Executives’ education: A catalyst for enhanced ESG disclosure

Abstract

High-quality ESG disclosure by firms is crucial for reducing capital costs and enhancing firms’ reputations. However, an under-explored factor in the literature is the impact of executives’ education on ESG disclosure. Using unique firm-level executives’ education data from 2012 to 2021, our study demonstrates that executives’ education can positively affect firms’ ESG disclosure, particularly in the context of social responsibility. This finding is robust to specifications considering the endogeneity issue and various alternative specifications. Moreover, our results reveal that executives with advanced degrees, such as master's or doctorate degrees, exhibit a greater propensity to promote ESG disclosure.