Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Business
Program Name/Specialization
Accounting
Faculty/School
Lazaridis School of Business and Economics
First Advisor
Jonathan Farrar
Advisor Role
Doctoral Advisor, Professor of Accounting (Taxation)
Abstract
This dissertation is composed of a literature review and three essays positioned in the corporate tax avoidance (CTA) space. The literature review summarizes the relationship between CTA and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. Although there are mixed findings within each of the E-S-G categories in the CTA literature, in general, better environmental circumstances are negatively associated with CTA, social performance displays an inverse relationship with CTA, and governance factors also display an inverse relationship with CTA. The first essay is an empirical archival investigation of the relationship between CTA and an environmental factor – the risk of environmental hazards faced by a firm. Using a sample of approximately 5,000 publicly traded firms in the U.S. and more than 30,000 firm-year observations, I find that firms facing a higher risk of environmental hazards engage in greater CTA behaviour. I further show that this relationship is driven by relatively severe hazards. The second essay is an empirical archival investigation of the relationship between CTA and a potential governance factor – pay dispersion. Specifically, I examine director pay dispersion and executive pay dispersion. Using equity theory, I argue that higher pay dispersion manifests as weaker corporate governance. Using a sample size of more than 15,000 firm-year observations, I document a positive relationship between director pay dispersion and CTA as well as a positive relationship between executive pay dispersion and CTA. The third essay is a bibliometric analysis of all CTA literature published in scholarly journals. I identify emerging trends in the CTA space, and areas of CTA research that require further study using performance analysis and science mapping techniques.
Recommended Citation
Mehmi, Harjot S., "Environmental, Governance, and Bibliometric Research on Corporate Tax Avoidance" (2025). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 2756.
https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/2756
Convocation Year
2025
Convocation Season
Spring
