The Role of Company Board Diversity in Corporate Adoption of Digital Inclusion Policies in the US

Objective The digital divide is increasingly becoming a source of social and economic inequality, as access to digital technologies remains limited for many populations. In response, digital inclusion initiatives have emerged to bridge this gap and provide more equal access to digital resources. These initiatives have gained significant traction in the corporate world, as companies recognise the importance of digital inclusion in expanding their customer base and fulfilling their corporate social responsibilities. However, there is limited research on the company-specific factors that influence the adoption of digital inclusion policies in companies. Methodology Using data from the ISS ESG dataset, we apply panel data methods to analyse more than a hundred technology and media companies between 2016 and 2021. Results Our findings reveal that minority CEOs and Presidents and higher representation of women on the board of directors are positively associated with increased adoption of digital inclusion policies. The results of our study extend previous research on digital inclusion/divide and determinants of ESG scored. We provide valuable insights on the role of board diversity in the adoption of digital inclusion policies and underscores the importance of diversity and inclusion in shaping equitable technology access. Limitations and Implications While this is the first study to address the determinants of corporate digital inclusion policies, its limitations are the use of a single dataset (ISS) measuring the ESG scores and the relatively low number of observations. Originality / Contribution This paper addresses this gap by exploring the impact of corporate board diversity (in particular, gender and racial/ethnic diversity) on the adoption of digital inclusion policies by US companies. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to investigate this relationship.