The Effects of ESG Performance on Export Intensity of Korean Firms

• 영문명: The Effects of ESG Performance on Export Intensity of Korean Firms
• 발행기관: 한국무역연구원
• 저자명: Yongshang Liu Sung-Hwan Kim Xinyu Li
• 간행물 정보: 『무역연구』제18권 제6호, 1~18쪽, 전체 18쪽
• 주제분류: 경제경영 > 무역학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2022.12.31

영문 초록

Purpose – This study examines whether the export intensity of firms listed in the Korean market is affected by environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings. We test whether the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in ratings of Korean firms can improve their export intensity in the global markets. Design/Methodology/Approach – In this study, we introduce ESG ratings, export intensity and other control variables in the models using unbalanced panel data of 1,974 firms listed on the KOSPI and KOSDAQ Exchange between 2012 and 2021 from a merged dataset of the KIS-VALUE and TS-2000 databases. We apply the fixed effects model (FEMs) after applying the Hausman and Lagrangian multiplier tests. Also, we apply instrument variable regressions (IV regressions) to control endogeneity in ESG ratings affected by other factors introduced. Findings – First, higher ESG ratings of the firms have a significantly negative effect on export intensity, which is inconsistent with the results of the previous research (Herding and Poncet, 2014). Second, ESG ratings of chaebol firms do not significantly reduce export intensity. The results might be due to the less severe constraints in chaebol firms by ESG costs. (Chaney, 2008; Shi Xin-Zheng and Xu Zhu-Feng, 2018). Third, each ESG rating, E, S, and G individually, shows a significantly negative effect on export intensity for only non-chaebol firms, while such an effect for chaebol firms is not statistically significant. Fourth, using the instrument variable regression, we have verified the result that ESG performance has a negative effect on firms' export intensity. Research Implications – This study is the first to examine the relationship between the ESG ratings of Korean firms and their export intensity, whose result is different from that of a prior study regarding Chinese firms (Wu Qing-Lan, Chen Gui-Fu, Han Jing and Wu Li-Yan, 2022). The negative effects of ESG ratings in Korea on exports for non-chaebol firms suggest that higher ESG ratings of Korean firms are not favorably accepted by their counterparts in the global markets while their efforts to get or enhance higher ratings incurring more expenses might hurt their competence in the global markets. Such negative effects of ESG ratings are not clearly observed for chaebol affiliated firms.

목차

Ⅰ. Introduction

Ⅱ. Literature Review

Ⅲ. Hypotheses and Test Models

Ⅳ. Data and Regression Analyses

Ⅴ. Conclusion

References

키워드

ESG Korean Firms Export IV Regression Competitive Advantage