上市公司ESG表现对审计质量的作用路径分析

Analysis of the Pathways through Which the ESG Performance of Listed Companies Affects Audit Quality

摘要: 随着“双碳”目标的实现开始提上日程，ESG表现成为对上市公司进行整体评价的重要指标，也成为了包括审计师在内的多方利益相关者了解上市公司的重要抓手。本文以2012~2021年间A股上市公司为样本，实证检验了ESG表现与审计质量的关系。研究发现，ESG表现较好的上市公司，其审计质量往往呈现出较高的水平。机制研究发现，ESG表现可以通过改善上市公司的信息透明程度，降低经营风险，提高审计质量。异质性检验发现，相较于国有企业，非国有企业ESG表现对审计质量的影响更显著；相较于重污染企业，非重污染企业的ESG表现对审计质量的影响也更显著。

Abstract: As the realization of the “dual carbon” goals is being actively pursued, ESG performance has become an important indicator for the overall evaluation of listed companies and has also become an important tool for multiple stakeholders, including auditors, to understand listed companies. This paper takes A-share listed companies from 2012 to 2021 as the sample and empirically examines the relationship between ESG performance and audit quality. The study finds that companies with better ESG performance tend to exhibit higher levels of audit quality. Mechanism research reveals that ESG performance can improve audit quality by enhancing the transparency of information in listed companies and reducing operational risks. Heterogeneity tests indicate that, compared to state-owned enterprises, the impact of ESG performance on audit quality is more significant for non-state-owned enterprises; similarly, compared to heavy polluting enterprises, the impact of ESG performance on audit quality is also more significant for non-heavy polluting enterprises.