Dual liability and the moderating effect of corporate social responsibility–Evidence from Belt&Road investment of Chinese firms

Our examination of 796 Chinese firms that invested in the Belt&Road (B&R) region from 2008 to 2015 shows that Chinese firms often encounter liability of foreignness (LOF) and liability of origin (LOR). Our empirical results reveal that larger institutional distance is related to significant performance decrease, which evidences liability of foreignness for Chinese multinationals. Moreover, Chinese firms with concentrated ownership see their financial performance adversely affected after the B&R initiative, which further validates the argument for liability of origin. We found that firms' Corporate Social Responsibility performance (CSR) has a significant, positive “institutional moderating” effect, that is buffering conflicts between Chinese firms and local stakeholders, and projecting a favorable institutional image to mitigate Chinese multinationals' dual liabilities in the B&R region. Firms with better Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) performance are more likely to avoid political risk. CSR has been a buffering and bridge mechanism in government inefficiency, lower regulatory quality, lower rule of law and less control of corruption and reducing rent seeking behavior.Therefore, investment in CSR and more inclusive ownership schemes may assist Chinese firms' long survival across the B&R region. •Institutional distance compromises corporate performance in Chinese B&R investment.•The performance of MNEs with concentrated ownership decline after B&R investment.•CSR positively moderates investment performance of Chinese firms in the B&R region.