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The relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance and CSR disclosure persistency should be necessarily examined to attract the attention of scholars amid empirical evidence. Therefore, this study aims to offer a novelty concerning the relationship between CSR performance and CSR disclosure persistency. The results obtained from the data of 83 companies (498 firm-year observations) operating in the American (US) hypercompetitive industry (i.e., software and hardware) from 2011 to 2016 showed that CSR performance is positively associated with CSR disclosure persistency. Furthermore, the differences between the industry membership (i.e., software vs. hardware industry) and the persistence of CSR disclosure were tested. The samples classified in the hardware industry were reported to face more environmental and social pressure, suggesting more propensity of engaging with persistent CSR disclosure over time than their peers in the software industry, Nuestro estudio examina la relación entre el desempeño de la Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (RSC) y la persistencia de la divulgación de la RSC. La investigación acerca de cómo el desempeño de la RSC y la divulgación de la RSC están vinculados entre sí ha llamado la atención de los académicos contables, pero dicho estudio no ha mostrado evidencia empírica sobre cómo el desempeño de la RSC está relacionado con la persistencia de la divulgación de la RSC. De este modo, nuestro estudio ofrece una novedad acerca de la específica relación entre el desempeño de la RSC y la persistencia de la divulgación de la RSC. Empleando datos de 83 empresas (498 observaciones empresa-año) que operaban en la industria hipercompetitiva estadounidense (es decir, software y hardware) entre 2011 y 2016, descubrimos que el desempeño de la RSC está relacionado positivamente con la persistencia de la divulgación de la RSC. Además, analizamos si la membresía de la industria (es decir, bien de la industria del software o bien de la industria del hardware) comporta alguna diferencia con respecto a la persistencia de la divulgación de la RSC. Documentamos que las muestras clasificadas en la industria del hardware se enfrentan a una mayor presión medioambiental y social, lo que sugiere una mayor propensión a comprometerse con una divulgación persistente de la RSC a lo largo del tiempo en comparación con sus pares en la industria del software.

The relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance and CSR disclosure persistency should be necessarily examined to attract the attention of scholars amid empirical evidence. Therefore, this study aims to offer a novelty concerning the relationship between CSR performance and CSR disclosure persistency. The results obtained from the data of 83 companies (498 firm-year observations) operating in the American (US) hypercompetitive industry (i.e., software and hardware) from 2011 to 2016 showed that CSR performance is positively associated with CSR disclosure persistency. Furthermore, the differences between the industry membership (i.e., software vs. hardware industry) and the persistence of CSR disclosure were tested. The samples classified in the hardware industry were reported to face more environmental and social pressure, suggesting more propensity of engaging with persistent CSR disclosure over time than their peers in the software industry, Nuestro estudio examina la relación entre el desempeño de la Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (RSC) y la persistencia de la divulgación de la RSC. La investigación acerca de cómo el desempeño de la RSC y la divulgación de la RSC están vinculados entre sí ha llamado la atención de los académicos contables, pero dicho estudio no ha mostrado evidencia empírica sobre cómo el desempeño de la RSC está relacionado con la persistencia de la divulgación de la RSC. De este modo, nuestro estudio ofrece una novedad acerca de la específica relación entre el desempeño de la RSC y la persistencia de la divulgación de la RSC. Empleando datos de 83 empresas (498 observaciones empresa-año) que operaban en la industria hipercompetitiva estadounidense (es decir, software y hardware) entre 2011 y 2016, descubrimos que el desempeño de la RSC está relacionado positivamente con la persistencia de la divulgación de la RSC. Además, analizamos si la membresía de la industria (es decir, bien de la industria del software o bien de la industria del hardware) comporta alguna diferencia con respecto a la persistencia de la divulgación de la RSC. Documentamos que las muestras clasificadas en la industria del hardware se enfrentan a una mayor presión medioambiental y social, lo que sugiere una mayor propensión a comprometerse con una divulgación persistente de la RSC a lo largo del tiempo en comparación con sus pares en la industria del software.

