IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/sustdv/v33y2025i3p3403-3426.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Advancing Sustainable Development Goal 15: The Role of Corporate Governance Structures and Environmental Regulations in Emerging Economies

Author

Listed:
  • Ummar Faruk Saeed
  • Wu Ning
  • Andrew Osei Agyemang

Abstract

This study advances the literature on sustainable development, corporate governance, and environmental management by examining the interplay between governance structures (GS) and biodiversity disclosure (BD) in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 15. Grounded in institutional, legitimacy, and stakeholder theories, we investigate how various GS influence firms' commitment to biodiversity reporting in sub‐Saharan Africa, while also considering the moderating role of environmental regulations. Utilizing panel data from 386 environmentally sensitive manufacturing firms between 2010 and 2022, we employ the two‐step system generalized method of moments (GMM) modeling, as proposed by Blundell and Bond and addressed potential endogeneity issues through instrumental variable two‐stage least squares (IV‐2SLS), propensity score matching, and lagged effect estimations. Our findings reveal that board diversity, particularly gender diversity and the presence of foreign nationals, positively impacts BD. Additionally, structural attributes such as board size and independence enhance BD, while CEO duality negatively affects this outcome. Furthermore, a positive relationship is observed between the frequency of board meetings and BD, yet a negative association exists with meeting attendance. Notably, environmental regulations not only increase BD, but significantly enhance the effect of GS on BD. These findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders, contributing to the discourse on Sustainable Development Goal 15 by advocating for stronger governance frameworks to bolster biodiversity conservation and environmental stewardship in emerging economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Ummar Faruk Saeed & Wu Ning & Andrew Osei Agyemang, 2025. "Advancing Sustainable Development Goal 15: The Role of Corporate Governance Structures and Environmental Regulations in Emerging Economies," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(3), pages 3403-3426, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:33:y:2025:i:3:p:3403-3426
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.3300
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.3300
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/sd.3300?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. Valentina Lagasio & Nicola Cucari, 2019. "Corporate governance and environmental social governance disclosure: A meta‐analytical review," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(4), pages 701-711, July.
    2. M. Hashem Pesaran, 2007. "A simple panel unit root test in the presence of cross-section dependence," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 265-312.
    3. T. S. Breusch & A. R. Pagan, 1980. "The Lagrange Multiplier Test and its Applications to Model Specification in Econometrics," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 47(1), pages 239-253.
    4. Haque, Faizul & Jones, Michael John, 2020. "European firms’ corporate biodiversity disclosures and board gender diversity from 2002 to 2016," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).
    5. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    6. Hashem Pesaran, M. & Yamagata, Takashi, 2008. "Testing slope homogeneity in large panels," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 142(1), pages 50-93, January.
    7. Preeti Sharma & Priyanka Panday & R. C. Dangwal, 2020. "Determinants of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) disclosure: a study of Indian companies," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(4), pages 208-217, December.
    8. Naiping Zhu & Ishmael Wiredu & Andrew Osei Agyemang & Abednego Osei, 2024. "Addressing corporate governance and carbon accounting disclosure gaps: A path toward firms commitment to sustainable development goal 13," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(5), pages 5421-5436, October.
    9. Zakari, Abdulrasheed & Tawiah, Vincent & Khan, Irfan & Alvarado, Rafael & Li, Guo, 2022. "Ensuring sustainable consumption and production pattern in Africa: Evidence from green energy perspectives," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    10. Andrew Osei Agyemang & Kong Yusheng & Angelina Kissiwaa Twum & Emmanuel Caesar Ayamba & Maxwell Kongkuah & Mohammed Musah, 2021. "Trend and relationship between environmental accounting disclosure and environmental performance for mining companies listed in China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(8), pages 12192-12216, August.
    11. Adomako, Samuel & Tran, Mai Dong, 2022. "Sustainable environmental strategy, firm competitiveness, and financial performance: Evidence from the mining industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    12. Kankan Wen & Andrew Agyemang & Noha Alessa & Inusah Sulemana & Abednego Osei, 2023. "The Moderating Role of Ownership Concentration on Financing Decisions and Firm’s Sustainability: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-14, September.
    13. Abednego Osei & Andrew Osei Agyemang & Joseph Owusu Amoah & Inusah Sulemana, 2023. "Empirical study on the impact of working capital management on going concern of manufacturing firms in Ghana," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(2), pages 2218177-221, December.
    14. Ishmael Wiredu & Andrew Osei Agyemang & Samuel Yayra Agbadzidah, 2023. "Does green accounting influences ecological sustainability? Evidence from a developing economy," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(2), pages 2240559-224, December.
    15. Valeria Naciti & Fabrizio Cesaroni & Luisa Pulejo, 2022. "Corporate governance and sustainability: a review of the existing literature," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 26(1), pages 55-74, March.
    16. Sang Kim & Zhichuan (Frank) Li, 2021. "Understanding the Impact of ESG Practices in Corporate Finance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-15, March.
    17. Patrick Velte, 2023. "Sustainable institutional investors and corporate biodiversity disclosure: Does sustainable board governance matter?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(6), pages 3063-3074, November.
    18. Yusheng Kong & Andrew Agyemang & Noha Alessa & Maxwell Kongkuah, 2023. "The Moderating Role of Technological Innovation on Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) Performance and Firm Value: Evidence from Developing and Least-Developed Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-16, September.
