Sovereign Green Bonds, <scp>AI</scp> Adoption, and Child‐Labor Policies: How Firms Translate Finance and Standards Into <scp>ESG</scp>

ABSTRACT This paper examines how sovereign green bonds, artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, and child‐labor policies relate to corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. The analysis uses a panel of 2239 firm‐year observations from 51 countries during 2019–2023 to explore these relationships. Sovereign green bonds are positively associated with governance and show a small positive link to social performance, while the environmental association is weaker, reflecting the slower pace of project execution and verification. During the COVID‐19 period, the interaction between sovereign programs and the pandemic is positive for environmental and governance pillars, indicating a buffering effect. AI adoption is positively related to all three pillars. Child‐labor policies are associated with higher scores, especially in the social and governance dimensions, with an additional environmental gain. These results highlight pillar‐specific pathways through which public green finance, digital capabilities, and labor standards shape firm‐level sustainability.