DOES ESG INCREASE FIRM PERFORMANCE? EVIDENCE FROM ASEAN-5 BASED ON THE DYNAMIC THRESHOLD REGRESSION METHOD
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33736/ijbs.12823.2026Keywords:
ESG Score, ASEAN-5, Dynamic Threshold Regression Method, Threshold value, Low Regime and High RegimeAbstract
Guided by Shareholder Theory and Stakeholder Theory, this study examines the threshold influence of ESG on ASEAN-5 countries’ firm performance using the Dynamic Threshold Regression Method. DTRM is a powerful tool that addresses the dynamic nature of firm performance and resolves endogeneity problems in the variables used. Our analysis shows that ASEAN-5 firms must achieve an ESG score above the threshold to reap the benefits of ESG investment. At the low regime, we observed a negative relationship between ESG and firm performance, while at the high regime, the relationship was positive. These results remained robust across different estimation methods. The significance of the threshold value can serve as a reference for ASEAN-5 firms and relevant stakeholders in allocating funding for ESG activities to achieve long-term sustainable performance.
References
Alareeni, B. A., & Hamdan, A. (2020). ESG impact on performance of US S&P 500-listed firms. Corporate Governance, 20(7), 1409-1428. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-06-2020-0258
https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-06-2020-0258
Anbumozhi, V. (2017). Ensuring ASEAN's sustainable and resilient future. In Baviera, A. & Maramis, L. (Eds.), Building ASEAN community: Political-security and socio-cultural reflections(pp. 309-323). Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia.
Arellano, M., & Bover, O. (1995). Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error-components models. Journal of Econometrics, 68(1), 29-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/ 0304-4076(94)01642-D
https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4076(94)01642-D
Atan, R., Alam, M. M., Said, J., & Zamri, M. (2018). The impacts of environmental, social, and governance factors on firm performance: Panel study of Malaysian companies. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 29(2), 182-194. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-03-2017-0033
https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-03-2017-0033
Bagh, T., Zhou, B., Alawi, S. M., & Azam, R. I. (2024). ESG resilience: Exploring the non-linear effects of ESG performance on firms sustainable growth. Research in International Business and Finance, 70, 102305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2024.102305
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2024.102305
Barnea, A., & Rubin, A. (2010). Corporate social responsibility as a conflict between shareholders. Journal of Business Ethics, 97, 71-86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0496-z
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0496-z
Bhuiyan, M. B. U., & Nguyen, T. H. N. (2020). Impact of CSR on cost of debt and cost of capital: Australian evidence. Social Responsibility Journal, 16(3), 419-430. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-08-2018-0208
https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-08-2018-0208
Blundell, R., & Bond, S. (1998). Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models. Journal of Econometrics, 87(1), 115-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304- 4076(98)00009-8
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4076(98)00009-8
Broadstock, D. C., Chan, K., Cheng, L. T. W., & Wang, X. (2021). The role of ESG performance during times of financial crisis: Evidence from COVID-19 in China. Finance Research Letters, 38(August 2020), 101716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2020.101716
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2020.101716
Broyles, J. E., Cooper, I., & Archer, S. (1983). Financial management handbook. Gower; Brookfield, Vt.: Distributed by Gower Pub. Co.
Chen, S., Song, Y., & Gao, P. (2023). Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance and financial outcomes: Analyzing the impact of ESG on financial performance. Journal of Environmental Management, 345(August), 118829. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118829
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118829
Cheong, C., & Hoang, H. V. (2021). Macroeconomic factors or firm-specific factors? An examination of the impact on corporate profitability before, during and after the global financial crisis. Cogent Economics and Finance, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2021.1959703
https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2021.1959703
Cochran, P. L., & Wood, R. A. (1984). Corporate social responsibility and financial Performance. The Academy of Management Journal, 27(1), 42-56.
https://doi.org/10.2307/255956
Cohen, G. (2023). ESG risks and corporate survival. Environment Systems and Decisions, 43(1), 16-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-022-09886-8
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-022-09886-8
Cormier, D., & Magnan, M. (2007). The revisited contribution of environmental reporting to investors' valuation of a firm's earnings: An international perspective. Ecological Economics, 62(3-4), 613-626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2006.07.030
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2006.07.030
Cui, J., Jo, H., & Na, H. (2018). Does corporate social responsibility affect information asymmetry? Journal of Business Ethics, 148(3), 549-572. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-3003-8
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-3003-8
Duque-Grisales, E., & Aguilera-Caracuel, J. (2021). Environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores and financial performance of Multilatinas: Moderating effects of geographic international diversification and financial slack. Journal of Business Ethics, 168(2), 315-334. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04177-w
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04177-w
Dwibedi, P., Pahi, D., & Sahu, A. (2024). Unveiling the relationship between ESG scores and firm performance in India: A System GMM approach. Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal, 18(3), 26-49. https://doi.org/10.14453/aabfj.v18i3.03
https://doi.org/10.14453/aabfj.v18i3.03
Eliwa, Y., Aboud, A., & Saleh, A. (2021). ESG practices and the cost of debt: Evidence from EU countries. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 79, 102097. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpa.2019.102097
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpa.2019.102097
Ersoy, E., Swiecka, B., Grima, S., Özen, E., & Romanova, I. (2022). The impact of ESG scores on bank market value? Evidence from the U.S. banking industry. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(15), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159527
https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159527
Faccio, M., Lang, L. H. P., & Young, L. (2001). Dividends and expropriation. American Economic Review, 91(1), 54-78. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.91.1.54
https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.91.1.54
Fama, E. F., & French, K. R. (2002). Testing trade-off and pecking order predictions about dividends and debt. The Review of Financial Studies, 15(1), 1-33. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/15.1.1 Faria, J. R., & Mollick, A. V. (2010). Tobin's Q and US inflation. Journal of Economics and Business, 62(5), 401-418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconbus.2010.04.001 Folger-Laronde, Z., Pashang, S., Feor, L., & ElAlfy, A. (2022). ESG ratings and financial performance of exchange-traded funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Sustainable Finance and Investment, 12(2), 490-496. https://doi.org/10.1080/20430795.2020.1782814 Freeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Cambridge university press.
