Are firms with hometown CEOs better citizens? Evidence from the corporate poverty alleviation participation in China

IF 5.2 1区经济学 Q1 ECONOMICS 中国经济评论 Pub Date : 2025-01-16 DOI:10.1016/j.chieco.2025.102351

Xiaobo Li , Min Huang , Jinan Shao , Mengyao Li , Wuyue Shangguan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Support from the business world is an indispensable factor in alleviating poverty. Nevertheless, it is unclear what internal motivations drive firms to participate in poverty alleviation (PA) programs. In this study, leveraging social identity theory, we examine chief executive officer (CEO) hometown identity as an intrinsic driver for its PA participation when a firm has a hometown CEO. Employing a panel dataset of Chinese listed firms from 2016 to 2020, we find that CEO hometown identity has a positive effect on corporate PA participation. Furthermore, CEO media appearance and environmental complexity strengthen the relationship between CEO hometown identity and corporate PA participation, whereas organizational slack weakens this relationship. Our study is among the first to identify the mechanism through which CEO hometown identity affects corporate PA participation and provide references for other countries in the world suffering from poverty; that is, hometown companies and hometown CEOs can become key forces in alleviating poverty.

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来源期刊

中国经济评论 ECONOMICS-

CiteScore

10.60

自引率

4.40%

发文量

380

期刊介绍： The China Economic Review publishes original works of scholarship which add to the knowledge of the economy of China and to economies as a discipline. We seek, in particular, papers dealing with policy, performance and institutional change. Empirical papers normally use a formal model, a data set, and standard statistical techniques. Submissions are subjected to double-blind peer review.