Do firm characteristics and ownership structure affect corporate philanthropic contributions in Jordan?

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the drivers of corporate donations in Jordan. In particular, to examine whether firm-specific characteristics and ownership types affect corporate donations. Design/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on a sample of 94 Jordanian listed companies, drawn from the manufacturing and service sectors, over the period 2010–2016. This paper uses ordinary least square regression with a year and industry fixed effects to test the research hypotheses. Findings: This paper finds that corporate philanthropic contributions are positively associated with company size, age, profitability, media exposure and governmental ownership. This paper also finds that corporate philanthropic contributions are negatively associated with financial leverage and family ownership. Originality/value: The paper provides new evidence on the determinants of corporate philanthropic contributions in a developing country.