Determinants of sustainability reporting decision: evidence from Pakistan

ABSTRACT

We investigate the determinants of corporate sustainability reporting decision. We use a logistic regression model to analyse data collected from a sample of 138 firms listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange for the years 2009–2018. We find that firms with more gender-diverse boards, larger audit committees and higher institutional ownership are more likely to issue sustainability reports. We also find that concentrated ownership, managerial ownership, foreign ownership and audit committee independence negatively influence the firms' sustainability reporting decision. The findings provide valuable insight to Pakistani policymakers by identifying the attributes that require regulatory focus to achieve the public policy objective of sustainable development. We are the first to explore the determinants of sustainability reporting decision in Pakistan. It provides empirical evidence to regulators and policymakers in Pakistan and other emerging markets who have already adopted a governance framework and are considering sustainability reporting in their respective contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• Sustainability reporting
• voluntary disclosures
• corporate governance
• stakeholder theory
• emerging economy
• Pakistan

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).