Date of Award
5-2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Program
Financial Economics
Department
Economics and Finance
Major Professor
Kabir Hassan
Second Advisor
Gregory N Price
Third Advisor
Walter J Lane
Fourth Advisor
Atsuyuki Naka
Fifth Advisor
Mosab Hammoudeh
Abstract
The Study examines the impacts of board diversity on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance using a multidimensional index that includes six different diversity measures. The results consistently show that greater board diversity leads to improved ESG performance. Additionally, the Study develops a Structural Diversity Index derived from four board structure measures, revealing that higher structural diversity improves ESG performance. Further analysis highlights that the presence of foreign directors on the Board is particularly associated with enhanced ESG performance. These results are robust across various tests for endogeneity and other potential sources of bias, reinforcing the reliability and validity of the findings.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Abu Mallouh, Alaa, "The Power of Diversity: Board Diversity as a Driver of Enhanced ESG Performance" (2025). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 3268.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/3268
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.