Internal and external CSR in China: How do women independent directors matter?

Ruijie Jin, Xu Jiang () and Helen Wei Hu
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Ruijie Jin: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Xu Jiang: Xi’an Jiaotong University
Helen Wei Hu: University of Melbourne

Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 2023, vol. 40, issue 1, No 7, 169-204

Abstract: Abstract How do women independent directors influence a firm’s strategic responses to corporate social responsibility (CSR)? To address this question, we integrate social role theory and the stakeholder perspective to examine the impacts of female independent directors on firms’ internal and external CSR engagement. Using a dataset on publicly listed Chinese firms for 2008–2015, we find that firms with a greater proportion of female independent directors tend to engage more extensively in internal than in external CSR. The effects of having female independent directors on both internal and external CSR are stronger when a high proportion of independent directors on a board are politically connected, but are weaker when a high proportion of independent directors on the same board are returnees with foreign experience. This study casts light on new ways in which social role and stakeholder theories can be synergized to advance our understanding of board governance and CSR strategies.

Keywords: Board gender diversity; Female independent directors; Corporate social responsibility; Corporate governance; Emerging economies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10490-021-09783-9

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