Bank CSR Engagement, Institutional Environments, and Corruption

Mohammad Bitar, Hassan Obeid, Imane El Ouadghiri and Jonathan Peillex ()
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Mohammad Bitar: Nottingham University Business School [Nottingham]
Hassan Obeid: PSB - Paris School of Business - HESAM - HESAM Université - Communauté d'universités et d'établissements Hautes écoles Sorbonne Arts et métiers université
Imane El Ouadghiri: PULV - Pôle Universitaire Léonard de Vinci
Jonathan Peillex: ICD International Business School Paris, LEFMI - Laboratoire d’Économie, Finance, Management et Innovation - UR UPJV 4286 - UPJV - Université de Picardie Jules Verne

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Abstract: This study examines the effect of bank engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) on corruption across 39 countries from 2002 to 2021. We build on the view that CSR enables banks to act as active agents influencing national corruption, rather than passive agents of institutional norms. Our results indicate that stronger bank CSR significantly reduces corruption, with robust findings across measures and specifications. CSR mitigates corruption through enhanced regulatory compliance, stakeholder protection, governance diversity, and improved information flows. It also complements formal institutions and informal societal norms, highlighting the potential of embedding CSR into banking regulation to advance both anti‐corruption and financial stability.

Keywords: culture; institutional environment; resource diversity; stakeholders; CSR; corruption; banks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-01-06
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Published in International Journal of Finance and Economics, 2026, ⟨10.1002/ijfe.70136⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05458625

DOI: 10.1002/ijfe.70136

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