CEO Power and Circular Economy Disclosure: The Moderating Role of Institutional Forces

ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of CEO power on circular economy disclosure (CED), highlighting the moderating role of institutional pressures on CEO discretion. The analysis draws on a sample of 8354 multinational companies from the Refinitiv database, covering the period 2013–2022. The sample includes companies from 74 countries and 11 economic sectors. By developing a novel indicator to measure CED, the research shows that CEO power negatively affects transparency, particularly in waste management and resource circularity. This study also examines how coercive and normative pressures—stemming from regulatory frameworks and societal expectations—influence CEO decision‐making. The findings advance the literature by integrating three theoretical perspectives: (i) agency theory, which explains how concentrated CEO power reduces disclosure by sustaining information asymmetry; (ii) stakeholder capitalism theory, which demonstrates that CED responds to the expectations of diverse social and economic groups; and (iii) institutional theory, which shows how these expectations are reinforced through coercive and normative pressures that enhance accountability.