From Corporate Responsibility to Public Governance:
Theoretical Foundations, Practical Pathways, and Research Prospects for
Integrating ESG into the Public Administration Research Agenda
Ren Liuqing' Tang Linjuan
(1. School of Public Affairs, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, 361005)
Abstract: As the global sustainable development agenda continues to advance, the concept of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) is gradually extending from corporate governance andresponsible investment to government agencies and public administration research. The issues emphasized by ESG, including environmental protection, social equity, and governance responsibility,are highly aligned with the core functions of the public sector in promoting green transformation,public service provision, social faimness, and institutional accountability. ESG therefore provides a newanalytical perspective for public administration to respond to sustainable development and governancemodernization. However, existing ESG research remains largely centered on corporate behavior,capital market evaluation, and information disclosure, while the theoretical implications, publicattributes, and governance significance of ESG in public administration have not yet beensystematically examined. By reviewing domestic and international studies at the intersection of ESGand public administration, this article discusses the theoretical foundations for incorporating ESG intopublic administration research through the lenses of institutional theory, stakeholder theory,collaborative governance theory, and public value theory. The review finds that although publicadministration scholarship has touched upon ESG-related issues in areas such as environmentalgovernance, social policy, govemment performance, and public accountability, existing studies remainfragmented in concept, insufficient in theoretical integration, unclear in their applicability to the publicsector, and weak in empirical research. Drawing on the Chinese context, this article further analyzesthe alignment between ESG and national strategic goals, policy and standard systems, governmentgovernance practices, and the domestic institutional environment. It argues that the introduction ofESG into public administration in China is not a simple transplantation of concepts, but rather aninstitutionalization process that interacts with high-quality development, ecological civilizationconstruction, and the modernization of national govemance. Future research may focus on ESG andgovernment performance evaluation, fiscal policy, local governance models, the role of nonprofitorganizations, and collaborative governance practices, so as to enable public administration research tobetter respond to the practical demands of green transformation, social equity, and responsiblegovernance.
Keywords: ESG; Public Administration; Sustainable Development; Governance Modernization;Research Agenda
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