    19. Awad Ibrahim & Murya Habbash & Khaled Hussainey, 2019. "Corporate governance and risk disclosure: evidence from Saudi Arabia," International Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Performance Evaluation, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 15(1), pages 89-111.
    20. Yousuf Kamal, 2021. "Stakeholders expectations for CSR-related corporate governance disclosure: evidence from a developing country," Asian Review of Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 29(2), pages 97-127, January.
    21. Md Shahid Ullah & Mohammad Badrul Muttakin & Arifur Khan, 2019. "Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility disclosures in insurance companies," International Journal of Accounting & Information Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 27(2), pages 284-300, May.
    22. Andrew Osei Agyemang & Kong Yusheng & Angelina Kissiwaa Twum & Bless Kofi Edziah & Emmanuel Caesar Ayamba, 2024. "Environmental accounting and performance: empirical evidence from China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 3687-3712, February.
    23. Ummar Faruk Saeed & Rabiatu Kamil & Ishmael Wiredu, 2024. "The moderating role of technological innovation on ownership structure, financing decisions and environmental accounting disclosure," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(1), pages 2396543-239, December.
    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. Wu Ning & Ummar Faruk Saeed & Angelina Kissiwaa Twum & Abednego Osei, 2024. "Can ESG disclosures promote firms going concern? Evidence from BRICS countries," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 3792-3803, September.
    2. Jian Wang & Yuzhen Zhang & Angelina Kissiwaa Twum & Andrew Osei Agyemang, 2024. "Realizing sustainable development goals in sub‐Saharan Africa: The role of industrialization on consumption‐based carbon emission," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 2666-2677, June.
    3. Shreya Pal, 2024. "The International Capital Flows and Domestic Savings–domestic Investment Nexus: A Comparative Evidence Between Heterogeneous Developing Regions," South Asian Journal of Macroeconomics and Public Finance, , vol. 13(2), pages 169-212, December.
    4. Hossain, Mohammad Razib & Rao, Amar & Sharma, Gagan Deep & Dev, Dhairya & Kharbanda, Aeshna, 2024. "Empowering energy transition: Green innovation, digital finance, and the path to sustainable prosperity through green finance initiatives," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    5. Md Qamruzzaman, 2023. "Does financial innovation foster financial inclusion in Arab world? examining the nexus between financial innovation, FDI, remittances, trade openness, and gross capital formation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(6), pages 1-28, June.
    6. Clement Olalekan Olaniyi & Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh Al‐Faryan & Eyitayo Oyewunmi Ogbaro, 2025. "Do institutional quality and its threshold matter in the sensitivity of the renewable energy transition to financial development? New empirical perspectives," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(1), pages 5-43, January.
    7. Naiping Zhu & Abednego Osei & Andrew Osei Agyemang, 2024. "Do board attributes influence environmental sustainability disclosure in manufacturing firms? Evidence from sub‐Saharan Africa," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 4759-4771, September.
    8. Ejike Udeogu & Shampa Roy-Mukherjee & Uzochukwu Amakom, 2021. "Does Increasing Product Complexity and Diversity Cause Economic Growth in the Long-Run? A GMM Panel VAR Evidence," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, August.
    9. Ayberk Şeker & Mahmut Kadir İşgüven, 2025. "The Nexus Between Biodiversity and Sovereign Credit Ratings: Global Environmental and Economic Interdependencies from a Sustainability Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-26, May.
    10. Mouhamadou Lamine DIAL, 2022. "Les effets de l’urbanisation et de l’industrialisation sur l’intensité énergétique dans la CEDEAO," Region et Developpement, Region et Developpement, LEAD, Universite du Sud - Toulon Var, vol. 56, pages 41-59.
    11. Dimitrios Bakas & Theodore Panagiotidis & Gianluigi Pelloni, 2017. "Regional And Sectoral Evidence Of The Macroeconomic Effects Of Labor Reallocation: A Panel Data Analysis," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(1), pages 501-526, January.
    12. Chunqiao Song & Qamar Ali & Muhammad Rizwan Yaseen & Muhammad Tariq Iqbal Khan, 2025. "The nexus between tourism and social capital development: The role of institutional quality and globalization," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 49(2), pages 1219-1237, May.
    13. Ioannis Kostakis & Sarantis Lolos, 2024. "Uncovering the impact of cultural heritage on economic growth: empirical evidence from Greek regions, 2000–2019," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 73(3), pages 1209-1239, October.
    14. Kadjatou Dakoure & Mahamadou Diarra & M. Idrissa Ouedraogo, 2023. "Role of the choice of exchange rate regime on real exchange rate misalignments in South Sahara African countries," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 425-455, July.
    15. Ali, Adnan & Ramakrishnan, Suresh & Faisal, Faisal & Ghazi H Sulimany, Hamid & Bazhair, Ayman Hassan, 2022. "Stock market resource curse: The moderating role of institutional quality," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    16. Hakan Öndes & Özlem Kızılgöl, 2024. "Financial Development and Income Inequality in Newly Industrialized Countries: Does Financial Kuznets Curve Exists?," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(4), pages 15618-15651, December.
    17. Qamruzzaman, Md, 2022. "Nexus between renewable energy, foreign direct investment, and agro-productivity: The mediating role of carbon emission," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 526-540.
    18. Muhammad Tariq Iqbal Khan & Sofia Anwar & Muhammad Rizwan Yaseen & Abdul Majeed Nadeem, 2022. "The Impact of Natural Disasters and Climate Change on Agriculture: An Empirical Analysis," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 4(1), pages 28-38.
    19. Khan, Muhammad Tariq Iqbal & Anwar, Sofia, 2022. "Natural disasters and foreign exchange reserves: The role of renewable energy and human capital," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 838-848.
    20. Osarumwense Osabuohien-Irabor & Igor Mikhailovich Drapkin, 2022. "The Impact of Technological Innovation on Energy Consumption in OECD Economies: the role of Outward Foreign Direct Investment and International Trade Openness," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 12(4), pages 317-333, July.

    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:sustdv:v:33:y:2025:i:3:p:3403-3426. 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://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-1719 .

    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.