Competing institutional logics in corporate ESG: evidence from developing countries
Competing institutional logics in corporate ESG: evidence from developing countries
Drawing on competing institutional logics theory, we examine the institutional complexity of corporate sustainability practices in an underexplored context of developing economies. Analyzing 11,757 firm-year observations from 19 emerging countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America between 2013 and 2022, we document a U-shaped relationship between ESG performance and firm value, with financial performance failing to mediate this nexus. This indicates that the market remains the dominant institutional logic in corporate ESG. Shareholders initially penalize firm value when companies increasingly incorporate community logic through ESG initiatives, despite their positive impact on profitability. However, as the benefits of ESG strategies become more apparent, shareholder valuation improves, allowing market and community logics to coexist. We term this temporality of logics the ‘transient penalty zones.’ Our findings highlight the need to eliminate transient penalty zones through effective communication and standardized sustainability disclosure to prevent greenwashing and sustain investor trust.
6184-6209
Jatmiko, Wahyu
77c12c27-492a-4683-802a-a02a89025ce7
Smaoui, Houcem
053c4050-f140-4f96-9f6f-c3e10cbca8c6
Hendranastiti, Nur Dhani
2ed5009c-32fa-4bc8-afc8-f89cbbced0bc
July 2025
Jatmiko, Wahyu
77c12c27-492a-4683-802a-a02a89025ce7
Smaoui, Houcem
053c4050-f140-4f96-9f6f-c3e10cbca8c6
Hendranastiti, Nur Dhani
2ed5009c-32fa-4bc8-afc8-f89cbbced0bc
Jatmiko, Wahyu, Smaoui, Houcem and Hendranastiti, Nur Dhani
(2025)
Competing institutional logics in corporate ESG: evidence from developing countries.
Business Strategy and the Environment, 34 (5), .
(doi:10.1002/bse.4283).
Abstract
Drawing on competing institutional logics theory, we examine the institutional complexity of corporate sustainability practices in an underexplored context of developing economies. Analyzing 11,757 firm-year observations from 19 emerging countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America between 2013 and 2022, we document a U-shaped relationship between ESG performance and firm value, with financial performance failing to mediate this nexus. This indicates that the market remains the dominant institutional logic in corporate ESG. Shareholders initially penalize firm value when companies increasingly incorporate community logic through ESG initiatives, despite their positive impact on profitability. However, as the benefits of ESG strategies become more apparent, shareholder valuation improves, allowing market and community logics to coexist. We term this temporality of logics the ‘transient penalty zones.’ Our findings highlight the need to eliminate transient penalty zones through effective communication and standardized sustainability disclosure to prevent greenwashing and sustain investor trust.
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Jatmiko et al. (2025) - Accepted Manuscript - Competing Logics
- Accepted Manuscript
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Bus Strat Env - 2025 - Jatmiko - Competing Institutional Logics in Corporate ESG Evidence From Developing Countries
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Accepted/In Press date: 25 March 2025
e-pub ahead of print date: 15 April 2025
Published date: July 2025
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 500456
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/500456
ISSN: 0964-4733
PURE UUID: 08ac76b8-3b73-483a-9fa6-747770185cad
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Date deposited: 30 Apr 2025 16:40
Last modified: 28 Aug 2025 02:25
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Author:
Wahyu Jatmiko
Author:
Houcem Smaoui
Author:
Nur Dhani Hendranastiti
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