Insider and Institutional Ownership, CSR Disclosure, and Tax Avoidance: A Comparative Study of Family and Non-Family Firms in Pakistan

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29145/jqm.92.01

Keywords:

Insider Ownership, Institutional Ownership, Corporate Social Responsibility, Tax Avoidance, Pakistan

Abstract

This study investigates the comparative impact of insider and institutional ownership on CSR disclosure and tax avoidance, between family (n = 120) and non-family (n = 130) firms listed on the PSX (2018–2023) employing the FGLS regression analysis which show that insider ownership positively influences CSR disclosure, particularly in family firms, while institutional ownership also supports CSR disclosure across both firm types, but more strongly in non-family firms. Conversely, insider ownership negatively correlates with tax avoidance in family firms, suggesting reputational and long-term considerations, while institutional ownership is positively associated with tax avoidance regardless of firm type concluding that ownership composition significantly shapes firms’ strategic responses in crises, with family firms showing greater ethical sensitivity. The study concludes that regulators and policymakers should consider designing differentiated governance codes that reflect the structural differences between family and non-family firms so that disclosure requirements could be adjusted based on ownership concentration. Future studies should consider non-financial firms listed on the PSX classifying firms into family and non-family types based on a founder-led vs. second-generation family control.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Muhammad Shoaib Hassan, University of the Punjab

Hailey College of Commerce, University of Punjab, Lahore

Waqas Mehmood, University of the Punjab

Hailey College of Commerce, University of Punjab, Lahore

Alina Zulfiqar, University of the Punjab

Hailey College of Commerce, University of Punjab, Lahore

References

Ahmad, S., Siddiqui, K. A., & AboAlsamh, H. M. (2020). Family SMEs’ survival: the role of owner family and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 27(2), 281-297. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-12-2019-0406

Ampenberger, M., Schmid, T., Achleitner, A.-K., & Kaserer, C. (2013). Capital structure decisions in family firms: empirical evidence from a bank-based economy. Review of managerial science, 7(3), 247-275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-011-0077-2

Bae, K.-H., El Ghoul, S., Gong, Z. J., & Guedhami, O. (2021). Does CSR matter in times of crisis? Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Corporate Finance, 67, 101876-101893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101876

Block, J. H., & Wagner, M. (2014). The effect of family ownership on different dimensions of corporate social responsibility: Evidence from large US firms. Business Strategy and the Environment, 23(7), 475-492. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1798

Buchanan, B., Cao, C. X., & Chen, C. (2018). Corporate social responsibility, firm value, and influential institutional ownership. Journal of Corporate Finance, 52, 73-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2018.07.004

Chen, S., Chen, X., Cheng, Q., & Shevlin, T. (2010). Are family firms more tax aggressive than non-family firms? Journal of financial economics, 95(1), 41-61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2009.02.003

Cheng, X., Wang, H. H., & Wang, X. (2022). Common institutional ownership and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Banking & Finance, 136, 106218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbankfin.2021.106218

Chung, S. G., Goh, B. W., Lee, J., & Shevlin, T. (2019). Corporate tax aggressiveness and insider trading. Contemporary Accounting Research, 36(1), 230-258. https://doi.org/10.1111/1911-3846.12422

Craig, J. B., & Newbert, S. L. (2020). Reconsidering socioemotional wealth: A Smithian-inspired socio-economic theory of decision-making in the family firm. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 11(4), 100353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2020.100353

Eskandar, H., & Ebrahimi, P. (2020). Tax avoidance and institutional ownership: Active vs. Passive ownership. International Journal of Finance & Managerial Accounting, 5(17), 95-106.

Haider, M. J., Ahmad, M., Wu, Q., & Sun, S. (2025). Investor protection and stock price crash risk in Asian economies: the moderating roles of corporate governance and firm age. Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies, 18(3), 429-448. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCEFTS-11-2024-0088

Hassan, M. S. (2023). Dynamics of Corporate Governance and Tax Avoidance in Pakistan Family-Owned Firms. KASBIT business journal, 16(4), 1-13.

Hassan, M. S. (2025). Nexus between corporate governance and corporate social responsibility in family-owned firms. Pakistan Journal of Economic Studies (PJES), 8(1), 28-39.

