IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v64y2024ics1544612324005087.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How does local government fiscal pressure affect corporate ESG performance?

Author

Listed:
  • Ji, Qiang
  • Nie, Song

Abstract

This paper explores how fiscal pressure affects the corporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance. By investigating 720 Chinese listed corporates from 2011-2020, we find that fiscal pressure is negatively associated with the corporate ESG performance. The corporates with communist party branch, the corporates located in big cities and cities with strict environmental regulation and high marketization can better resist the negative effects of fiscal pressure on ESG performance. Furthermore, the study also reveals that fiscal pressure affects ESG performance through financial constraints and green innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Ji, Qiang & Nie, Song, 2024. "How does local government fiscal pressure affect corporate ESG performance?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:64:y:2024:i:c:s1544612324005087
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2024.105478
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612324005087
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2024.105478?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
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhang, Dongyang & Meng, Li & Zhang, Jintao, 2023. "Environmental subsidy disruption, skill premiums and ESG performance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    2. Guariglia, Alessandra & Liu, Pei, 2014. "To what extent do financing constraints affect Chinese firms' innovation activities?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 223-240.
    3. Shenghao Gao & Liming Wang & Ningyue Liu & Min Zhang, 2019. "Fiscal decentralization and corporate investment: empirical evidence from China," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 51-68, January.
    4. Gao, Wei & Liu, Zebin, 2023. "Green credit and corporate ESG performance: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PB).
    5. Pu, Xiaohong & Zeng, Ming & Zhang, Weike, 2023. "Corporate sustainable development driven by high-quality innovation: Does fiscal decentralization really matter?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 273-289.
    6. He, Feng & Guo, Xinyao & Yue, Pengpeng, 2024. "Media coverage and corporate ESG performance: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    7. Andrea Caggese & Vicente Cunat, 2013. "Financing Constraints, Firm Dynamics, Export Decisions, and Aggregate Productivity," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 16(1), pages 177-193, January.
    8. Nie, Song & Liu, Junxian & Zeng, Gang & You, Jiyuan, 2023. "Local government debt pressure and corporate ESG performance: Empirical evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PB).
    9. Fang, Mingyue & Nie, Huihua & Shen, Xinyi, 2023. "Can enterprise digitization improve ESG performance?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    10. Chen, Shimin & Sun, Zheng & Tang, Song & Wu, Donghui, 2011. "Government intervention and investment efficiency: Evidence from China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 259-271, April.
    11. Manapon Limkriangkrai & SzeKee Koh & Robert B. Durand, 2017. "Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Profiles, Stock Returns, and Financial Policy: Australian Evidence," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 17(3), pages 461-471, September.
    12. Lian, Yonghui & Ye, Tao & Zhang, Yiyang & Zhang, Lin, 2023. "How does corporate ESG performance affect bond credit spreads: Empirical evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 352-371.
    13. Shenghao Gao & Liming Wang & Ningyue Liu & Min Zhang, 2019. "Fiscal decentralization and corporate investment: empirical evidence from China," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 51-68, January.
    14. Shao, Yingying & Hernández, Rodrigo & Liu, Pu, 2015. "Government intervention and corporate policies: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1205-1215.
    15. Najah Attig, 2024. "Relaxed Financial Constraints and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 189(1), pages 111-131, January.
    16. Baker, Edward D. & Boulton, Thomas J. & Braga-Alves, Marcus V. & Morey, Matthew R., 2021. "ESG government risk and international IPO underpricing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    17. Xiang, Xiaojian & Liu, Chuanjiang & Yang, Mian, 2022. "Who is financing corporate green innovation?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 321-337.
    18. Roper, Stephen & Tapinos, Efstathios, 2016. "Taking risks in the face of uncertainty: An exploratory analysis of green innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 357-363.
