Embedding ESG in finance education: the impact of ESG education within graduate finance programs on ESG-related problems

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to determine the extent to which ESG education in graduate finance programs at Kazakhstani universities impacts ESG-related issues incorporating emissions, unemployment rates and corruption. Design/methodology/approach This research relies on cross-sectional data for 20 regions of Kazakhstan and 66 universities clustered in those regions for the academic year 2022–2023. This study uses a multiple linear regression method to ascertain the relationship between ESG education and ESG problems. Findings Findings indicate that environmental education and overall ESG education have a negative impact on the volume of emissions and the youth unemployment rate. The number of universities is positively related to all three dependent variables representing issues on each aspect of ESG. Research limitations/implications I might have omitted some important variables that can play a pivotal role in elucidating ESG-related problems, including the mobility of students from one region to another. Furthermore, the paper analyzed only finance programs at a graduate level, without touching undergraduate-level studies and other programs. Finally, the variables and, hence, the regression results are based on the academic year of 2022–2023; it does not account for the change for the past years and does not include time-series analysis. Originality/value This paper is original, as it examines whether ESG education helps to curb ESG-related issues at a national level in Kazakhstan, and the studies on sustainability education in Kazakhstan are limited.