Friedman, M. (1962). Capitalism and freedom. In Democracy: A reader (pp. 344-349). Columbia University Press Garcia, A. S., & Orsato, R. J. (2020). Testing the institutional difference hypothesis: A study about environmental, social, governance, and financial performance. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(8), 3261-3272. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2570 Hakimi, A., Boussaada, R., & Karmani, M. (2023). Corporate social responsibility and firm performance: a threshold analysis of European firms. European Journal of Management and Business Economics. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMBE-07-2022-0224 Jain, K., & Tripathi, P. S. (2023). Mapping the environmental, social and governance literature: a bibliometric and content analysis. Journal of Strategy and Management, 16(3), 397-428. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSMA-05-2022-0092
https://doi.org/10.1108/JSMA-05-2022-0092
Jensen, M. C., & Meckling, W. H. (1976). Theory of the firm: managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3, 305-360. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X
https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X
Juglar, C. (1862). Des Crises Commerciales et de leur retour périodique en France, an Angleterre et aux États-Unis. Paris: Guillaumin. https://doi.org/10.4000/books.enseditions.1396
https://doi.org/10.4000/books.enseditions.1396
Junius, D., Adisurjo, A., Rijanto, Y. A., & Adelina, Y. E. (2020). The impact of ESG performance to firm performance. Jurnal Aplikasi Akuntansi, 5(1), 21-41. Kuen, Y. L. (2023, June 30). Leveraging ESG metrics as a risk management tool. The Star Online. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/06/30/leveraging-esg-metrics-as-a-risk-management-tool Landi, G., & Sciarelli, M. (2019). Towards a more ethical market: the impact of ESG rating on corporate financial performance. Social Responsibility Journal, 15(1), 11-27. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-11-2017-0254
https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-11-2017-0254
Lee, S. P., & Isa, M. (2023). Environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices and financial performance of Shariah-compliant companies in Malaysia. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research, 14(2), 295-314. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIABR-06-2020-0183 Li, H., Zhang, X., & Zhao, Y. (2022). ESG and firm's default risk. Finance Research Letters, 47, 102713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2022.102713
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2022.102713
Mohammad, W. M. W., & Wasiuzzaman, S. (2021). Environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure, competitive advantage and performance of firms in Malaysia. Cleaner Environmental Systems, 2, 100015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cesys.2021.100015
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cesys.2021.100015
Myers, C. (1977). Determinants of corporate borrowing. Journal of Financial Economics, 5, 147-175.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(77)90015-0
Nguyen, D. T., Hoang, T. G., & Tran, H. G. (2022). Help or Hurt? The Impact of ESG on Firm Performance in S&P 500 Non-Financial Firms. Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal, 16(2), 91-102. https://doi.org/10.14453/aabfj.v16i2.7
https://doi.org/10.14453/aabfj.v16i2.7
Nollet, J., Filis, G., & Mitrokostas, E. (2016). Corporate social responsibility and financial performance: A non-linear and disaggregated approach. Economic Modelling, 52, 400-407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2015.09.019 Pan, F. (2021). ESG disclosure and performance in Southeast Asia. Sustainalystics, 2017-2020. https://www.sustainalytics.com/esg-research/resource/investors-esg-blog/esg-disclosure-and-performance-in-southeast-asia
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2015.09.019
Pu, G. (2023). A non-linear assessment of ESG and firm performance relationship: evidence from China. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istrazivanja, 36(1), 2113336. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2022.2113336
https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2022.2113336
Pursiainen, V., Sun, H., & Xiang, Y. (2023). Competitive pressure and ESG. In SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4546541
https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4546541
Raneses, A. (2023). Effect of ESG factors on the financial performance of philippine firms. Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 25(1), 96-100. https://doi.org/10.33423/jabe.v25i1.5863
https://doi.org/10.33423/jabe.v25i1.5863
Roodman, D. (2009). How to do xtabond2: An introduction to difference and system GMM in Stata. Stata Journal, 9(1), 86-136. https://doi.org/10.1177/1536867x0900900106
https://doi.org/10.1177/1536867X0900900106
Samouel, P., & Price, D. (2006). Do diseconomies of scale impact firm size and performance? Journal of Managerial Economics, 4(1), 27-70. Sassen, R., Hinze, A. K., & Hardeck, I. (2016). Impact of ESG factors on firm risk in Europe. Journal of Business Economics, 86(8), 867-904. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-016-0819-3
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-016-0819-3
