Corporate Social Responsibility and Governance

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the growing emphasis on sustainability, ethical conduct, and long-term value creation has elevated the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and governance practices within firms. As global financial systems face increasing scrutiny from investors, regulators, and civil society, the intersection of CSR and governance has become central to understanding corporate risk, financial performance, stakeholder trust, and organizational resilience.

This Special Issue of the Journal of Risk and Financial Management will explore how CSR initiatives and corporate governance structures interact to influence firms’ behavior, risk management strategies, financial outcomes, and broader societal impacts. We welcome empirical, theoretical, and policy-oriented contributions that deepen our understanding of the mechanisms through which CSR and governance frameworks support sustainable growth, mitigate environmental and social risks, and enhance accountability and transparency.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The role of governance in shaping effective CSR strategies;
• ESG risk and financial performance;
• Board diversity, executive incentives, and sustainability outcomes;
• Regulation, disclosure, and the integration of CSR in corporate governance codes;
• Investor activism and stakeholder engagement;
• Cross-country comparisons in CSR and governance effectiveness;
• Greenwashing, reputational risk, and governance responses;
• CSR and governance in the context of emerging markets, SMEs, or family firms.

We invite submissions from scholars in finance, accounting, management, economics, and related disciplines. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches are welcome. This Special Issue will provide a rigorous, interdisciplinary platform for advancing research and informing practitioners and policymakers on how CSR and governance can be leveraged to manage risk and drive responsible business conduct.

Dr. Shumi Akhtar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Risk and Financial Management is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• corporate social responsibility (CSR)
• corporate governance
• ESG risk
• sustainability
• stakeholder engagement