Social Governance Research Articles

The Feasibility of Decentralized Social Governance: Can DAO Replace Traditional Government Organizations?

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) have emerged as a revolutionary alternative to traditional governance structures, offering transparency, efficiency, and community-driven decision-making. This paper explores the core characteristics of DAOs, their potential applications in social governance, and their challenges compared to traditional government institutions. Through case studies, including CityDAO, Gitcoin Grants, UkraineDAO, VitaDAO, Proof of Humanity, and Kleros, we analyze real-world implementations of DAO governance. Despite the advantages, DAOs face legal uncertainties, governance inefficiencies, and security vulnerabilities that hinder their broader adoption. The study further examines the prospects of integrating DAOs into traditional governance frameworks and the future evolution of decentralized governance models. Addressing these challenges through technological innovation and regulatory adaptation will be crucial for DAOs to play a sustainable role in global governance.

Landscape Planning and Design in High-Density Cities of China: Challenges, Strategies, and International Insights

High-density cities, emerging as primary hubs for human activities and products of intensified population-land dynamics, are confronting a series of ecological challenges in China, including land scarcity, urban heat island effects, and fragmented green spaces. These issues exacerbate the vulnerability of urban ecosystems through negative feedback loops. By analyzing Singapore’s transformative experience from a "Garden City" to a "City in Nature", this study systematically summarizes its ecological planning strategies, technological innovation pathways, and social governance models. Integrating China’s practical challenges—such as land constraints, heat island effects, and ecological fragmentation—this research proposes a localized implementation framework of "networked ecological restoration, three-dimensional spatial development, and smart collaborative governance," offering theoretical and practical references for the development of "Park Cities." Local practices in China, exemplified by the Qianhai case in Shenzhen, demonstrate the feasibility of Singapore’s experience through cross-regional ecological corridors, climate-resilient vertical greening, and intelligent management platforms. However, high technical costs, administrative barriers, and the lack of long-term governance mechanisms remain critical challenges. Future efforts should prioritize policy innovation, technology adaptation, and social co-governance to shift high-density cities from "quantitative greening" to "function-first" ecological transformation, fostering synergy between ecological and economic development.

The innovation of social governance and the enlightenment for the governance of Macao’s social organizations in the digital age

In the new era, an important component of China’s social governance system construction is to strengthen and innovate social governance to improve the ability and level of social governance in China. To ensure the long-term stability of the country and the well-being of the vast majority of the people, it is necessary to be adept at strengthening social governance, continuously improve and improve the governance system that is suitable for the development of modern society with scientific thinking methods, and enhance the level and capacity of governance in China. Based on this, this paper discusses how to promote the innovation of social governance in the digital age, and proposes innovative ideas on the model of social organization governance under the guidance of <Economic Diversification Plan for Macao SAR (2024–2028)>.

How Does ESG Performance Matter for Corporate Sustainability Performance? Evidence from China

Using 2010–2021 listed A-share companies as the research sample, we explore the influence of corporate ESG performance on sustainable development performance and the mechanism by which this influence occurs. The results indicate that ESG performance effectively enhances sustainable development performance. Mechanism analyses reveal that ESG performance promotes sustainable development performance through the “reputation effect” and “supervision effect”. Further analyses reveal that among the three dimensions of ESG, the social governance dimension (“S”) plays the most significant role. When environmental regulations are more stringent, green credit guidelines are stronger, internal controls are more effective, and the firm is in a growth or decline phase in its life cycle, the enhancing effect of ESG performance on sustainable development performance becomes more pronounced. Additionally, ESG performance can further enhance a company’s ability to obtain commercial credit and its overall performance. This paper enriches related research on the value effect of ESG and provides insights for listed companies, participants in the capital market, and government departments to emphasize ESG performance and improve ESG incentive policies.

