Description:
<jats:p>Introduction. ESG studies are relevant due to both the climate agenda, socio-economic and geopolitical aspects in the growth of modern economy, while the decomposition of national and regional tasks at the municipal level determines the goal setting for the study of ESG models for municipal development. Purpose. The paper aims at identifying and quantifying causal relationships to spot the triple helix in ESG models for municipal development. Materials and Methods. The constituent-functional approach, comparative and correlation analysis were used as the main research tools. The information was taken from the official statistical database of the Federal State Statistics Service, EMISS, as well as the results of the ESG rating of cities done by RA Expert Agency. Results. The study outlined the causal relationships which define the nature of inter-constituent interactions for sustainable development of municipalities. A triple helix was proven to exist in the ESG models of innovative municipal development. This helix reveals the relationships among business entities from the perspective of ESG development. Correlation analysis was applied to prove the differentiation of municipalities, and a typology of ESG models of development is proposed by the key type of interactions in terms of the triple helix. Conclusions. The conducted research actually attributed the analyzed municipalities to one of the selected types, which is confirmed by a comparative analysis with the ratings and expert opinions. The results obtained are of interest for further studies of approaches to the ESG agenda at the municipal level as a part of an interdisciplinary research. The practical value of the proposed tools for identifying the type of ESG development model refers to the opportunities to identify not only weaknesses, but also systemic interactions for higher investment attractiveness and strategizing the ESG development of municipalities.</jats:p>