**Reimagined Article: Embracing Innovation and Social Responsibility: The Impact of CEOs with Government Work Experience on Enterprise Investment in Pollution Control****Introduction**As leaders of enterprises, CEOs bear a critical role in environmental governance, particularly regarding pollution control investments. Recognizing this responsibility, academia and practitioners have explored various CEO characteristics that influence their decision-making in pollution control. However, one underexplored aspect is the impact of CEOs with government work experience.**Government Work Experience and Enterprise Investment in Pollution Control**Government work experience provides unique insights and capabilities that can shape CEOs' decision-making patterns. This experience fosters robust policy understanding, sharpened risk management, and enhanced cooperation with government agencies. As a result, CEOs with government work experience tend to:* **Emphasize Proactive Environmental Risk Management:** Their experience sensitizes them to environmental regulations and compliance, motivating proactive investments in pollution control to minimize future liabilities.* **Comprehend Policy Mandates Effectively:** Familiarity with policy formulation and implementation enables them to grasp environmental policies' nuances, guiding them toward proactive compliance and strategic investments aligned with regulatory frameworks.* **Leverage Governmental Contacts and Support:** Personal connections fostered through government work can facilitate access to government resources and policy levers, aiding in the acquisition of subsidies or favorable policy interpretations that support pollution control initiatives.**Moderating Role of Status Perception**Alongside government work experience, CEOs' perceived status further influences their investment decisions. Drawing on Weber's Status Perception Theory, we posit that different dimensions of perceived status impact the CEO-government work experience relationship.* **Economic Status Perception:** High perceived economic status encourages CEOs to prioritize immediate financial returns, potentially diminishing their focus on long-term pollution control investments, which typically offer lower short-term profits.* **Social Status Perception:** Elevated perceived social status motivates CEOs to engage in socially responsible actions, including increased investment in pollution control, aligning with the public's expectations and bolstering the enterprise's reputation.* **Political Status Perception:** High perceived political status provides access to policy information and political resources, enabling CEOs to secure funding, procure permits, or influence regulatory outcomes, potentially enhancing their investment capabilities in pollution control.**Implications and Conclusion**Our research unveils the positive impact of CEOs with government work experience on enterprise investment in pollution control. Moreover, the moderating influence of status perception illuminates the multifaceted nature of this relationship. These findings offer practical guidance for enterprises:* **Hiring CEOs with Government Work Experience:** Enterprises seeking to enhance their environmental performance should consider hiring CEOs with government experience, leveraging their expertise and connections.* **Understanding Status Perception Preferences:** Comprehending the CEO's status perception preferences can facilitate alignment between the enterprise's environmental goals and their decision-making style.Our study enriches the understanding of career imprints in environmental governance, expands the application of imprinting theory in environmental sustainability, and contributes to the literature on CEO experience and environmental performance. It underscores the importance of considering both innate traits and acquired experiences in shaping CEOs' investment decisions and emphasizes the crucial role of status perception in mediating the impact of government work experience. By embracing innovation, social responsibility, and stakeholder engagement, enterprises can drive sustainable growth while benefiting their communities and the environment.