This thesis addresses the relationship between financial development and CSR performance, based on countries within the EU. The main objective of this thesis is to critically analyse and discuss the impact of financial development on CSR performance, through using ESG performance as a proxy. Additionally, this study aims at analysing the inclusion of institutional factors when examining the relationship. While the issue of how financial development impacts individual sustainability dimensions is quite well-researched, only one study is found to examine the precise relationship between financial development and ESG performance, concluding a positive linkage in Asia. No similar study is found in the region of the EU. We find the relationship to be complex, where various channels of influence are identified when examining ESG dimensions separately. To examine this relationship, we used panel data regression analysis, based on country level data for EU’s individual member states. Our findings show a complex relationship, implying that financial development has various impacts on ESG performance and varies throughout the range of financial development. This is in contrast to previous empirical research regarding the relationship, concluding an overall positive impact. This study provides no evidence that institutional factors affect the relationship between financial development and ESG performance, but argues for the importance of institutional inclusion, due to the identified influence on ESG practices through channels such as governing laws, regulations, norms and culture. Finally, financial development is concluded as an important catalyst to promote ESG performance within the EU. When suggesting any policy implementation, it is important to keep in mind that different countries within the EU may have different needs regarding the most efficient approach to increase ESG.

This thesis addresses the relationship between financial development and CSR performance, based on countries within the EU. The main objective of this thesis is to critically analyse and discuss the impact of financial development on CSR performance, through using ESG performance as a proxy. Additionally, this study aims at analysing the inclusion of institutional factors when examining the relationship. While the issue of how financial development impacts individual sustainability dimensions is quite well-researched, only one study is found to examine the precise relationship between financial development and ESG performance, concluding a positive linkage in Asia. No similar study is found in the region of the EU. We find the relationship to be complex, where various channels of influence are identified when examining ESG dimensions separately. To examine this relationship, we used panel data regression analysis, based on country level data for EU’s individual member states. Our findings show a complex relationship, implying that financial development has various impacts on ESG performance and varies throughout the range of financial development. This is in contrast to previous empirical research regarding the relationship, concluding an overall positive impact. This study provides no evidence that institutional factors affect the relationship between financial development and ESG performance, but argues for the importance of institutional inclusion, due to the identified influence on ESG practices through channels such as governing laws, regulations, norms and culture. Finally, financial development is concluded as an important catalyst to promote ESG performance within the EU. When suggesting any policy implementation, it is important to keep in mind that different countries within the EU may have different needs regarding the most efficient approach to increase ESG.

During recent decades, urbanization processes and changing population compositions in European cities have underlined the relevance of social sustainability for urban development. Despite a growing amount of research on the social sphere of sustainability, the actual implementation of social sustainability in area development projects remains problematic. In the Netherlands, as in most other European countries, area development is understood as an interdisciplinary practice that strives to integrate strategies, activities and interests of public and private actors into perceived sustainable projects. If area development projects are considered as acts of policy implementation, two questions rise: 1) How are social sustainability dimensions planned, operationalized and implemented through area development projects? and 2) How are they related to governance configurations and mechanisms that relate to decision-making and interventions in these area development projects? The main aim of this paper is to construct a theoretically informed analytical approach to be further developed and applied in PhD research about the implementation of perceived “social sustainability” in area development projects in the Netherlands. We conclude that the implementation of social sustainability in area development projects is a governance process that requires political interventions in a market-driven society and hypothesize that the outcomes of social sustainability in area development are dependent on various aspects of this governance process., Practice Chair Urban Area Development, Urban Development Management

During recent decades, urbanization processes and changing population compositions in European cities have underlined the relevance of social sustainability for urban development. Despite a growing amount of research on the social sphere of sustainability, the actual implementation of social sustainability in area development projects remains problematic. In the Netherlands, as in most other European countries, area development is understood as an interdisciplinary practice that strives to integrate strategies, activities and interests of public and private actors into perceived sustainable projects. If area development projects are considered as acts of policy implementation, two questions rise: 1) How are social sustainability dimensions planned, operationalized and implemented through area development projects? and 2) How are they related to governance configurations and mechanisms that relate to decision-making and interventions in these area development projects? The main aim of this paper is to construct a theoretically informed analytical approach to be further developed and applied in PhD research about the implementation of perceived “social sustainability” in area development projects in the Netherlands. We conclude that the implementation of social sustainability in area development projects is a governance process that requires political interventions in a market-driven society and hypothesize that the outcomes of social sustainability in area development are dependent on various aspects of this governance process., Practice Chair Urban Area Development, Urban Development Management

