Dividend Policy and Its Impact on Financial Performance and Corporate Social Responsibility: a Literature Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54065/jss.6.1.2026.1025Keywords:
Dividend Policy, Financial Performance, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Literature Review, Stakeholder TheoryAbstract
This study aims to investigate the relationship between dividend policy, financial performance, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through a comprehensive literature review approach. Dividend policy remains a critical financial decision that not only reflects a firm's profitability but also signals its commitment to stakeholders, including its social and environmental responsibilities. The study employs a qualitative, descriptive method based on a systematic review of 20 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2010 and 2024. The analysis reveals that dividend policy has a significant positive impact on financial performance indicators such as Return on Assets (ROA), Return on Equity (ROE), and Net Profit Margin. However, the interaction between dividend policy and CSR is more nuanced: firms with high CSR commitments tend to retain earnings for long-term sustainability projects, while firms with low CSR scores often use high dividend payouts as a signaling mechanism. Additionally, contextual factors such as governance quality, firm size, industry type, and regional economic conditions play moderating roles. The findings suggest the need for an integrative framework that considers both financial and non-financial dimensions in dividend policy formulation. This study contributes to the literature by bridging the gap between financial decision-making and stakeholder theory, offering practical insights for managers, investors, and policymakers.
References
Al-Malkawi, H. A. N., Rafferty, M., & Pillai, R. (2010). Dividend Policy: A Review of Theories and Empirical Evidence. International Bulletin of Business Administration, 9, 171–200.
Al-Najjar, B., & Kilincarslan, E. (2019). Dividend Policy and Corporate Governance Quality: Evidence from UK Firms. International Journal of Managerial Finance, 15(2), 164–179. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMF-01-2018-0007
Arko, A. C., Abor, J. Y., & Adjasi, C. K. D. (2014). What Influence Dividend Decisions of Firms in Sub-Saharan African Countries? Journal of Accounting in Emerging Economies, 4(1), 57–78. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAEE-12-2011-0051
Astidhani, A., & Wicaksari, R. (2025). Dividend Policy, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Firm Performance: Evidence from ASEAN Firms. Asian Journal of Accounting Research, 10(1), 45–62.
Baker, H. K., & Powell, G. E. (2012). Dividend Policy in Practice: A Review and Synthesis of Research Findings. Springer.
Baker, H. K., Pandey, N., Kumar, S., & Haldar, A. (2020). A Bibliometric Analysis of Dividend Policy Research. Managerial Finance, 46(4), 497–518. https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-01-2019-0022
Benlemlih, M. (2019). Corporate Social Responsibility and Dividend Policy. Managerial Finance, 45(4), 508–521. https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-04-2018-0177
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic Analysis: A Practical Guide. SAGE Publications.
Chettri, N., Kabra, K. C., & Rani, N. (2022). Understanding the Relationship between CSR and Dividend Policy: Review and Future Prospects. Indonesian Journal of Sustainability Accounting and Management, 6(1), 13–23. https://doi.org/10.28992/ijsam.v6i1.372
De Villiers, C., Ma, D., & Marques, A. (2020). Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure, Dividend Payments, and Firm Value: Relations and Mediating Effects. Accounting & Finance, 64(1), 185–219. https://doi.org/10.1111/acfi.13140
Fatemi, A., Glaum, M., & Kaiser, S. (2018). ESG Performance and Firm Value: The Moderating Role of Disclosure. Global Finance Journal, 38, 45–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfj.2017.03.001
Gharbi, M., & Jarboui, A. (2023). The Moderating Effect of Dividend Policy on the Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance: Evidence from French Context. International Journal of Economics and Business Administration, 11(2).
Jiraporn, P., Kim, J. C., & Kim, Y. S. (2014). Dividend Payouts and Corporate Social Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 125(4), 689–703.
Li, Z., Minor, D., Wang, J., & Yu, C. (2019). A Learning Curve of the Market: Chasing Alpha of Socially Responsible Firms. Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, 109, 103772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jedc.2019.103772
Lusmeida, D., & Sudardja, J. (2024). Financial Constraints, Dividend Policy, and Firm Performance in Emerging Markets. International Journal of Finance and Economics, 29(2), 1850–1867. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijfe.2789
Mulyani, S., Gunardi, A., & Suhartono, R. (2020). Corporate Governance and Dividend Policy in Indonesia: The Moderating Role of CSR Disclosure. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 11(8), 112–125.
Prahelga, V. (2024). The Effect of Financial Performance and Dividend Policy on Firm Value with Corporate Social Responsibility as Moderating Variable. AKURASI: Jurnal Riset Akuntansi Dan Keuangan, 6(2), 271–284. https://doi.org/10.36407/akurasi.v6i2.1363
Rama, S., & Sakthi, M. (2022). Impact of Dividend Payouts and Corporate Social Responsibility on Firm Value: Evidence from India. Journal of Business Research, 146, 571–581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.053
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature Review as a Research Methodology: An Overview and Guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Widhaningrum, M., & Trisnawati, R. (2024). Pengaruh Kinerja Keuangan, Kebijakan Dividen, dan Kepemilikan Manajerial terhadap Pengungkapan CSR. Costing: Journal of Economic, Business and Accounting, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.31539/costing.v7i4.10054
Yusof, Y., & Ismail, S. (2016). The Link between Dividend Policy and Firm Performance: Evidence from Malaysia. International Journal of Management Studies, 23(1), 1–14.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Abdullah Abdullah, Muchriana Muchran

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
License and Copyright Agreement
- Authors retain copyright and other proprietary rights related to the article.
- Authors retain the right and are permitted to use the substance of the article in their own future works, including lectures and books.
- Authors grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post or self-archive their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.







