As such, we further draw on institutional theory which proposes that the broader societal and environmental context have the potential to shape organisational structure and practices to guide our understanding of how certain ownership structures may be influenced in their disclosure decisions. DiMaggio and Powell (1983) contend that firms come to exhibit similar values, structures and practices as a result of isomorphic pressures from three sources: (1) coercive (law or regulatory enforcement‐based); (2) mimetic (stakeholder and general societal driven); and (3) normative (professional community‐related). More specifically, according to DiMaggio and Powell (1983), coercive isomorphism results from both formal and informal pressures exerted on organisations by other organisations upon which they are dependent and by social expectations. Deegan (2009) argues that those stakeholders who have the greatest power over the firm are able to better demand the information they require or desire. Mimetic isomorphism is a process where organisations tend to adopt structures and processes that resemble others in society or the referent group so as to meet societal or group expectations. By contrast, normative isomorphism is driven by professionalisation, members of a profession or occupation tend to define structures and practices. In general, these pressures are seen to motivate firms to gain legitimacy and demonstrate conformance through formal disclosures. Applying an institutional perspective to the Indian corporate environment, we predict mimetic pressures related to the NVG on CSR as released in 2009, and coercive pressures emanating from CSR guidelines issued by the Department of Public Enterprises for CPSEs, are likely to play a strong role in affecting how the ownership composition of public listed Indian firms may influence the level and type of CSR information disclosure. For instance, firms with significant government ownership have been found to be more sensitive to disclosing on social or community‐related issues (Ghazali, 2007).