IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/corsem/v33y2026i1p1479-1492.html

Determinants of ESG‐Related Sustainability Uncertainty: Asymmetric Fourier Evidence From G7 Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Feyyaz Zeren
  • Mesut Dogan
  • Serkan Eryilmaz

Abstract

This study examines the relationships between ESG‐based Sustainability Uncertainty (ESGUI) and key financial indicators—including stock markets, oil prices, gold prices, and the VIX index—across the G7 countries from 2003 M1 to 2024 M1. Using advanced econometric methods, the study captures how financial indicators respond differently to positive and negative ESG‐related shocks and accounts for sudden changes in market behavior over time. The results show that ESGUI is strongly influenced by stock markets and the VIX index, particularly during negative shocks, with the US and France showing the greatest sensitivity, whereas Italy appears more resilient. These findings emphasize the importance for policymakers and investors to consider ESG uncertainty in financial decisions and highlight the strategic role of ESG risk indicators in market behavior under stress. Overall, the study contributes to the literature on ESG risks by integrating sustainability uncertainty into financial market analysis in a clear and practical way.

Suggested Citation

  • Feyyaz Zeren & Mesut Dogan & Serkan Eryilmaz, 2026. "Determinants of ESG‐Related Sustainability Uncertainty: Asymmetric Fourier Evidence From G7 Countries," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(1), pages 1479-1492, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:33:y:2026:i:1:p:1479-1492
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.70246
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.70246
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/csr.70246?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. Pascual Berrone & Andrea Fosfuri & Liliana Gelabert, 2017. "Does Greenwashing Pay Off? Understanding the Relationship Between Environmental Actions and Environmental Legitimacy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(2), pages 363-379, August.
    2. Darren D. Lee & Robert W. Faff, 2009. "Corporate Sustainability Performance and Idiosyncratic Risk: A Global Perspective," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 44(2), pages 213-237, May.
    3. Mario La Torre & Fabiomassimo Mango & Arturo Cafaro & Sabrina Leo, 2020. "Does the ESG Index Affect Stock Return? Evidence from the Eurostoxx50," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-12, August.
    4. Mert Gürlek & Ertugrul Düzgün & Selma Meydan Uygur, 2017. "How does corporate social responsibility create customer loyalty? The role of corporate image," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 13(3), pages 409-427, August.
    5. Nazlioglu, Saban & Gormus, N. Alper & Soytas, Uğur, 2016. "Oil prices and real estate investment trusts (REITs): Gradual-shift causality and volatility transmission analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 168-175.
    6. Abbas, Jawad & Wang, Lisu & Ben Belgacem, Samira & Pawar, Puja Sunil & Najam, Hina & Abbas, Jaffar, 2023. "Investment in renewable energy and electricity output: Role of green finance, environmental tax, and geopolitical risk: Empirical evidence from China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    7. Al-Yahyaee, Khamis Hamed & Rehman, Mobeen Ur & Mensi, Walid & Al-Jarrah, Idries Mohammad Wanas, 2019. "Can uncertainty indices predict Bitcoin prices? A revisited analysis using partial and multivariate wavelet approaches," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 47-56.
    8. Gaies, Brahim, 2025. "Risky finance, riskier climate: when financial instability meets climate risks on the bridge of sustainability uncertainty," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    9. Toda, Hiro Y. & Yamamoto, Taku, 1995. "Statistical inference in vector autoregressions with possibly integrated processes," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 66(1-2), pages 225-250.
    10. Liu, Min & Guo, Tongji & Ping, Weiying & Luo, Liangqing, 2023. "Sustainability and stability: Will ESG investment reduce the return and volatility spillover effects across the Chinese financial market?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    11. Benoît Mercereau & Lionel Melin & Maria Margarita Lugo, 2022. "Creating shareholder value through ESG engagement," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(7), pages 550-566, December.
    12. Ryan Kellogg, 2014. "The Effect of Uncertainty on Investment: Evidence from Texas Oil Drilling," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(6), pages 1698-1734, June.
    13. Enders, Walter & Lee, Junsoo, 2012. "The flexible Fourier form and Dickey–Fuller type unit root tests," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 117(1), pages 196-199.
    14. Anis Maaloul & Daniel Zéghal & Walid Ben Amar & Sari Mansour, 2023. "The Effect of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Performance and Disclosure on Cost of Debt: The Mediating Effect of Corporate Reputation," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(1), pages 1-18, February.
    15. R. Scott Hacker & Abdulnasser Hatemi-J, 2006. "Tests for causality between integrated variables using asymptotic and bootstrap distributions: theory and application," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(13), pages 1489-1500.
    16. Nyakurukwa, Kingstone & Seetharam, Yudhvir & Chipeta, Chimwemwe, 2025. "Global and regional transmission of ESG policy uncertainty: Evidence from developed and emerging markets," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(PA).
    17. Nektarios Gavrilakis & Christos Floros, 2023. "ESG performance, herding behavior and stock market returns: evidence from Europe," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 1-21, March.
    18. Robert G. Eccles & Ioannis Ioannou & George Serafeim, 2014. "The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Processes and Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(11), pages 2835-2857, November.
    19. Michael C. Jensen, 2010. "Value Maximization, Stakeholder Theory, and the Corporate Objective Function," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 22(1), pages 32-42, January.