The impact of the relationship between government and pharmaceutical enterprises on social contribution during the public health emergency: an empirical study.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines and specific drugs are seen as indispensable solutions to ending or responding to the pandemic, and pharmaceutical enterprises are in the spotlight. The Chinese government has made active efforts to guide pharmaceutical enterprises to make appropriate social contribution during the public health emergency. This study explores how government-enterprise relationship promotes this process. Using the financial and textual data of China's listed pharmaceutical companies and policy data from the official website of the Chinese health-related government departments, this study drew the social contribution through text analysis, and established the response index of pharmaceutical companies to the government-the government-enterprise alignment index (GE_Ali) based on the formula of elasticity for reference. Then a series of regressions are used to do the empirical tests. This study found the more responsive pharmaceutical companies were to government, the greater their contribution to society during the pandemic, mainly through increasing the intensity of drug R&D, production and promotion, and the good communication mechanism between the two formed a mediating effect. The nature of state ownership, the presence of embedded party organizations, and the location in the provincial capital city had significant effects on the realization of a high level of government-enterprise alignment positively affecting the social contribution. This study confirms that the Chinese government has made enterprises a part of social governance, which is a global hotspot, through the embedding of party organizations. It also indicates that the government needs to re-recognize its key role in shaping social contribution, especially in distinguishing its responsibilities between normal and emergency situations.

Growth Experience Between the United States and Canada

In the era of globalization, the economy, employment, education, and environment are essential indicators for measuring a country's overall strength. The United States and Canada exhibit distinct characteristics in social governance and policy-making. Since its independence, the United States has gradually formed an individualistic economic model. Simultaneously, Canada, under its mixed colonial background of English and French, has placed greater emphasis on the development of collectivism and multiculturalism. These historical factors have further shaped the two countries' different policy orientations and practical achievements in the fields of economy, employment, education, and environmental protection. By analyzing the policies and practices of the two countries in these areas, this study will reveal their similarities and differences in addressing the challenges of globalization, promoting social equity and sustainable development, and providing useful historical and practical experience references for other countries.

The Impact of Female Board Representation on Corporate Environmental, Social and Governance Performance: A Dual Perspective Based on Institutional Environment and Market Competition

ABSTRACTEnvironmental, social, and governance (ESG) is attracting increasing attention from governments and various stakeholders. However, since incorporating a large number of environmental and social governance measures into corporate business strategies will affect a company's short‐term financial performance, it is difficult for ESG strategies to gain the decision‐making support of the board of directors. Female board representation, on the other hand, can address the above‐mentioned challenges by virtue of their acumen in environmental subsidies and their pro‐environmental market image. Nevertheless, the existing literature has not recognized the advantages of female board representation in these two aspects. Based on this, drawing on the Upper Echelons Theory and Gender Socialization Theory, this paper takes the listed companies on China's stock markets from 2014 to 2022 as a sample and uses a fixed effects model to analyze the impact of female board representation (FBR) on ESG. The research findings show that when there are two or three female board members, it significantly improves ESG performance. Secondly, from the perspective of the institutional environment, environmental subsidies amplify the positive impact of FBR on ESG. However, market competition has the opposite effect and may even offset the positive impact of environmental subsidies. The heterogeneity analysis further reveals that FBR has a greater positive impact on the ESG performance of companies in non‐critical industries and those that have established environmental committees.

PENGARUH ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL GOVERNANCE (ESG), INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL, DAN SALES GROWTH TERHADAP KINERJA KEUANGAN

This research aims to examine the effect of Environmental Social Governance (ESG), Intellectual Capital (IC), and Sales Growth on the financial performance of non-financial companies listed on the IDX ESG Leaders in 2020-2023. The research method uses a quantitative approach with secondary data from annual financial reports and sustainability, and uses purposive sampling with a sample of 15 companies. Data analysis techniques include normality, multicollinearity, heteroscedasticity, and panel data regression tests with chow and hausman tests. The results showed that ESG has no significant effect on financial performance, while IC has a significant positive effect, and Sales Growth has no significant effect. The implication of this study is that companies need to focus on managing Intellectual Capital to improve financial performance, while ESG implementation and sales growth require a more mature strategy to have a positive impact on financial performance. This indicates that while ESG practices are important for long-term sustainability, and sales growth is an indicator of business expansion, their influence on financial performance can vary and is not always significant without proper management.

