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World
Special Issues
Integrating Green Finance into Corporate Responsibility for Sustainable Development
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Integrating Green Finance into Corporate Responsibility for Sustainable Development

A special issue of World (ISSN 2673-4060).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2026 | Viewed by 6610

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Costinela Fortea

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Business Administration, Dunarea de Jos University of Galati, 800008 Galati, Romania
Interests: green finance; corporate responsibility; sustainable development; energy economics; policy public
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Marius Sorin Dincă

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration, Transylvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Interests: green taxation; green tax policies; sustainable development; ESG
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the global financial landscape has undergone a significant transition, driven by the goal of addressing climate change, environmental degradation, and social inequalities. In this changing context, green finance and corporate responsibility have emerged as essential mechanisms for redirecting economic and financial systems towards inclusive and sustainable futures.

This Special Issue aims to consolidate innovative scholarly papers that analyze the increasing significance of green finance and ethical business conduct in the worldwide shift towards a low-carbon economy. The main objective is to provide an interdisciplinary platform for researching how companies and policymakers integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles into financial practices and strategic decision-making. We welcome contributions that explore both the opportunities and challenges of aligning financial objectives with sustainability goals, offering theoretical and practical perspectives and relevant policy implications.

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

  • Green financial instruments (green bonds, blended finance, transition finance, sustainable funds, and taxonomy frameworks);
  • Integrating ESG into financial decision-making (risk assessment, portfolio optimization, valuation models, and ESG ratings);
  • Corporate governance and sustainability disclosure (board structures, executive incentives, shareholder engagement, standardization and assurance of reporting);
  • Public policy and regulatory initiatives (taxonomy regulations, climate-related financial disclosure, carbon pricing, central bank actions, and green fiscal policies);
  • Digital innovation and green finance (fintech, blockchain, AI-driven ESG analytics, tokenization of green assets);
  • Assessment and measurement models for evaluating the financial and non-financial performance of sustainable investments;
  • Social dimensions of sustainable finance (inclusive finance, microfinance, gender and diversity in sustainable investments).

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Costinela Fortea
Prof. Dr. Marius Sorin Dincă
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. World 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 1200 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.

Keywords

  • transition finance
  • green finance
  • corporate responsibility
  • sustainable development
  • ESG
  • sustainable investments
  • digital innovation
  • public policy
  • corporate governance
  • blockchain

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 479 KB  
Article
Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG as Institutional Innovations for Sustainable Finance: Complexity and Competitive Mediation in the Insurance Sector in Developing Economies
by Edosa Getachew Taera, Maria Fekete Farkas, Zoltán Bujdosó and Zoltán Lakner
World 2026, 7(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/world7010016 - 20 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1786
Abstract
This study examines how corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences sustainable finance outcomes (SFO) in the Ethiopian Insurance industry through environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices and institutional challenges (IC). Using covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) with data collected from a primary survey, the [...] Read more.
This study examines how corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences sustainable finance outcomes (SFO) in the Ethiopian Insurance industry through environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices and institutional challenges (IC). Using covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) with data collected from a primary survey, the results show that CSR has both a direct and an indirect positive effect on SFO through ESG. However, the adoption of ESG practices also tends to increase institutional challenges, which in turn negatively influences SFO. This interaction produces a competitive partial mediation effect. The serial mediation path CSR–ESG–IC–SFO is found to be negative, suggesting that enabling and constraining forces operate simultaneously. From a theoretical point of view, the study combines stakeholder, legitimacy, and institutional theories to explain this competitive mediation within a less-studied Sub-Saharan African (SSA) frontier market. On the practical side, the findings highlight the importance of establishing ESG disclosure standards, investing in capacity building, and strengthening governance systems to reduce institutional frictions and make CSR a stronger driver of sustainable finance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrating Green Finance into Corporate Responsibility for Sustainable Development)
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13 pages, 332 KB  
Article
Preparing Tomorrow’s ESG Managers: An Empirical Study of Green Career Readiness Among Students of Economics and Business in Southeast Europe (SEE)
by Nikša Alfirević, Darija Ivandić Vidović and Damir Piplica
World 2025, 6(4), 162; https://doi.org/10.3390/world6040162 - 11 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2126
Abstract
Using survey data from five countries in the Southeast Europe (SEE) region, we examine the factors that contribute to the green career intention. As expected, the prior pro-environmental orientation, as measured by the New Ecological Paradigm scale, is associated with green career intention. [...] Read more.
Using survey data from five countries in the Southeast Europe (SEE) region, we examine the factors that contribute to the green career intention. As expected, the prior pro-environmental orientation, as measured by the New Ecological Paradigm scale, is associated with green career intention. In addition, there is also a significant association between prior volunteering and the observed career plans. Other factors, including gender, age, study level, social background, and work-related experiences, did not prove to be empirically significant predictors in this context. There is an interesting, but insignificant, tendency among SEE business students at higher study levels to choose green careers; however, seemingly important career determinants, such as work experience, managerial experience, and entrepreneurial experience, do not appear to matter at all. The examined model explains only a small portion of the variation in career intentions, indicating that a wealth of factors remain to be accounted for in future research. We conclude the study with a discussion of implications for business education in the SEE region and offer recommendations for fostering ESG talent in emerging economies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrating Green Finance into Corporate Responsibility for Sustainable Development)
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15 pages, 697 KB  
Article
Ambidextrous Management and Eco-Innovation Strategies in Small- and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Enterprises: Responses to Decarbonization and the Renewable Energy Market—A Multi-Round Qualitative Examination
by Keisuke Kokubun
World 2025, 6(4), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/world6040160 - 8 Dec 2025
Viewed by 1942
Abstract
This study investigates the challenges faced by small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) as they attempt to respond to decarbonization demands and expand into renewable-energy markets. Drawing on three waves of free-response surveys conducted between 2021 and 2024, and applying the KJ qualitative [...] Read more.
This study investigates the challenges faced by small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) as they attempt to respond to decarbonization demands and expand into renewable-energy markets. Drawing on three waves of free-response surveys conducted between 2021 and 2024, and applying the KJ qualitative synthesis method, the analysis identifies multi-layered constraints across financial, technological, human resource, organizational, and institutional domains. The findings show that the central difficulty for SMEs lies in reconciling exploration—the pursuit of new technologies and business opportunities—with exploitation—the need to maintain and improve existing operations. External stakeholder pressure frequently accelerates this tension, compelling SMEs to initiate environmental actions even when internal capabilities remain insufficient. Based on the emergent patterns, the study develops an “Exploration–Exploitation Support Matrix,” providing a practical framework for policymakers to design coordinated support measures. The study contributes to the integration of eco-innovation, absorptive capacity, and ambidextrous management theories and offers actionable insights for promoting sustainable SME transitions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrating Green Finance into Corporate Responsibility for Sustainable Development)
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