可持续发展目标下数字化转型对企业ESG责任履行的影响研究

Research on the Impact of Digital Transformation on Corporate ESG Responsibility Fulfillment under the goal of sustainable development

摘要:

数字经济背景下，数字化转型赋予了企业强劲的发展动能，为企业通过ESG责任履行实现可持续发展提供契机。本文运用2012-2021年我国2774家A股上市公司的非平衡面板数据，对数字化转型与企业ESG责任履行的关系进行了理论探索及实证分析。研究发现，数字化转型显著促进了企业的ESG责任履行，已经成为推动各行业企业深入贯彻落实可持续发展理念的强劲驱动力。在作用机制方面，数字化转型主要通过提高企业绿色创新水平、改善企业内部信息环境、增强企业内部控制能力和缓解企业融资约束的机制推动企业ESG责任履行。拓展性分析发现，产权性质、同群效应、环境规制会对企业数字化转型的ESG责任履行效应产生差异性影响，数字化转型推动企业履行ESG责任能够带来企业持久竞争力的增强。本文的研究结论对指导企业深入推进数字化转型以实现ESG可持续发展提供经验启示。

Abstract:

In the context of the digital economy, digital transformation gives enterprises a strong development momentum and provides them with the opportunity to achieve sustainable development through ESG responsibility fulfillment. Using unbalanced panel data of 2,774 A-share listed companies in China from 2012-2021, this paper performs a theoretical exploration and an empirical analysis of the relationship between digital transformation and corporate ESG responsibility fulfillment. It is discovered that digital transformation could significantly promote the fulfillment of corporate ESG responsibilities and has become a powerful driving force for enterprises across a variety of industries to deeply implement the concept of sustainable development. Further, digital transformation primarily advances the fulfillment of corporate ESG responsibilities by the mechanisms of raising the level of corporate green innovation, improving corporate internal information environment, boosting the effectiveness of corporate internal control, and alleviating corporate financing constraints. The results of the extended analysis show that the nature of property rights, cohort effect, and environmental regulation results in some differences in the effect of corporate digital transformation on the fulfillment of ESG responsibilities, and corporate digital transformation can promote the fulfillment of corporate ESG responsibilities to bring about the enhancement of corporate sustainable competitiveness. The research presented in this article offers empirical guidance to firms on how to further support digital transformation for sustainable ESG development.