Does mandatory CSR reporting regulation lead to improved Corporate Social Performance? Evidence from India.

This paper analyses whether mandatory CSR reporting regulation leads to an improvement in corporate social performance. Using a quasi-natural experiment where the Stock Exchange Board of India mandated all companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange to disclose their CSR activities and practices, this paper finds that companies significantly improved in all aspects of Environment, Social, and Governance performances. However, governance and social performance improvements were significantly greater than environment performance, which is attributed to the stakeholder salience typology. Potential harm from definitive, dominant and dangerous stakeholders was given greater consideration by management, which improved governance and social performances accordingly.