    19. Zhou, Kuo & Qu, Zhi & Wei, Zhixuan & Zhao, Jiyang, 2023. "Does government fiscal pressure matter for firm environmental performance? The role of environmental regulation and tax competition," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1187-1204.
    20. Junhong Bai & Jiayu Lu & Sijia Li, 2019. "Fiscal Pressure, Tax Competition and Environmental Pollution," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 73(2), pages 431-447, June.
    21. Ren, Xiaohang & Zeng, Gudian & Zhao, Yang, 2023. "Digital finance and corporate ESG performance: Empirical evidence from listed companies in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    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. Yuan Feng & Changfei Nie, 2024. "Digital technology innovation and corporate environmental, social, and governance performance: Evidence from a sample of listed firms in China," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 3836-3854, September.
    2. Liang, Jinma & Zhang, Yicheng & Li, Yuanheng, 2024. "The role of ESG scores in ESG fund performance and institutional investor selection," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    3. Xue, Qinyuan & Jin, Yifei & Zhang, Cheng, 2024. "ESG rating results and corporate total factor productivity," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PA).
    4. Chen, Qi & Li, Menghan, 2024. "Environmental regulatory system reform and corporate ESG ratings: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    5. Han, Wei & Wu, Di, 2024. "ESG ratings, business credit acquisition, and corporate value," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PA).
    6. Yuan, Mingqing, 2023. "Economic Policy Uncertainty and Corporate Investment Dynamics: Evidence from Listed Chinese Firms," MPRA Paper 119992, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Zhou, Mengling & Huang, Zizhen & Jiang, Kangqi, 2024. "Environmental, social, and governance performance and corporate debt maturity in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PA).
    8. Chen, Chaofan & Li, Wen-Bo & Zhang, Heng, 2024. "How do property rights affect corporate ESG performance? The moderating effect of green innovation efficiency," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    9. Bai, Caiquan & Yan, Hong & Yin, Shanggang & Feng, Chen & Wei, Qian, 2021. "Exploring the development trend of internet finance in China: Perspective from club convergence," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    10. Liyuan Meng & Yuchen Zhang, 2023. "Impact of Tax Administration on ESG Performance—A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on China’s Golden Tax Project III," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-23, July.
    11. Shang Xiang & Lingjie Deng & Zhongbao Zhou & Zhongqingyang Zhang, 2024. "Digital Finance, ESG Performance, and Financial Performance in Chinese Firm Levels: The Pathway to Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-21, September.
    12. Li, Yuetong & Wang, Xinyi & Zheng, Xiaojia, 2024. "Data assets and corporate sustainable development: evidence from ESG in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    13. Zhang, Cheng & Yu, JiaQi & Bai, Yiyi & Ho, Kung-Cheng, 2024. "The impact of CEO's green experience on digital transformation," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    14. Tingting Hu & Kun You & Char-Lee Lok, 2025. "State ownership, political connection and ESG performance," Risk Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 27(1), pages 1-33, January.
    15. Mingxiong Bi & Chencheng Wang & Dian Fu & Xun Tan & Shurong Yu & Junbai Pan & Kun Lv, 2022. "Chinese-Style Fiscal Decentralization, Ecological Attention of Government, and Regional Energy Intensity," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-28, November.
    16. Zeng, Yongliang & Zhao, Xiangfang & Zhu, Yiwen, 2023. "Equity incentives and ESG performance: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PC).
    17. Shanshan Lyu & Mingzeng Yang & Qincheng Zhang, 2024. "Top Management Team Heterogeneity, Top Management Incentives, and ESG Performance: Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-32, September.
    18. Khan, Muhammad Arif, 2022. "ESG disclosure and Firm performance: A bibliometric and meta analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    19. Zhu, Bo & Wang, Yansen, 2024. "Does social trust affect firms' ESG performance?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    20. Cai, Cen & Tu, Yongqian & Li, Zhi, 2023. "Enterprise digital transformation and ESG performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PD).

    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:eee:finlet:v:64:y:2024:i:c:s1544612324005087. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/frl .

    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.