The Progress of Ecotourism Research in China: Identifying Key Areas, Highlights, and Trends Through Bibliometric Analysis

Ecological civilization has emerged as an important component within the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) in China. As a pivotal direction of ecological development, the total number, scope, and complexity of China’s ecotourism are steadily increasing. However, systematic reviews of the relevant literature have been lacking over the past few years. This study employs CiteSpace for a visual analysis of China’s ecotourism research from 2014 to 2024 in the Web of Science Core Collections (WoSCC) database. The main findings are as follows: (1) Ecotourism research in China can be categorized into three development stages, with research groups established at leading institutions. (2) Research hotspots include case studies, management and assessment, tourist and stakeholder issues, macro and middle policy, cultural and ethical concerns. (3) “Quality” has emerged as a frontier topic; multiple disciplines, such as new technologies, pedagogy, and social governance, have contributed pathways for quality enhancement. (4) Notable research highlights include the incorporation of new elements, comparative analyses, interdisciplinary approaches, smart governance, and a broadening governance scope. (5) Research trends show increasing depth and breadth, evolving hotspots, and a growing emphasis on ecotourism management. In conclusion, ecotourism plays a crucial role in ecological, cultural, and economic sustainability. However, as demand for the development of ecotourism increases, new challenges will inevitably emerge. Therefore, it is imperative to adopt a systematic approach, leverage multidisciplinary efforts, and strengthen original theoretical research to explore more development paths and comprehensive research on ecotourism in China.

Challenging to Change? Examining the Link Between Public Participation and Greenwashing Based on Organizational Inertia

This study investigates the impact of public participation on corporate greenwashing behavior among listed companies in China from 2011 to 2019, set against a backdrop of increasing global environmental regulations. Corporate greenwashing, characterized by misleading environmental claims, poses a significant barrier to sustainable development. Despite the recognition of public participation in social governance, organizational inertia often prevents companies from responding effectively. Our analysis reveals that public participation leads to stricter environmental regulations, thereby reducing greenwashing practices. This finding remains robust through various tests, including variable substitution and model adjustments. However, we also find that higher levels of organizational inertia weaken the positive influence of public participation on combating greenwashing. Thus, this study underscores the necessity of establishing mechanisms for public participation that can effectively shape corporate decision-making, offering crucial insights for enhancing corporate accountability and advancing sustainable practices.

Innovative Research on Ethnographic Methods in Cross-Border Ethnic Social Work Practice: A Case Study of Social Work Stations in Yunnan Border Areas

With the acceleration of globalization and the advancement of modernization in ethnic region governance, cross-border ethnic social work practice has increasingly become a crucial domain in social governance. This study focuses on methodological innovation in cross-border ethnic social work practice, utilizing the Yunnan border areas as the research field to explore the applicability and innovative application of ethnographic methods in transnational social work. By analyzing challenges including cultural differences and social structural complexity in cross-border ethnic social work, the research proposes a culturally sensitive framework for social work practice and develops the "dual cultural broker" role theory, emphasizing the dual identity and mediating function of social workers in cross-cultural contexts. Additionally, the study creates a cultural competence assessment tool for cross-border social work, providing operational guidelines to enhance practitioners' cultural sensitivity and intercultural communication capabilities. Findings demonstrate that innovative application of ethnographic methods can effectively mitigate cultural misinterpretation and conflict in cross-border social services, offering new practical pathways for improving governance effectiveness in border regions.

An Expert-Based Analysis of ESG Reporting in the context of the Circular Economy

Existing literature has highlighted how Environmental Social Governance (ESG) reporting enables companies to drive their Circular Economy (CE) practices. However, current approaches to ESG reporting do not specifically consider how company activities and decisions about CE contribute to sustainable development. Indeed, CE has a great potential to ensure that companies actively participate in the achievement of the United Nations 2030 Agenda Goals although a more effective way to link CE and sustainability reporting processes is necessary. The present paper recognizes the importance of developing a standardized approach that aligns ESG metrics with CE practices to enhance both transparency and accountability. To this end, taking into consideration the relevance of the GRI guidelines to make the ESG performance of companies more transparent, an expert-based analysis of the importance of GRI topics to capture the ability of CE practices to create circular value is proposed. Creating circular value through CE improves the company’s profitability and resilience while reducing costs for customers, and benefits society and the environment. The use of the fuzzy AHP (F-AHP) method ensures that the relevance of the economic, environmental, and social performance is estimated to make ESG reporting more informative about the company's commitment to a restorative and regenerative business. The findings offer guidelines for using CE reporting information to compare the companies’ contributions to SDGs Keywords: ESG reporting, GRI standards, Circular Economy (CE), Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), circular value.

