Bibliometric Analysis of ESG Disclosure

Authors

  • Loso Judijanto IPOSS Jakarta, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58812/sdi.v2i02.3020

Keywords:

ESG Disclosure, Environmental Social Governance, Sustainability Reporting, Bibliometric Analysis, VOSViewer

Abstract

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) disclosure has become an increasingly important research area due to growing demands for corporate transparency, sustainable business practices, and responsible investment decisions. This study aims to examine the development, intellectual structure, and emerging research trends in ESG disclosure literature using a bibliometric analysis approach. Data were collected from the Scopus database by identifying relevant publications related to ESG disclosure, sustainability reporting, and corporate sustainability. The collected documents were analyzed using VOSviewer to perform keyword co-occurrence analysis, citation analysis, co-authorship analysis, institutional collaboration analysis, and country collaboration mapping. The findings reveal that ESG disclosure research has experienced substantial growth and is primarily focused on themes related to ESG practices, sustainability reporting, corporate social responsibility, financial performance, stakeholder theory, and corporate governance. Influential studies indicate that ESG disclosure plays an important role in enhancing corporate value, improving transparency, reducing information asymmetry, and strengthening stakeholder relationships. The thematic evolution analysis further demonstrates a transition from conventional sustainability reporting toward emerging research areas involving artificial intelligence, machine learning, carbon disclosure, ESG performance measurement, and sustainable investment. The collaboration analysis highlights the dominant contributions of countries such as China, the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and Italy, reflecting the global and interdisciplinary nature of ESG disclosure research. This study contributes to the existing literature by mapping the knowledge structure of ESG disclosure and identifying future research opportunities related to digital ESG assessment, regulatory harmonization, and sustainable corporate value creation.

References

[1] W. Huang, Y. Luo, X. Wang, and L. Xiao, “Controlling shareholder pledging and corporate ESG behavior,” Res. Int. Bus. Financ., vol. 61, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.ribaf.2022.101655.

[2] A. Y. Zhang and J. H. Zhang, “Renovation in environmental, social and governance (ESG) research: the application of machine learning,” Asian Rev. Account., vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 554–572, 2024, doi: 10.1108/ARA-07-2023-0201.

[3] M.-F. Kao, C.-H. Jian, and C.-H. Tseng, “Managerial ability and voluntary ESG disclosure and assurance: evidence from Taiwan,” Sustain. Accounting, Manag. Policy J., vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 207–231, 2024, doi: 10.1108/SAMPJ-08-2022-0428.

[4] Y. Li, L. Zheng, C. Xie, and J. Fang, “Big data development and enterprise ESG performance: Empirical evidence from China,” Int. Rev. Econ. Financ., vol. 93, pp. 742–755, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.iref.2024.05.027.

[5] P. Pereira da Silva, “Crash risk and ESG disclosure,” Borsa Istanbul Rev., vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 794–811, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.bir.2022.04.001.

[6] W. Ning, U. F. Saeed, A. K. Twum, and A. Osei, “Can ESG disclosures promote firms going concern? Evidence from BRICS countries,” Corp. Soc. Responsib. Environ. Manag., vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 3792–3803, 2024, doi: 10.1002/csr.2771.

[7] M. Atif, B. Liu, and S. Nadarajah, “The effect of corporate environmental, social and governance disclosure on cash holdings: Life-cycle perspective,” Bus. Strateg. Environ., vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 2193–2212, 2022, doi: 10.1002/bse.3016.

[8] A. Pawliczek, A. N. Skinner, and L. A. Wellman, “A new take on voice: the influence of BlackRock’s ‘Dear CEO’ letters,” Rev. Account. Stud., vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 1088–1136, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s11142-021-09603-x.

[9] A. Hamrouni, R. Boussaada, and N. Ben Farhat Toumi, “Corporate social responsibility disclosure and debt financing,” J. Appl. Account. Res., vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 394–415, 2019, doi: 10.1108/JAAR-01-2018-0020.

[10] F. Lopez-De-silanes, J. A. McCahery, and P. C. Pudschedl, “ESG performance and disclosure: A cross-country analysis,” Singapore J. Leg. Stud., vol. 2020, pp. 217–241, 2020, [Online]. Available: https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85087558523?origin=resultslist

[11] J. Zhang and Z. Liu, “Study on the Impact of Corporate ESG Performance on Green Innovation Performance—Evidence from Listed Companies in China A-Shares,” Sustain., vol. 15, no. 20, 2023, doi: 10.3390/su152014750.

[12] Z. Rezaee and L. Tuo, “Voluntary disclosure of non-financial information and its association with sustainability performance,” Adv. Account., vol. 39, pp. 47–59, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.adiac.2017.08.001.

[13] D. Dwivedi, S. Batra, and Y. K. Pathak, “A MACHINE LEARNING BASED APPROACH TO IDENTIFY KEY DRIVERS FOR IMPROVING CORPORATE’S ESG RATINGS,” J. Law Sustain. Dev., vol. 11, no. 1, 2023, doi: 10.37497/sdgs.v11i1.242.

[14] A. C. Baker, D. F. Larcker, C. H. A. R. L. E. S. G. McCLURE, D. Saraph, and E. M. Watts, “Diversity Washing,” J. Account. Res., vol. 62, no. 5, pp. 1661–1709, 2024, doi: 10.1111/1475-679X.12542.

[15] A. Tsang, T. Frost, and H. Cao, “Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) disclosure: A literature review,” Br. Account. Rev., vol. 55, no. 1, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.bar.2022.101149.

