Natural experiments in corporate social responsibility research: a literature review

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) research provides guidance and helps for corporate activities. However, researchers may face endogeneity problems that can interfere with the research results of CSR research. The natural experimental method is a research method that can solve these problems, and the number of papers on CSR research using such methods in FT50 journals has increased in the past decade. Therefore, summarising these studies and providing guidance for CSR researchers is essential. We summarise the general process of designing natural experiments in CSR studies through a review of CSR-related studies that used natural experimental methods. The specific steps of designing natural experiments in CSR research include the following: selecting research topics and hypotheses, determining independent and dependent variables, selecting appropriate interventions, and using corresponding data analysis methods. Besides, this study discusses the strengths and limitations of natural experiments in CSR research and proposes future research directions. © 2021 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.