Corporate governance and CSR disclosure: Evidence from French listed companies

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the determinants of sustainability disclosures. We hypothesize that good corporate governance is associated with better sustainability disclosures, as indicated by compliance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards. Using a sample from the French SBF 120 index for the period 2006–2017, we find that well-governed firms are more likely to provide sustainability reports consistent with the GRI guidelines. These reports are also more informative. In addition, we show that the effect of corporate governance is enhanced by the firm's size and mitigated by the firm's leverage. This suggests that good governance might not be sufficient to ensure greater accountability. The results have implications for the ability of financial markets to steer capital towards more sustainable enterprises.