[16] F. Su, M. Guan, Y. Liu, and J. Liu, “ESG performance and corporate fraudulence: Evidence from China,” Int. Rev. Financ. Anal., vol. 93, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.irfa.2024.103180.

[17] W. C. Wong, J. A. Batten, A. H. Ahmad, S. B. Mohamed-Arshad, S. Nordin, and A. A. Adzis, “Does ESG certification add firm value?,” Financ. Res. Lett., vol. 39, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.frl.2020.101593.

[18] A. Gholami, J. Sands, and H. U. Rahman, “Environmental, Social and Governance Disclosure and Value Generation: Is the Financial Industry Different?,” Sustain., vol. 14, no. 5, 2022, doi: 10.3390/su14052647.

[19] C. Yang, R. Yang, Y. Zhou, and Z. Liu, “E, S, and G, not ESG: Heterogeneous effects of environmental, social, and governance disclosure on green innovation,” Corp. Soc. Responsib. Environ. Manag., vol. 31, no. 2, pp. 1220–1238, 2024, doi: 10.1002/csr.2627.

[20] J. M. Borralho, R. Hernández-Linares, D. Gallardo-Vázquez, and I. Choban de Sousa Paiva, “Environmental, social and governance disclosure’s impacts on earnings management: Family versus non-family firms,” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 379, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134603.

[21] S. Rastogi, K. Singh, and J. Kanoujiya, “Firm’s value and ESG: the moderating role of ownership concentration and corporate disclosures,” Asian Rev. Account., vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 70–90, 2024, doi: 10.1108/ARA-10-2022-0266.

[22] R. Atan, F. A. Razali, J. Said, and S. Zainun, “Environmental, social and governance (esg) disclosure and its effect on firm’s performance: A comparative study,” Int. J. Econ. Manag., vol. 10, no. Specialissue2, pp. 355–375, 2016, [Online]. Available: https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85017333494?origin=resultslist

[23] N. Malik and S. Kashiramka, “‘Impact of ESG disclosure on firm performance and cost of debt: Empirical evidence from India,’” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 448, 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.141582.

[24] N. Donthu, S. Kumar, D. Mukherjee, N. Pandey, and W. M. Lim, “How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines,” J. Bus. Res., vol. 133, pp. 285–296, 2021.

[25] H. B. Christensen, L. Hail, and C. Leuz, “Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review,” Rev. Account. Stud., vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 1176–1248, 2021, doi: 10.1007/s11142-021-09609-5.

[26] A. Fatemi, M. Glaum, and S. Kaiser, “ESG performance and firm value: The moderating role of disclosure,” Glob. Financ. J., vol. 38, pp. 45–64, 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.gfj.2017.03.001.

[27] D. M. Christensen, G. Serafeim, and A. Sikochi, “Why is Corporate Virtue in the Eye of The Beholder? The Case of ESG Ratings,” in Accounting Review, University of Oregon, Lundquist College of Business, Department of Accounting, Eugene, OR, United States: American Accounting Association, 2022, pp. 147–175. doi: 10.2308/TAR-2019-0506.

[28] E. P.-Y. Yu, B. V Luu, and C. H. Chen, “Greenwashing in environmental, social and governance disclosures,” Res. Int. Bus. Financ., vol. 52, 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.ribaf.2020.101192.

[29] Y. Li, M. Gong, X.-Y. Zhang, and L. Koh, “The impact of environmental, social, and governance disclosure on firm value: The role of CEO power,” Br. Account. Rev., vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 60–75, 2018, doi: 10.1016/j.bar.2017.09.007.

[30] J. Xie, W. Nozawa, M. Yagi, H. Fujii, and S. Managi, “Do environmental, social, and governance activities improve corporate financial performance?,” Bus. Strateg. Environ., vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 286–300, 2019, doi: 10.1002/bse.2224.

[31] Z. Chen and G. Xie, “ESG disclosure and financial performance: Moderating role of ESG investors,” Int. Rev. Financ. Anal., vol. 83, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.irfa.2022.102291.

[32] A. Buallay, “Is sustainability reporting (ESG) associated with performance? Evidence from the European banking sector,” Manag. Environ. Qual. An Int. J., vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 98–115, 2019, doi: 10.1108/MEQ-12-2017-0149.

[33] A. S. Garcia, W. Mendes-Da-Silva, and R. Orsato, “Sensitive industries produce better ESG performance: Evidence from emerging markets,” J. Clean. Prod., vol. 150, pp. 135–147, 2017, doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.02.180.

[34] Y. Eliwa, A. Aboud, and A. Saleh, “ESG practices and the cost of debt: Evidence from EU countries,” Crit. Perspect. Account., vol. 79, 2021, doi: 10.1016/j.cpa.2019.102097.

[35] K. Albitar, K. Hussainey, N. Kolade, and A. M. Gerged, “ESG disclosure and firm performance before and after IR: The moderating role of governance mechanisms,” Int. J. Account. Inf. Manag., vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 429–444, 2020, doi: 10.1108/IJAIM-09-2019-0108.

[36] A. Buallay, R. Cummings, and A. Hamdan, “Intellectual capital efficiency and bank’s performance: A comparative study after the global financial crisis,” Pacific Account. Rev., 2019.

[37] Y. Eliwa, A. Saleh, and A. Ahmed, “Aligning Pay With Purpose: ESG-Linked Compensation and ESG Decoupling,” Bus. Strateg. Environ., vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 1805–1829, 2026, doi: 10.1002/bse.70258.

Downloads

Published

2026-07-30

How to Cite

Bibliometric Analysis of ESG Disclosure. (2026). Sustainable Development Insights, 2(02), 149-160. https://doi.org/10.58812/sdi.v2i02.3020