Aufbauend auf dem agrarökonomischen, dynamischen Optimierungsmodell MAgPIE, zeigen die hier vorgestellten Forschungsergebnisse, dass die Governance-Leistung einen bedeutenden Einfluss auf den technologischen Fortschritt und das Wachstum der Flächenproduktivität hat, insbesondere für in der Entwicklung begriffene Regionen wie Lateinamerika, Afrika südlich der Sahara, Südasien und Südostasien. Dies wirkt sich wiederum auf die Landnutzungsdynamik aus, einschließlich der Ausdehnung von Ackerflächen und der Entwaldung. Neben Umweltauswirkungen beeinflusst die Governance-Leistung auch Lebensmittelpreise und das Handelsverhalten, und damit die Existenzgrundlagen vieler Menschen. Darüber hinaus legt die Dissertation nahe, dass sich das globale Produktivitätswachstum trotz unterschiedlicher sozioökonomischer Bedingungen wahrscheinlich fortsetzen wird. Die Größenordnung der Wachstumsrate unter den jeweiligen Bedingungen variiert jedoch, je nach verwendeten Produktivitätsindizes. Unterschiede in den sozioökonomischen Gegebenheiten führen zu einer Zunahme des Produktivitätswachstums im Ackerbau, was tiefgreifende Auswirkungen auf die Anbaufläche und die Lebensmittelpreise hat. Nicht zuletzt zeigen die Ergebnisse der Dissertation, dass die Liberalisierung des Agrarhandels negative Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf das landwirtschaftliche Angebot abfedern kann, den Anstieg der Lebensmittelpreise im Zuge von erheblichen klimabedingten Ertragseinbußen begrenzen und die Ausdehnung der Anbauflächen im globalen Maßstab verringern kann. In bestimmten Regionen kann es aufgrund von veränderten Handelsmustern zu einer Ausdehnung der Anbauflächen kommen. In Zusammenschau der Ergebnisse aus den Einzelstudien vertieft die vorliegende Dissertation das Verständnis für potenzielle Zielkonflikte und Synergien von wirtschaftspolitischen Optionen, die darauf abzielen, die Produktionskapazitäten im landwirtschaftlichen Sektor der steigenden Nachfrage entsprechend auszubauen., Building upon an agro-economic dynamic optimization model known as MAgPIE, this dissertation fseeks to enhance representation of the economic factors in the model. The research findings reveal that governance performance has a significant impact on technological progress and land productivity growth, especially for developing regions, such as Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. This, in turn, exerts impacts on land dynamics, including cropland expansion and deforestation. Aside from environmental impacts, governance performance affects livelihoods, as it influences food prices and trade patterns. Moreover, the dissertation suggests that global productivity growth is likely to continue, despite differences in possible socioeconomic conditions. However, the magnitude of the growth rate under each set of conditions will vary, according to different productivity indices. Differences in socioeconomic conditions lead to a spread in productivity growth in the crop sector, which will have profound implications for cropland expansion and food prices. Last but not least, the dissertation argues that liberalizing agricultural trade can buffer negative impacts from climate change on agricultural supply, limit increasing food prices in a scenario of high-end climate impacts on crop yields, and reduce cropland expansion on the global scale, though it may induce cropland expansion in certain regions due to changes in trade patterns. Synthesizing the findings from the individuals studies of which it is comprised, the dissertation is intended to enhance understanding of the trade-offs and synergies of economic options for agricultural outputs to keep pace with increasing demand and, thereby, contribute to the core discussion among agricultural economists on food production and its economic and environmental impacts.