The Effect of Environment Social Governance (ESG) and Financial Performance on Firm Value Moderated by Firm Size

In 2019, a report on GHG emissions in the energy industry sector revealed that the industry was responsible for the highest concentration of such gases and contributed to the decline in the company value of energy sector companies. Environmental Social Governance (ESG), Return on Asset (ROA), and Firm Size are contributing variables to the decline in the value of the firm. This study was conducted to assess whether the value of energy sector companies registered on the IDX in 2019-2023 is affected by ESG, ROA, and company size. A quantitative causality descriptive methodology was applied in this research. The data type uses panel and secondary data sources. Researchers set eighty-three companies in the energy industry registered on the Indonesia Stock Exchange as the population. Purposive sampling is the method employed, which sets the number of samples at 12 energy sector companies. The findings of this study partially reveal that ESG negatively affects firm value. Meanwhile, there is a positive effect between ROA and firm value. ESG and ROA simultaneously impacts firm value. The relationship between ESG and ROA cannot be moderated by firm size.

The Effect of Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Disclosure on Firm Value with Profitability and Firm Size as Moderation Variables

Global warming occurs due to greenhouse gas emissions and carbon emissions that impact climate change, the environment, social life, and the economy. The banking sub-sector plays an important role in sustainability. However, several banks provide financing to firms that are indicated to damage the environment so that they can reduce the firm's value. The value of firms in the banking sub-sector for the 2019-2023 period has decreased. This study looks at how firm value is affected by environmental, social, and governance (ESG), with firm size and profitability as moderating factors. Quantitative method with descriptive and causal approaches. Secondary data sources were obtained from financial statements and sustainability reports. The population includes 47 banks listed on the IDX 2019-2023, with 16 companies as samples, which were selected using purposive sampling. Then statistical analysis tools, such as MRA and panel data regression, were used to analyze the data. The findings show ESG has an adverse impact on firm value. Return on assets cannot reduce the effect of ESG disclosure on firm value. Firm size can enhance the effect of ESG disclosure on firm value.

The Influence of Environmental Social Governance, Firm Size, and Profitability on Firm Value

Global warming has grown significantly in importance as a critical environmental issue in recent years. This trend presents a considerable challenge for businesses. In an effort to increase awareness of sustainability, the Indonesia Stock Exchange launched the SRI-KEHATI Index, a stock index that includes companies that meet ESG criteria. Between 2019 and 2023, the worth of companies included in the index has shown a declining trend. This study examines the relationship of firm value with ESG, firm size, and profitability using secondary data from sustainability reports and financial statements. This study uses a quantitative approach that combines descriptive and causal methodologies. The study’s population is 43 companies, a selection of 11 companies was made as samples through purposive sampling techniques. The analysis technique applied is panel data regression. In conclusion, firm value is negatively affected by ESG, although firm size does not have an impact. ROA positively impacts firm value.

Examining the relationship between technological innovation, environmental social governance and corporate sustainability: the moderating role of green operational innovation

While environmental social governance (ESG) and technological innovation are important foundations for corporate sustainability, how ESG activities and technological innovation impact corporate sustainability remains limited in the current literature. This study therefore examined the relationship between corporate sustainability, ESG activities and technological innovation through the moderating role of green operational innovation. To achieve the aims of this study, primary data were collected from 488 respondents of mobile app platform users for hypothesis testing. The collected data were analyzed using statistical analysis such as SPSS and AMOS. Findings show that ESG activities and technological innovation are related to corporate sustainability. This study finds green operational innovation to positively moderates the relationship between ESG, technological innovation, and corporate sustainability. This study further affirms that corporate sustainability can benefit from ESG activities, while green operational innovation can contribute to sustainable corporate growth and promote technological innovation activities. The originality of this study lies in the evidence that ESG activities, technological innovation, and green operational innovation are important factors that drive firms’ sustainable growth.

