N°23-69: Competitive Pressure and ESG

A firm’s exposure to competition is negatively associated with its ESG performance. We measure exposure to domestic product market competition by product market fluidity, based on product text descriptions, and find that higher fluidity - indicating higher product market threats - is associated with lower ESG scores. Fluidity matters more for financially constrained firms, in capital-intensive industries, and for costly activities. Increasing exposure to Chinese import competition is associated with reduction in ESG scores. This effect of import competition is stronger for firms less exposed to domestic competition. Local climate attitudes and social norms moderate the effect of competitive pressure.