Qualitative comparative analysis in corporate governance research: a systematic literature review of applications

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide comprehensive mapping of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) applications in business and management research and to examine the sub-fields of corporate governance research in this context. Design/methodology/approach Through a systematic literature review of 22 articles, the paper describes and analyses how QCA is used in the corporate governance field, what can be learned from the methodology’s implementation in corporate governance studies and why authors justify its use. Findings The findings highlight that QCA in corporate governance is still at an early stage of development. The paper encourages governance scholars to use this method to transform QCA from a niche into a mainstream method because it is appropriate for understanding both complex phenomena of social reality and issues of corporate governance that require an approach able to capture configurations of conditions, asymmetric patterns and equifinal explanations. Originality/value This is the first complete overview of the existing literature concerning QCA’s application in corporate governance research and reveals implications for its future use. In this way, it extends the previous work on QCA’s benefits to management researchers and other critical reviews of applications in QCA. This study encourages scholars to renew their understanding of corporate governance issues through a new analysis method that can help to discover conceptual and empirical relations among case-oriented and variable-oriented analyses in terms of interrelations to examine corporate governance practices holistically.

Corporate Governance Configurations and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Audit Committee and Board characteristics

“…Therefore, our work contributes to CSR literature by investigating the three elements disclosure (CSRD). Finally , our study well‐responds to the latest calls offered by Cucari (2019), Cuadrado‐Ballesteros et al (2017), and Jain and Jamali (2016) for using QCA in CSR and CG studies. Thus, this study is expected to be useful not only for researchers but also for regulators, policymakers, and professionals.…”

“…CSR disclosure is a complex phenomenon influenced by different combinations of AC and board attributes. Responding to the recent calls offered by various authors (Cuadrado‐Ballesteros et al, 2017; Cucari, 2019; Jain & Jamali, 2016) to use such creative methods that mix between a quantitative and qualitative approach; we apply a new approach depending on the complexity theory. Its central argument is that various combinations of casual's factors affect the same level of specific outcome (Ragin, 2008).…”

“…Furthermore, Paniagua, Rivelles, and Sapena (2018) argue that QCA could resolve the inconclusive results and recognise the complex connections between antecedents. According to Cucari (2019), applying QCA in CG research could be crucial in determining the configurations of attributes that produce a better CG. Several scholarly articles have used fsQCA in CG field.…”

“…For instance, most of these articles have been dedicated to investigating the influence of specific CG characteristics on corporate financial performance (Felıcio, Rodrigues, & Samagaio, 2016; Garcıa‐Castro, Aguilera, & Ariño, 2013; Misangyi & Acharya, 2014; Paniagua et al, 2018; Pinto & Picoto, 2016), level of company risk reporting (Carmona, Fuentes, & Ruiz, 2016), and investors' reactions (Campbell & Sirmon, 2016). Besides, the interest of using the QCA method in CG field is increasing; this is shown in the number of high ranked journals that have published a number of articles in recent years (Cucari, 2019). Hence, this result emphasises the increasing awareness toward the relevance of using QCA in CG research.…”

Diversity in the board of directors and good governance practices

“…Bear et al (2010), Hafsi and Turgut (2013) and Harjoto et al (2015), among others, provide evidence of a link between gender diversity and corporate social responsibility. Other studies analyse gender diversity and sustainability reporting quality (Al-Shaer & Zaman, 2016;Cabeza-García, Fernández-Gago, & Nieto, 2018), or female board participation and annual report readability (Ginesti, Drago, Macchioni, & Sannino, 2018), or the relationship between the composition of board of directors and the disclosure of voluntary disclosure (Cucari, 2019;Lagasio & Cucari, 2019;Lim, Matolcsy, & Chow, 2007). However, there is no empirical evidence on the relationship between board diversity and corporate governance performance.…”