Determinants and effects of sustainable CEO compensation: a structured literature review of empirical evidence

摘要

Sustainability-oriented CEO compensation is being widely discussed among policy makers, corporate practice, and academia. To date, management literature has yielded a growing body of empirical results on the determinants and effects of sustainable CEO compensation. Primarily, empirical studies analyze whether and to what extent sustainability-related issues determine the design of sustainable CEO compensation and how sustainability-oriented CEO compensation impacts corporate performance. However, the scattered nature of this research field has impeded an overarching empirical substantiation of the arguments in favor or against a sustainable CEO compensation. This structured literature review addresses this gap by analyzing 37 empirical studies on the key determinants and effects of sustainable CEO compensation. Using a multi-level analysis, we contribute to the discussion on sustainable CEO compensation by systematically identifying the central empirical insights and methodological and content-related foci within this research area. In summary, this review provides regulators, boards, management, investors, and other stakeholders with academic evidence on the determinants and effects of sustainability-oriented CEO compensation design. In addition to critically reflecting on the current state of research, we recommend paths for future research on sustainable CEO compensation.