SDG adoption and firm risk: The impact of ESG performance, investor confidence, and agency cost

This study investigates the nexus between firm-level Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) adoption and firm risk using a unique dataset of National Stock Exchange (NSE) 500 companies from 2019 to 2024. It constructs a novel SDG adoption index to assess this relationship and reveals a noteworthy reduction in firm risk associated with SDG adoption. The results remain robust after a battery of robustness checks, including endogeneity concerns using 2SLS IV and system GMM and sample selection bias through Heckman's two-stage methods. Furthermore, the mechanism test indicates that SDG adoption reduces firm risk by enhancing investor confidence, improving ESG performance, and reducing agency costs. In addition, heterogeneity analyses demonstrate that the impact is more accentuated for enterprises with higher information asymmetry, higher board gender diversity, and non-state ownership. The results carry significant implications for investors, corporations, and policymakers seeking to mitigate risk and foster sustainable practices, particularly within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and emerging markets.