Advancing Sustainability Reporting in ASEAN: Insights From a Systematic Review (2019–2023)

Abstract

This article presents a systematic review of causal sustainability reporting (SR) research conducted within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from 2019 to 2023. Based on 46 quantitative studies indexed in Scopus and Web of Science and guided by PRISMA methodology, the review investigates how SR has been conceptualized, applied, and theorized across ASEAN's varied institutional context. Key findings reveal a geographical concentration of studies in Malaysia and Indonesia, limited representation from smaller ASEAN economies, and a predominant reliance on stakeholder, agency, and legitimacy theories. The findings further identify SR's evolving roles as a dependent, independent, mediating, and moderating variable within organizational research. The review stresses ASEAN's distinctive hybrid SR model, influenced by fragmented regulatory environments, corporate governance demands, and collectivist cultural influences. Compared to more institutionalized European practices or development-driven African contexts, ASEAN's approach reflects a flexible, context-sensitive trajectory. This study contributes to the global SR discourse by highlighting the region's emerging patterns and offering a better understanding relevant to scholars and practitioners in sustainability, governance, and corporate responsibility.