and transparency: Evidence from trade secrets," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 163-193.
    7. Black, Bernard & Kim, Woochan, 2012. "The effect of board structure on firm value: A multiple identification strategies approach using Korean data," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(1), pages 203-226.
    8. David S. Lee & Thomas Lemieux, 2010. "Regression Discontinuity Designs in Economics," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 48(2), pages 281-355, June.
    9. McCrary, Justin, 2008. "Manipulation of the running variable in the regression discontinuity design: A density test," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 698-714, February.
    10. Tarun Khanna & Krishna Palepu, 2000. "Is Group Affiliation Profitable in Emerging Markets? An Analysis of Diversified Indian Business Groups," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(2), pages 867-891, April.
    11. Raymond Fisman & Florian Schulz & Vikrant Vig, 2014. "The Private Returns to Public Office," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 122(4), pages 806-862.
    12. Asit Bhattacharyya & Sue Wright & Md Lutfur Rahman, 2021. "Is better banking performance associated with financial inclusion and mandated CSR expenditure in a developing country?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(1), pages 125-161, March.
    13. Badertscher, Brad & Shroff, Nemit & White, Hal D., 2013. "Externalities of public firm presence: Evidence from private firms' investment decisions," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(3), pages 682-706.
    14. Joachim Gassen & Maximilian Muhn, 2025. "Financial Transparency of Private Firms: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 63(1), pages 413-460, March.
    15. Dechow, Patricia & Ge, Weili & Schrand, Catherine, 2010. "Understanding earnings quality: A review of the proxies, their determinants and their consequences," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(2-3), pages 344-401, December.
    16. Dima Jamali, 2008. "A Stakeholder Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility: A Fresh Perspective into Theory and Practice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 82(1), pages 213-231, September.
    17. Fama, Eugene F, 1980. "Agency Problems and the Theory of the Firm," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 88(2), pages 288-307, April.
    18. Admati, Anat R & Pfleiderer, Paul, 2000. "Forcing Firms to Talk: Financial Disclosure Regulation and Externalities," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 13(3), pages 479-519.
    19. Christian Leuz & Peter D. Wysocki, 2016. "The Economics of Disclosure and Financial Reporting Regulation: Evidence and Suggestions for Future Research," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 54(2), pages 525-622, May.
    20. 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.
    21. Hariom Manchiraju & Shivaram Rajgopal, 2017. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Create Shareholder Value? Evidence from the Indian Companies Act 2013," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 55(5), pages 1257-1300, December.
    22. Costanza Consolandi & Robert G. Eccles & Giampaolo Gabbi, 2022. "How material is a material issue? Stock returns and the financial relevance and financial intensity of ESG materiality," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(4), pages 1045-1068, October.
    23. Healy, Paul M. & Palepu, Krishna G., 2001. "Information asymmetry, corporate disclosure, and the capital markets: A review of the empirical disclosure literature," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1-3), pages 405-440, September.
    24. Berger, Philip G. & Minnis, Michael & Sutherland, Andrew, 2017. "Commercial lending concentration and bank expertise: Evidence from borrower financial statements," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 253-277.
    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. M. Moni & A. S. Aparna & G. Sreelekshmi & V. Sreeraj & Biju A. V. Nair, 2026. "Decoding asymmetric news impacts and long memory of volatility in ESG firms: a comparative study with broader market segments in India," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 6839-6875, 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. 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.
    2. Roychowdhury, Sugata & Shroff, Nemit & Verdi, Rodrigo S., 2019. "The effects of financial reporting and disclosure on corporate investment: A review," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(2).
    3. Breuer, Matthias & Leuz, Christian & Vanhaverbeke, Steven, 2025. "Reporting regulation and corporate innovation," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(1).
    4. Michael Minnis & Nemit Shroff, 2017. "Why regulate private firm disclosure and auditing?," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(5), pages 473-502, July.
    5. Christian Leuz & Peter D. Wysocki, 2016. "The Economics of Disclosure and Financial Reporting Regulation: Evidence and Suggestions for Future Research," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 54(2), pages 525-622, May.
    6. Lyungmae Choi & Lucile Faurel & Stephen Hillegeist, 2025. "Do Proprietary Costs Deter Insider Trading?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 71(4), pages 3185-3215, April.
    7. Gary Chen & Xiaoli Tian & Miaomiao Yu, 2026. "New Entrants and Contract Redaction," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(2), pages 613-645, April.
    8. Joachim Gassen & Maximilian Muhn, 2025. "Financial Transparency of Private Firms: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 63(1), pages 413-460, March.
    9. Jiancheng (Duncan) Liu & Wei Shi & Cheng Zeng & Guochang Zhang, 2023. "Does Public Firms’ Mandatory IFRS Reporting Crowd Out Private Firms’ Capital Investment?," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 61(4), pages 1263-1312, September.
    10. Shroff, Nemit & Verdi, Rodrigo S. & Yost, Benjamin P., 2017. "When does the peer information environment matter?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 183-214.
    11. Barrios, John M. & Choi, Jung Ho & Hochberg, Yael V. & Kim, Jinhwan & Liu, Miao, 2020. "Informing Entrepreneurs: Public Corporate Disclosure and New Business Formation," Research Papers 3917, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    12. Asit Bhattacharyya & Sue Wright & Md Lutfur Rahman, 2021. "Is better banking performance associated with financial inclusion and mandated CSR expenditure in a developing country?," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(1), pages 125-161, March.
    13. Stephen Glaeser & James D. Omartian, 2022. "Public Firm Presence, Financial Reporting, and the Decline of U.S. Manufacturing," Journal of Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 60(3), pages 1085-1130, June.
    14. De George, Emmanuel T. & Li, Xi & Shivakumar, Lakshmanan, 2016. "A review of the IFRS adoption literature," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 67599, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    15. Bhattacharyya, Asit & Rahman, Md Lutfur, 2019. "Mandatory CSR expenditure and firm performance," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(3).
    16. Biehl, Henrike & Bleibtreu, Christopher & Stefani, Ulrike, 2024. "The real effects of financial reporting: Evidence and suggestions for future research," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    17. Kim, Jinhwan & Olbert, Marcel, 2022. "How does private firm disclosure affect demand for public firm equity? Evidence from the global equity market," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(2).
    18. Emmanuel T. De George & Xi Li & Lakshmanan Shivakumar, 2016. "A review of the IFRS adoption literature," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 898-1004, September.
    19. Christensen, Hans B. & Liu, Lisa Yao & Maffett, Mark, 2020. "Proactive financial reporting enforcement and shareholder wealth," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(2).
    20. Shroff, Nemit, 2016. "Discussion of “Is the risk of product market predation a cost of disclosure?”," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(2), pages 326-332.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:bla:jbfnac:v:52:y:2025:i:5:p:2438-2463. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0306-686X .

    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.