Hassan, M. S., Ahmad, A., & Qadeer, A. (2022). Dynamics of Intellectual Capital, Corporate Governance, and Firm Performance in Family-Owned Companies in Pakistan. NUML International Journal of Business & Management, 17(2), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.52015/nijbm.v17i2.133

Hassan, M. S., Huzaifa, M., & Abbas, N. (2025). Effect of Portfolio Turnover on Fund Performance: Evidence from Pakistan Shariah-compliant Equity Funds. Journal of Finance and Accounting Research, 7(1), 30-51. https://doi.org/10.32350/jfar.71.02

Keay, A. (2017). Stewardship theory: is board accountability necessary? International Journal of Law and Management, 59(6), 1292-1314. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLMA-11-2016-0118

Khan, A., Afeef, M., Ilyas, M., & Jan, S. (2024). Does CSR committee drive the association between corporate social responsibility and firm performance? International evidence. Managerial Finance, 50(1), 50-74. https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-10-2022-0508

Khan, M., Srinivasan, S., & Tan, L. (2016). Institutional ownership and corporate tax avoidance: New evidence. The accounting review, 92(2), 101-122. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-51529

Khan, N., Abraham, O. O., Alex, A., Eluyela, D. F., & Odianonsen, I. F. (2022). Corporate governance, tax avoidance, and corporate social responsibility: Evidence of emerging market of Nigeria and frontier market of Pakistan. Cogent Economics & Finance, 10(1), 2080898-2080920. https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2022.2080898

Lanis, R., & Richardson, G. (2012). Corporate social responsibility and tax aggressiveness: An empirical analysis. Journal of Accounting and Public policy, 31(1), 86-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2011.10.006

Löhde, A. S. K., Campopiano, G., & Calabrò, A. (2021). Beyond agency and stewardship theory: shareholder–manager relationships and governance structures in family firms. Management Decision, 59(2), 390-405. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-03-2018-0316

Mishra, S., & Modi, S. B. (2013). Positive and negative corporate social responsibility, financial leverage, and idiosyncratic risk. Journal of business ethics, 117(2), 431-448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1526-9

Nawaiseh, M. E., Boa, S. S. A., & El-shohnah, R. A. Z. Y. (2015). Influence of firm size and profitability on corporate social responsibility disclosures by banking firms (CSRD): Evidence from Jordan. Journal of applied finance and banking, 5(6), 97-111.

Nofsinger, J. R., Sulaeman, J., & Varma, A. (2019). Institutional investors and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Corporate Finance, 58, 700-725. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2019.07.012

Oh, W.-Y., Ree, H., Chang, Y. K., & Postuła, I. (2023). Trees in the forest: how do family owners make CSR decisions in business groups? Journal of business ethics, 187(4), 759-780. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05270-3

Rehman, A. A., bin Mehmood, R. M. A., & Hussain, A. (2024). Impact of Corporate Soial Responsibility (CSR) on Tax Avoidance with the Moderating Role of Business Strategy: Evidence from Pakistan. Journal of Asian Development Studies, 13(2), 636-656. https://doi.org/10.62345/jads.2024.13.2.51

Tarighi, H., Appolloni, A., Shirzad, A., & Azad, A. (2022). Corporate social responsibility disclosure (CSRD) and financial distressed risk (FDR): does institutional ownership matter? Sustainability, 14(2), 742-769. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020742

Vallejo, M. C. (2009). The effects of commitment of non-family employees of family firms from the perspective of stewardship theory. Journal of business ethics, 87(3), 379-390. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9926-6

Yahaya, O. A. (2025). Ownership structure and tax avoidance. Journal of Emerging Markets, 23(4), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.21112/jem.v23.i4.1

Downloads

Published

2025-12-30

How to Cite

Hassan, M. S., Mehmood, W., & Zulfiqar, A. (2025). Insider and Institutional Ownership, CSR Disclosure, and Tax Avoidance: A Comparative Study of Family and Non-Family Firms in Pakistan. Journal of Quantitative Methods, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.29145/jqm.92.01

Issue

Section

Articles

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.