    20. Hafner, Christian M. & Herwartz, Helmut, 2006. "A Lagrange multiplier test for causality in variance," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 93(1), pages 137-141, October.
    21. Tomasz Kapecki, 2020. "Elements of Sustainable Development in the Context of the Environmental and Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-12, July.
    22. Ozkan, Oktay & Uche, Emmanuel & Nwani, Chinazaekpere & Okere, Kingsley I., 2025. "Critical minerals volatility under ESG uncertainty: Implications for the clean energy transition," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    23. Balcilar, Mehmet & Gupta, Rangan & Pierdzioch, Christian, 2016. "Does uncertainty move the gold price? New evidence from a nonparametric causality-in-quantiles test," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 74-80.
    24. Shauhrat S. Chopra & Sachini Supunsala Senadheera & Pavani Dulanja Dissanayake & Piumi Amasha Withana & Rajeev Chib & Jay Hyuk Rhee & Yong Sik Ok, 2024. "Navigating the Challenges of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Reporting: The Path to Broader Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-14, January.
    25. Stewart R. Miller & Lorraine Eden & Dan Li, 2020. "CSR Reputation and Firm Performance: A Dynamic Approach," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(3), pages 619-636, May.
    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. Nazlioglu, Saban & Gupta, Rangan & Gormus, Alper & Soytas, Ugur, 2020. "Price and volatility linkages between international REITs and oil markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    2. Nazlioglu, Saban & Gupta, Rangan & Bouri, Elie, 2020. "Movements in international bond markets: The role of oil prices," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 47-58.
    3. Gormus, Alper & Nazlioglu, Saban & Soytas, Ugur, 2018. "High-yield bond and energy markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 101-110.
    4. İbrahim Özmen & Mihai Mutascu, 2024. "Public Debt and Growth: New Insights," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 8706-8736, June.
    5. Durusu-Ciftci, Dilek & Soytas, Ugur & Nazlioglu, Saban, 2020. "Financial development and energy consumption in emerging markets: Smooth structural shifts and causal linkages," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    6. Veli YILANCI & Sertaç HOPOĞLU & Hakan ERYÜZLÜ, 2023. "The impact of the economic policy uncertainty and geopolitical risks on tourism demand of Mexico," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(3(636), A), pages 147-164, Autumn.
    7. Nazlioglu, Saban & Gormus, N. Alper & Soytas, Uğur, 2016. "Oil prices and real estate investment trusts (REITs): Gradual-shift causality and volatility transmission analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 168-175.
    8. James E Payne & Saban Nazlioglu & Andrea Mervar, 2023. "Economic policy uncertainty and international tourist arrivals: A disaggregated analysis of the Croatian Adriatic coast," Tourism Economics, , vol. 29(4), pages 986-1004, June.
    9. Ali, Adnan & Faisal, Faisal & Zhakanova Isiksal, Aliya & Maktoumi, Iman Sulaiman Amur AL, 2025. "Do green finance and health expenditures lessen the ecological footprint to ensure sustainable development?," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 4(2).
    10. Aydin, Mucahit, 2022. "The impacts of political stability, renewable energy consumption, and economic growth on tourism in Turkey: New evidence from Fourier Bootstrap ARDL approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 467-473.
    11. Shahzad, Syed Jawad Hussain & Nor, Safwan Mohd & Hammoudeh, Shawkat & Shahbaz, Muhammad, 2017. "Directional and bidirectional causality between U.S. industry credit and stock markets and their determinants," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 46-61.
    12. Nicholas Apergis & Umit Bulut & Gulbahar Ucler & Serife Ozsahin, 2021. "The causal linkage between inflation and inflation uncertainty under structural breaks: Evidence from Turkey," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 89(3), pages 259-275, June.
    13. Mithilesh Gidage & Shilpa Bhide, 2026. "How do stakeholders prioritize CSR initiatives? An assessment based on fuzzy AHP," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(1), pages 92-112, March.
    14. S. Belgin Akçay & Mert Akyüz, 2024. "Why Did House Prices Go Up During COVID-19 Pandemic? Policy-Driven or Market-Driven?," International Real Estate Review, Global Social Science Institute, vol. 27(2), pages 303-328.
    15. Foteini I. Pagkalou & Konstantinos I. Liapis & Eleftherios I. Thalassinos, 2024. "Defining the Total CSR Z-Score: A Methodological Approach Using Regulations, Standards and Guidelines Through Application to the Greek Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-28, November.
    16. Tunahan Degirmenci & Mehmet Aydin, 2026. "A Path Towards the Sustainable Environment from Environmental Governance: Testing the LCC and EKC Hypotheses with the Environmental Policy Stringency and Government Effectiveness in France," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 17(1), pages 981-1007, February.
    17. Veda Fatmy & John Kihn & Jukka Sihvonen & Sami Vähämaa, 2022. "Does lesbian and gay friendliness pay off? A new look at LGBT policies and firm performance," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(1), pages 213-242, March.
    18. Gormus, Alper & Salvino, Robert & Nazlioglu, Saban & Soytas, Ugur, 2025. "Energy commodities and U.S. housing: Long-run Price and volatility integration with comparative evidence from non-energy markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    19. Faisal Faisal & Suresh Ramakrishnan & Sami Ur Rahman & Adnan Ali & Aliya Zhakanova Isiksal, 2025. "Financial development and natural resources: Does information technology moderate for financial resource blessing?," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 38(3), pages 537-550, September.
    20. Bonato, Matteo & Çepni, Oğuzhan & Gupta, Rangan & Pierdzioch, Christian, 2021. "Do oil-price shocks predict the realized variance of U.S. REITs?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).

    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:wly:corsem:v:33:y:2026:i:1:p:1479-1492. 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: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)1535-3966 .

    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.