Aufbauend auf dem agrarökonomischen, dynamischen Optimierungsmodell MAgPIE, zeigen die hier vorgestellten Forschungsergebnisse, dass die Governance-Leistung einen bedeutenden Einfluss auf den technologischen Fortschritt und das Wachstum der Flächenproduktivität hat, insbesondere für in der Entwicklung begriffene Regionen wie Lateinamerika, Afrika südlich der Sahara, Südasien und Südostasien. Dies wirkt sich wiederum auf die Landnutzungsdynamik aus, einschließlich der Ausdehnung von Ackerflächen und der Entwaldung. Neben Umweltauswirkungen beeinflusst die Governance-Leistung auch Lebensmittelpreise und das Handelsverhalten, und damit die Existenzgrundlagen vieler Menschen. Darüber hinaus legt die Dissertation nahe, dass sich das globale Produktivitätswachstum trotz unterschiedlicher sozioökonomischer Bedingungen wahrscheinlich fortsetzen wird. Die Größenordnung der Wachstumsrate unter den jeweiligen Bedingungen variiert jedoch, je nach verwendeten Produktivitätsindizes. Unterschiede in den sozioökonomischen Gegebenheiten führen zu einer Zunahme des Produktivitätswachstums im Ackerbau, was tiefgreifende Auswirkungen auf die Anbaufläche und die Lebensmittelpreise hat. Nicht zuletzt zeigen die Ergebnisse der Dissertation, dass die Liberalisierung des Agrarhandels negative Auswirkungen des Klimawandels auf das landwirtschaftliche Angebot abfedern kann, den Anstieg der Lebensmittelpreise im Zuge von erheblichen klimabedingten Ertragseinbußen begrenzen und die Ausdehnung der Anbauflächen im globalen Maßstab verringern kann. In bestimmten Regionen kann es aufgrund von veränderten Handelsmustern zu einer Ausdehnung der Anbauflächen kommen. In Zusammenschau der Ergebnisse aus den Einzelstudien vertieft die vorliegende Dissertation das Verständnis für potenzielle Zielkonflikte und Synergien von wirtschaftspolitischen Optionen, die darauf abzielen, die Produktionskapazitäten im landwirtschaftlichen Sektor der steigenden Nachfrage entsprechend auszubauen., Building upon an agro-economic dynamic optimization model known as MAgPIE, this dissertation fseeks to enhance representation of the economic factors in the model. The research findings reveal that governance performance has a significant impact on technological progress and land productivity growth, especially for developing regions, such as Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. This, in turn, exerts impacts on land dynamics, including cropland expansion and deforestation. Aside from environmental impacts, governance performance affects livelihoods, as it influences food prices and trade patterns. Moreover, the dissertation suggests that global productivity growth is likely to continue, despite differences in possible socioeconomic conditions. However, the magnitude of the growth rate under each set of conditions will vary, according to different productivity indices. Differences in socioeconomic conditions lead to a spread in productivity growth in the crop sector, which will have profound implications for cropland expansion and food prices. Last but not least, the dissertation argues that liberalizing agricultural trade can buffer negative impacts from climate change on agricultural supply, limit increasing food prices in a scenario of high-end climate impacts on crop yields, and reduce cropland expansion on the global scale, though it may induce cropland expansion in certain regions due to changes in trade patterns. Synthesizing the findings from the individuals studies of which it is comprised, the dissertation is intended to enhance understanding of the trade-offs and synergies of economic options for agricultural outputs to keep pace with increasing demand and, thereby, contribute to the core discussion among agricultural economists on food production and its economic and environmental impacts.

The debate on whether corporate social performance and financial performance are substitutes or complements has been long and unresolved. The evidence presented in this paper demonstrates that there are clear associations between measures of corporate environmental, social and governance performance and financial characteristics and, moreover, that they are sensitive to industry classification. There is no evidence of trade-offs between environmental, social and governance performance and shareholder wealth, in terms of either risk or return. For firms in the banking, diversified financials, insurance and telecommunications industries high governance performance is strongly related to superior financial performance.