The Effect of ESG Disclosure and Financial Performance on Company Value with Company Size as a Control Variable on Companies Listed on the ESG Leaders Index

This study aims to evaluate the influence of ESG Disclosure and Financial Performance aspects on Company Value with Company Size as a control variable. This study uses a population of companies included in the ESG Leaders index during the 2021-2023 period and a sample collection method using Purposive Sampling which resulted in 90 research samples. The results of the study reveal that Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Disclosure, Profitability, Liquidity and Company Size as control variables have a positive and significant effect on company value. While Leverage has a negative and insignificant effect on company value. This finding emphasizes the importance of integrating ESG principles into corporate strategy not only to mitigate risk but also to increase the company's attractiveness in the eyes of investors. This study provides a relevant empirical contribution, especially in the context of developing countries and can be used as a reference for other companies in optimizing company value through the implementation of effective sustainability practices.

Social Factors Contributing to Juvenile Delinquency and Its Impact

Nowadays, the issue of juvenile crime, a hot social issue, has received widespread attention, but there are still shortcomings in comprehensive governance and prevention of juvenile criminal behavior. This paper analyzes the social factors that lead to juvenile crime, concluding that juveniles will commit criminal acts due to negative family environments, subjective and objective socioeconomic status, and inadequate education. In light of this, the paper offers the following suggestions: Create a good family atmosphere at home, parents and children should learn to think from each other's perspectives and strive to build mutual understanding and tolerance between them; Improve the overall quality of teachers in schools, maintain the physical and mental health of every student, and set up a platform for psychological treatment so that professional teachers can take care of the students' mental health problems promptly; Establish a good social governance and safety management system, and do good law-abiding work for juveniles.

Social Governance Through Civil Justice: A Study of Rule of Law on Social Governance

Social governance through civil justice stems from the foundation of modern social order, the means of national social control and the need to achieve social integration. China's judicial governance has continued from the revolutionary period to the present and has experienced development from administrative concurrent jurisdiction over judicial affairs to specialization. However, China lacks a tradition of civil judicial governance. In ancient times, the logic of criminal judicial governance was emphasized. Nowadays, the excessive power of criminal justice brings many problems. Civil justice is the need for the state power to achieve social governance. To achieve civil judicial governance, we should take the pursuit of a better life for the people as the starting point, standardize and protect private rights, overcome our own deficiencies, innovate participation methods, build a diversified dispute resolution mechanism, and rely on the joint participation of the state, society and individuals to achieve social harmony and stability.

Traditional leadership, land and party politics: Problematising the role of traditional leaders in post-apartheid South Africa

This article critically examines the evolving role of traditional leaders in post-apartheid South Africa, particularly in land governance, resources management and party politics. Despite their constitutionally protected status, traditional leaders have become increasingly involved with political parties, raising essential questions about their role in democratic governance. They have often been criticised for aligning with political parties, raising questions about their impartiality in a democratic society. This study employed literature review methodology, oral histories, document analysis, and other historical materials to examine the role and neutrality of traditional leaders in party politics in post-1994 South Africa. The analysis draws on interviews conducted with nine traditional leaders and key informants, as well as an examination of newspapers, policies, and historical records. The findings reveal that traditional leaders are not merely custodians of land and culture but active participants in the political sphere, often aligning with political parties to secure influence and resources. This involvement is evident in rural areas, where traditional leaders exert considerable control over land allocation and serve as intermediaries between political parties and local communities. The research highlights the power dynamics, suggesting that the entwinement of traditional authority and party politics may have significant implications for democratic governance, rural land rights and local development. It highlights how political parties leverage traditional leaders to secure electoral support, particularly in rural areas where amakhosi significantly influence land allocation and social governance. These dynamics challenge the democratic principles of fairness and transparency, raising concerns about the potential for political manipulation. This study adds to ongoing debates on the contested role of traditional leaders in South Africa’s political landscape, urging reconsideration of their position within modern governance frameworks.