The impact of religiosity and corruption on CSR reporting: The case of U.S. banks

Abstract

In this paper, we provide insights into CSR disclosure strategies by bringing to the fore the important role played by contextual factors. We examine the impact of religiosity upon the instigation of voluntary CSR disclosures and the way that corruption, a trans-systemic contextual feature, moderates this relationship. We draw upon social norm and institutional theories to illuminate the mechanisms through which contextual elements give rise to management disclosure strategies. Our investigation focuses on the U.S. context, where religiosity is of increasing importance and concentrates on the U.S. banking industry, whose impacts and ramifications are global. We demonstrate that the probability of a bank issuing a standalone CSR report is positively associated with the level of adherence to religious norms, a relationship which weakens in regions characterized by high levels of corruption. The implications of our findings are important for analysts and other market participants.