Seo, M. H., Kim, S., & Kim, Y. J. (2019). Estimation of dynamic panel threshold model using Stata. Stata Journal, 19(3), 685-697. https://doi.org/10.1177/1536867X19874243
https://doi.org/10.1177/1536867X19874243
Seo, M. H., & Shin, Y. (2016). Dynamic panels with threshold effect and endogeneity. Journal of Econometrics, 195(2), 169-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconom.2016.03.005
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconom.2016.03.005
Shabbir, M. S., Aslam, E., Irshad, A., Bilal, K., Aziz, S., Abbasi, B. A., & Zia, S. (2020). Nexus between corporate social responsibility and financial and non-financial sectors' performance: a non-linear and disaggregated approach. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(31), 39164-39179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09972-x The Star. (2024, March 14). Tough for Malaysians to detect greenwashing, say experts. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/03/14/tough-for-malaysians-to-detect-greenwashing-say-experts.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-09972-x
Thomas, C. J., Tuyon, J., Matahir, H., & Dixit, S. (2021). The impact of sustainability practices on firm financial performance: Evidence from Malaysia. Management and Accounting Review, 20(3), 211-243. https://doi.org/10.24191/mar.v20i03-09
https://doi.org/10.24191/MAR.V20i03-09
Treepongkaruna, S., & Suttipun, M. (2024). The impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting on corporate profitability: evidence from Thailand. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRA-09-2023-0555 Wongtrakool, B. M., & Kim, W. (2019). Indonesia and ESG Investing: a Sovereign Case Study. Western Asset. http://www.westernasset.com/us/en/pdfs/whitepapers/esg-indonesia-case-study-2019-02.pdf
Wu, S., Li, X., Du, X., & Li, Z. (2022). The Impact of ESG Performance on Firm Value: The Moderating Role of Ownership Structure. Sustainability (Switzerland), 14(21), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114507
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 UNIMAS Publisher

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright Transfer Statement for Journal
1) In signing this statement, the author(s) grant UNIMAS Publisher an exclusive license to publish their original research papers. The author(s) also grant UNIMAS Publisher permission to reproduce, recreate, translate, extract or summarize, and to distribute and display in any forms, formats, and media. The author(s) can reuse their papers in their future printed work without first requiring permission from UNIMAS Publisher, provided that the author(s) acknowledge and reference publication in the Journal.
2) For open access articles, the author(s) agree that their articles published under UNIMAS Publisher are distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-SA (Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, for non-commercial purposes, provided the original work of the author(s) is properly cited.
3) For subscription articles, the author(s) agree that UNIMAS Publisher holds copyright, or an exclusive license to publish. Readers or users may view, download, print, and copy the content, for academic purposes, subject to the following conditions of use: (a) any reuse of materials is subject to permission from UNIMAS Publisher; (b) archived materials may only be used for academic research; (c) archived materials may not be used for commercial purposes, which include but not limited to monetary compensation by means of sale, resale, license, transfer of copyright, loan, etc.; and (d) archived materials may not be re-published in any part, either in print or online.
4) The author(s) is/are responsible to ensure his or her or their submitted work is original and does not infringe any existing copyright, trademark, patent, statutory right, or propriety right of others. Corresponding author(s) has (have) obtained permission from all co-authors prior to submission to the journal. Upon submission of the manuscript, the author(s) agree that no similar work has been or will be submitted or published elsewhere in any language. If submitted manuscript includes materials from others, the authors have obtained the permission from the copyright owners.
5) In signing this statement, the author(s) declare(s) that the researches in which they have conducted are in compliance with the current laws of the respective country and UNIMAS Journal Publication Ethics Policy. Any experimentation or research involving human or the use of animal samples must obtain approval from Human or Animal Ethics Committee in their respective institutions. The author(s) agree and understand that UNIMAS Publisher is not responsible for any compensational claims or failure caused by the author(s) in fulfilling the above-mentioned requirements. The author(s) must accept the responsibility for releasing their materials upon request by Chief Editor or UNIMAS Publisher.
6) The author(s) should have participated sufficiently in the work and ensured the appropriateness of the content of the article. The author(s) should also agree that he or she has no commercial attachments (e.g. patent or license arrangement, equity interest, consultancies, etc.) that might pose any conflict of interest with the submitted manuscript. The author(s) also agree to make any relevant materials and data available upon request by the editor or UNIMAS Publisher.