Compromise in hard times? The impact of deglobalization on corporate social responsibility in the US–China supply chain
研究2018年美国加征关税对中美供应链中中国企业社会责任表现的影响，发现直接服务美国客户的中国供应商CSR显著下降，但若美国客户自身CSR意识高则不受影响。
Abstract This study examines the effect of the US–China trade tensions on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance of the Chinese suppliers most affected by the 2018 US tariff surges. Using a difference‐in‐differences approach, we find that Chinese suppliers with direct US corporate customers experience a significant decline in CSR performance, compared with their peers without direct US corporate customers. We also show that the adverse effect of tariff surges on Chinese suppliers’ CSR performance is concentrated among those with a strong cost leadership strategy. However, the CSR performance of Chinese suppliers that have direct US corporate customers with high CSR awareness is not affected by the tariff surges. Further analyses reveal that the negative effects of the trade tensions on CSR performance are felt most strongly by the employees of Chinese suppliers. Taken together, despite the challenges posed by the deglobalization wave to the diffusion of CSR across global supply chains, the increasing demand for CSR involvement from US corporate customers can exert significant pressure on Chinese suppliers’ CSR performance.