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Green bond issuance and corporate ESG performance—Evidence from the perspective of unlabeled green bonds in China

Author

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  • Li, Jiansheng
  • Song, Siyang
  • Wang, Yan

Abstract

Based on data from Chinese listed firms between 2009 and 2020, we employ the issuance of unlabeled green bonds to construct exogenous shocks and adopt difference-in-differences method to examine the impact of green bond issuance on corporate ESG performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Jiansheng & Song, Siyang & Wang, Yan, 2026. "Green bond issuance and corporate ESG performance—Evidence from the perspective of unlabeled green bonds in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:pacfin:v:95:y:2026:i:c:s0927538x25002860
    DOI: 10.1016/j.pacfin.2025.102949
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