Bridging digitalization and environmental, social, and governance performance: the moderating effect of CEO duality and government linked corporations

This study applies machine learning methods to develop a comprehensive index of corporate digitalization and investigates its influence on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) outcomes. The results indicate that firms with higher levels of corporate digitalization generally achieve better ESG performance. An in-depth analysis of five core dimensions—artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, big data, and digital technology application—reveals that four of these factors significantly bolster ESG performance, whereas blockchain does not exhibit a notable effect. Further examination shows that CEO duality dilutes the positive impact of corporate digitalization on ESG outcomes, while government linked corporations strengthen this relationship. Subsample analyses suggest that the negative moderating effect of CEO duality is more pronounced in high-polluting industries, whereas the positive effect of government-linked ownership is mainly driven by minority state-owned enterprises. These findings underscore digitalization as a key enabler of ESG improvement, contingent on internal governance design and external institutional context. The study contributes to emerging research on digital sustainability and offers practical insights for investors and policymakers seeking to align digital and ESG agendas.