Board effectiveness and carbon emission disclosure: evidence from ASEAN countries

Abstract This study investigates how corporate board governance attributes influence carbon emission disclosure (CED) across ASEAN-5 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand) from 2015 to 2022. Using panel data regressions and a composite Board Effectiveness Score, th...

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Main Authors: Marwan Mansour, Almothanna Jamil Abu-Allan, Sajead Mowafaq Alshdaifat, Dheif Allah E’leimat, Mohammed W. A. Saleh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-07-01
Series:Discover Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01405-4
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author Marwan Mansour
Almothanna Jamil Abu-Allan
Sajead Mowafaq Alshdaifat
Dheif Allah E’leimat
Mohammed W. A. Saleh
author_facet Marwan Mansour
Almothanna Jamil Abu-Allan
Sajead Mowafaq Alshdaifat
Dheif Allah E’leimat
Mohammed W. A. Saleh
author_sort Marwan Mansour
collection DOAJ
description Abstract This study investigates how corporate board governance attributes influence carbon emission disclosure (CED) across ASEAN-5 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand) from 2015 to 2022. Using panel data regressions and a composite Board Effectiveness Score, the analysis evaluates both individual board characteristics—gender diversity, size, independence, meeting frequency, and environmental committees—and their collective impact on CED as measured by CDP scores. Grounded in agency, resource dependence, stakeholder, legitimacy, signaling, and voluntary disclosure theories, the findings reveal that gender diversity and the presence of an environmental committee significantly enhance CED, supporting the notion that board diversity and specialized structures improve sustainability oversight. In contrast, board size and meeting frequency show no consistent influence, challenging conventional assumptions within agency and stakeholder theories. Notably, board independence has a negative impact on disclosure, highlighting contextual governance challenges in the ASEAN region. The Board Effectiveness Score emerges as a stronger predictor of CED than individual attributes, confirming that integrated governance mechanisms better explain corporate transparency. Additional robustness tests—including quantile regression, logit analysis, and dynamic GMM—confirm the consistency of results. Control variables such as green innovation, firm size, age, and profitability also positively affect disclosure. As one of the first region-wide governance studies in Southeast Asia, this research provides important implications for policymakers, investors, and sustainability advocates, underscoring the need for enhanced governance frameworks and regulatory mandates to bridge ASEAN’s sustainability disclosure gap and align corporate practices with global climate goals.
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spelling doaj-art-0e0aec22cd5c48fc8f47ac69a08495372025-08-20T04:01:25ZengSpringerDiscover Sustainability2662-99842025-07-016112510.1007/s43621-025-01405-4Board effectiveness and carbon emission disclosure: evidence from ASEAN countriesMarwan Mansour0Almothanna Jamil Abu-Allan1Sajead Mowafaq Alshdaifat2Dheif Allah E’leimat3Mohammed W. A. Saleh4Business Faculty, Amman Arab UniversityBusiness Faculty, Amman Arab UniversityFinancial and Accounting Sciences Department, Faculty of Business, Middle East UniversityDepartment of Finance and Banking, School of Business, Al Al-Bayt UniversityDepartment of Accounting and Auditing, Palestine Technical University- KadoorieAbstract This study investigates how corporate board governance attributes influence carbon emission disclosure (CED) across ASEAN-5 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand) from 2015 to 2022. Using panel data regressions and a composite Board Effectiveness Score, the analysis evaluates both individual board characteristics—gender diversity, size, independence, meeting frequency, and environmental committees—and their collective impact on CED as measured by CDP scores. Grounded in agency, resource dependence, stakeholder, legitimacy, signaling, and voluntary disclosure theories, the findings reveal that gender diversity and the presence of an environmental committee significantly enhance CED, supporting the notion that board diversity and specialized structures improve sustainability oversight. In contrast, board size and meeting frequency show no consistent influence, challenging conventional assumptions within agency and stakeholder theories. Notably, board independence has a negative impact on disclosure, highlighting contextual governance challenges in the ASEAN region. The Board Effectiveness Score emerges as a stronger predictor of CED than individual attributes, confirming that integrated governance mechanisms better explain corporate transparency. Additional robustness tests—including quantile regression, logit analysis, and dynamic GMM—confirm the consistency of results. Control variables such as green innovation, firm size, age, and profitability also positively affect disclosure. As one of the first region-wide governance studies in Southeast Asia, this research provides important implications for policymakers, investors, and sustainability advocates, underscoring the need for enhanced governance frameworks and regulatory mandates to bridge ASEAN’s sustainability disclosure gap and align corporate practices with global climate goals.https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01405-4Corporate governanceCarbon emission disclosureClimate changeASEAN countries
spellingShingle Marwan Mansour
Almothanna Jamil Abu-Allan
Sajead Mowafaq Alshdaifat
Dheif Allah E’leimat
Mohammed W. A. Saleh
Board effectiveness and carbon emission disclosure: evidence from ASEAN countries
Discover Sustainability
Corporate governance
Carbon emission disclosure
Climate change
ASEAN countries
title Board effectiveness and carbon emission disclosure: evidence from ASEAN countries
title_full Board effectiveness and carbon emission disclosure: evidence from ASEAN countries
title_fullStr Board effectiveness and carbon emission disclosure: evidence from ASEAN countries
title_full_unstemmed Board effectiveness and carbon emission disclosure: evidence from ASEAN countries
title_short Board effectiveness and carbon emission disclosure: evidence from ASEAN countries
title_sort board effectiveness and carbon emission disclosure evidence from asean countries
topic Corporate governance
Carbon emission disclosure
Climate change
ASEAN countries
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01405-4
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AT sajeadmowafaqalshdaifat boardeffectivenessandcarbonemissiondisclosureevidencefromaseancountries
AT dheifallaheleimat boardeffectivenessandcarbonemissiondisclosureevidencefromaseancountries
AT mohammedwasaleh boardeffectivenessandcarbonemissiondisclosureevidencefromaseancountries