Do corporate social responsibility reduce crash risk of stock price: evidence from China

Purpose The 2008 global financial crisis stimulated the research interest in stock price crash risk. However, the determinants of stock price crash risk remain unclear, especially in transitional economies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and stock price crash risk, as well as the moderating effects under different contexts. Design/methodology/approach Using firm-level data of listed firms in China from 2010 to 2019, this paper estimates with correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. Findings This paper's empirical results show that the constraint of CSR on bad news hoarding behavior can reduce stock price crash risk. Further research shows that internal CSR has a significant effect on crash risks, while external CSR has not. Additionally, CSR has a relatively weak impact on crash risk in state-owned enterprises, enterprises with higher internal control quality and enterprises with better regional financial development. Originality/value This paper contributes to the stock price crash risks literature by examining the CSR-stock price crash risk linkage in a Chinese context, revealing collective explanations under different contexts with important implications for the application of CSR in business practice.