Evidence of the Relationship Between Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Performance, Audit Quality, Earnings Quality, and Abnormal Return in Indonesia

Abstract

Purpose – This study examines how ESG performance, audit quality, and earnings quality influence abnormal returns as reflections of stakeholder assessments in the energy and basic industry sector. Design/Methodology/Approach – The research covers 32 companies from 2020-2023 using two models. Model 1 tests the overall effects of ESG, audit quality, and earnings quality on cumulative abnormal returns, while Model 2 separates ESG into environmental, social, and governance aspects. Analyses include descriptive statistics, panel regressions (CEM, FEM, REM), and robustness checks. Results – Findings show that ESG performance positively affects abnormal returns, highlighting investor appreciation for responsible practices. Audit quality has no significant impact, while earnings quality shows a consistently negative and significant effect, implying that transparent and stable earnings reduce the chance of abnormal gains. Research limitations/Implications – The novelty of this study lies in combining ESG performance, audit quality, and earnings quality in one framework within an emerging market context. Results provide practical insights for investors, firms, and policymakers by emphasizing the role of sustainability and earnings transparency in shaping market perceptions. However, limitations exist, including sectoral focus, short COVID-19 period, reliance on proxies, and potential endogeneity issues. Future studies should broaden sectors, extend time horizons, and apply advanced methods such as GMM to strengthen evidence.
Keywords: Abnormal Return, Audit Quality, Earnings Quality, ESG Performance, Stakeholder Theory