Economic policy uncertainty and corporate investment: The moderating effect of corporate social responsibility
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Received August 30, 2024;Accepted February 12, 2025;Published March 31, 2025
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Author(s)Link to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-5793-5974
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Link to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2868-0151 -
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/imfi.22(2).2025.01
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Article InfoVolume 22 2025, Issue #2, pp. 1-13
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Economic policy uncertainty has a profound impact on firms’ investment decisions, mainly in terms of increased risk and uncertainty for firms when planning future investments. This study aims to explore the impact of corporate economic policy uncertainty on corporate investment, as well as how corporate social responsibility disclosure moderates the relationship between economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and corporate investment. The analysis uses a sample of Chinese listed companies from 2010 to 2022, including 33,791 observations. The study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regression with clustered standard errors. The basic and robust regression empirical results show that economic policy uncertainty has a negative impact on corporate investment. However, corporate social responsibility plays an important moderating role between them. The two-stage least squares method (2SLS) is used to solve the endogeneity problem of reverse causation. The heterogeneity results show that economic policy uncertainty significantly dampens business investment, while corporate social responsibility (CSR) is effective in mitigating this negative effect, especially among non-state-owned and low-cash-flow firms, where this moderating effect is more pronounced. The study concludes that as corporate social responsibility disclosure enhances information transparency and investor confidence, companies should prioritize CSR programs that ultimately help companies remain competitive and attractive to investors in volatile markets. Meanwhile, this also highlights the strategic importance of CSR in mitigating external risks, such as those presented through volatile economic policies.
- Keywords
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JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)G31, G38, D81
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References53
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Tables7
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Figures0
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- Table 1. Descriptive statistics
- Table 2. Pearson correlation
- Table 3. Effect of EPU1 on corporate investment
- Table 4. The moderating effect of CSR on the relationship between EPU1 and corporate investment
- Table 5. Robustness test outcome
- Table 6. Endogeneity test
- Table 7. Heterogeneity test regression results
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Conceptualization
Qiujin Zhao, Salawati Sahari
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Data curation
Qiujin Zhao, Salawati Sahari
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Formal Analysis
Qiujin Zhao
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Funding acquisition
Qiujin Zhao, Salawati Sahari
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Project administration
Qiujin Zhao, Salawati Sahari
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Resources
Qiujin Zhao, Salawati Sahari
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Supervision
Qiujin Zhao
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Validation
Qiujin Zhao, Salawati Sahari
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Investigation
Salawati Sahari
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Software
Salawati Sahari
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Visualization
Salawati Sahari
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Writing – original draft
Salawati Sahari
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Writing – review & editing
Salawati Sahari
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Conceptualization
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Problems and perspectives for attracting investments in economy of Ukraine
Ivan Bogatyrev, Vasyl Topchiy
, Igor Koropatnik
, Oleksandr Kotliarenko
, Andrii Kofanov
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/imfi.16(2).2019.17
Investment Management and Financial Innovations Volume 16, 2019 Issue #2 pp. 195-205 Views: 2507 Downloads: 456 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯThe purpose of the article is to study the current problems of investment processes in the conditions of transformation of the Ukrainian economy. The relevance of the research was due to significant changes in political, economic and social processes of Ukraine. The research was conducted using general scientific and special methods and methods of research, such as theoretical analysis and synthesis, methods of grouping, modeling, comparison, as well as methods of systematization and scientific synthesis, in particular on materials: Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine, research conducted by the Doing Business Group of the World Bank, rating of Moody’s Investors Service, rating of Global Competitiveness Index 2017/2018 and of European Business Association. The most actual factors of influence of political, economic, criminal and legislative processes on investment potential of Ukraine were analyzed. It was defined that the economic of Ukraine is characterized by the deficiency of capital, progressive technologies, mutual integration of scientific and industrial spheres, developed management and high-tech production and the recommendations to create favorable conditions for investment were made. Positive changes were noted in creating a legal framework for the promotion, protection of investments and intensification of investment activity in Ukraine.
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Factors affecting accrual accounting reform and transparency of performance in the public sector in Vietnam
Phuong-Nguyen Thi Thanh, Hai Phan Thanh
, Tung-Nguyen Thanh , Tien-Vo Thi Thuy doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ppm.18(2).2020.16
Problems and Perspectives in Management Volume 18, 2020 Issue #2 pp. 180-193 Views: 1739 Downloads: 569 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯThis study was conducted to determine the factors and their influence on accrual accounting reform in the public sector in Vietnam. Combining qualitative and quantitative research methods based on empirical surveys of 268 accountants, controllers, and auditors working in state agencies such as the Department of Finance, state treasuries and agencies receiving revenues from the state budget in 2019. This study shows that six factors influence the reform of the accounting system in the public sector in Vietnam to accrual-based: accounting staff – especially their expertise, competence, and work experience; training and support of the consulting experts; costs of the accounting reform; level of information technology application; funding and assistance from international organizations; legal environment.
At the same time, the accrual-based accounting reform will have a positive impact on improving the transparency and efficiency of public sector operations in Vietnam. Among the factors affecting accounting reform, the legal environment factor is the most influential determinant, followed by the contingent of accountants. The study’s limitation is that the new experimental investigation is only conducted with a small sample size and in a short period. However, the research results are also a useful reference for those who are interested in the context that Vietnam is preparing to have strong reforms in accounting in the public sector in the coming time. -
Environmental responsibility mechanism development in the public sector of the economy
Inna Makarenko, Diana Bychenko
, Serhiy Makarenko
, Gunay Qasimova doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/ee.09(3).2018.04
Environmental Economics Volume 9, 2018 Issue #3 pp. 28-41 Views: 1736 Downloads: 196 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯEnvironmental responsibility mechanism in the public sector of the economy has an important sense in UN Sustainability Development Goals achievement, as well as in ensuring the competitiveness of the state-owned companies and the state as a whole. Sustainability concept, concept of “smart cities and smart communities” and the implementation of public administration reform, the necessity to increase the transparency of state-owned companies and the responsibility of municipalities to communities determine the reasonability and urgency in environmental responsibility mechanism development. Systematization and comparative analysis of world and national experience of environmental responsibility mechanism development in the public sector of the economy were made. The author’s approach to the structuring of the mechanism of environmental responsibility in the public sector was developed. Public policy peculiarities implementation in the field of environmental responsibility were investigated considering the levels of regulation of such liability: in state-owned companies as models for other sectors of the economy; in public authorities and municipalities.