Environmentally Responsible or Irresponsible: Political Connections and Organizational Visibility
基于制度理论，研究政治关联高管对企业环境责任的影响，发现政治关联高管增加环境负责行为、减少环境不负责行为，且组织可见性起调节作用，对私有企业影响更显著。
Abstract Grounded in institutional theory, this study delves into the heterogeneous responses of politically connected top executives (PCTEs) to uniform institutional requirements for corporate environmental responsibility (CER). Specifically, we scrutinized the moderating role of organizational visibility in shaping the association between PCTEs and both environmentally responsible and irresponsible practices. Analyzing data from listed Chinese firms in heavily polluting industries spanning from 2010 to 2018, the findings indicate that PCTEs contribute to an increase in firms’ environmentally responsible activities and a decrease in their environmentally irresponsible activities. Notably, the impact on environmentally responsible activities is significant only for privately controlled PCTEs. Furthermore, the moderating influence of organizational visibility is validated. The implications of these findings for the broader research on political connections and CER are thoroughly discussed.