This Shift report reviews the financial effects of corporate engagement with Indigenous Peoples and local communities on nature-related issues. Drawing on over 1,200 cases and approximately 40 publications, it finds that engagement quality is financially material, with poor engagement linked to significant operational, legal, and reputational costs.

This NBER working paper examines the labour market effects of California's AB 1228, which raised the fast-food minimum wage to $20 per hour in April 2024. Across 32 QCEW and QWI specifications, wages rose by roughly 7 per cent with an own-wage elasticity of employment ranging from −0.29 to +0.26, indicating modest to no disemployment.

This report examines how institutional investors engage on climate policy and sets out guidance for best practice. Drawing on interviews with 70+ individuals and a survey of investors representing approximately USD 33 trillion in AUM, it calls for a shift from disclosure-focused engagement towards real economy policies, and identifies three field-building priorities.

This report from the Thinking Ahead Institute and CAIA Association argues for expanding the investment mandate to incorporate systems-level thinking. Drawing on a survey of 176 asset managers and roundtables with 120 senior executives, it presents an inside-out, outside-in framework for navigating polycrisis and long-term systemic risks.

The 2025 RDR Index Big Tech Edition ranks 14 major technology companies on governance, freedom of expression, and privacy. Microsoft leads overall with 50%, followed by Alphabet at 49% and Meta at 47%. Scores are also assessed across eight thematic lenses, including algorithmic transparency, security, and targeted advertising.

Ranking Digital Rights' 2026 Telco Giants Edition scores 12 major telecom companies on governance, freedom of expression, and privacy. Telefónica leads overall with 57%, while Ooredoo ranks lowest at 14%. Historical data from 2017 to 2026 shows varied progress, with scores dipping in 2020 due to new indicators.

This paper by Valuing Impact examines how 19 organisations are moving beyond sustainability measurement to use impact valuation as a decision-making tool. Covering strategy, investment, steering, operations and stakeholder engagement, it presents case studies and six practical lessons for embedding impact data alongside financial information in real business decisions.

This report examines how public development banks (PDBs) can expand climate risk insurance in emerging markets and developing economies. It identifies five key barriers to insurance uptake, analyses distinct roles for national, regional, and multilateral development banks, and provides recommendations to scale insurance solutions that build climate resilience.

This investor guide examines ocean-related risks and opportunities across nine ocean-dependent sectors. It outlines five key drivers of ocean degradation, introduces a seven-step portfolio assessment framework, and provides sector-specific engagement guidance for fisheries, aquaculture and maritime transportation.

This NGFS information note examines available nature-related data resources and methods for integrating them into financial risk assessment. It reviews metrics and indicators against five key criteria, presents four case studies, and identifies data quality, availability, and standardisation challenges. Public-private collaboration and targeted investment are recommended to address data gaps.

This paper studies the effects of state-level NDA-weakening laws on hiring in over 50,000 U.S. VC-backed startups from 2014–2022. Anti-harassment reforms reduce female hiring by approximately 8%, concentrated among junior women and small startups, while also triggering internal restructuring including more female promotions and male manager departures.

The TISFD Framework (Beta Version 0.1) presents draft disclosure recommendations for businesses and financial institutions on people-related impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities. Building on ISSB, GRI and ESRS standards, it covers governance, strategy, and impact and risk management pillars, with metrics and targets to follow in future iterations.

This report examines illicit financial flows linked to deforestation in Brazil and Cameroon, estimating trade mispricing losses at US$289 million per year in Cameroon and US$214 million in Brazil. It finds that financial and land ownership secrecy enables illicit deforestation and recommends public beneficial ownership registries and supply chain transparency measures.

This BreakFree Suisse research note examines Swiss institutional investors — including UBS, SNB, Zurich Insurance, and others — holding billions of dollars in US ICE contractors Palantir, AT&T, Geo Group, and CoreCivic. The report argues these investments conflict with the investors' stated human rights policies and ESG commitments.

Commissioned by IGCC and authored by Pollination, this report reviews climate innovation policy in California, Denmark, the Netherlands, South Korea and Germany to identify gaps in Australia's policy landscape and recommend measures to drive transition industry investment, including strengthening the Safeguard Mechanism and establishing a national industrial strategy.

Short-duration battery storage in the U.S. has grown 25x in five years, reaching 43,419 MW. This IEEFA report examines how that success is opening pathways for long-duration energy storage, driven by state mandates, data centre demand from AI companies, and advances in technologies including iron-air, liquid air, and carbon-oxygen systems.