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Research

We summarise credible research and reports on sustainable finance and ESG issues. Our summaries, along with our AI ChatBot saves members time reading large reports, to focus on knowledge building and action.

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Policy portfolios: Empowering long-term thinking and tactical flexibility

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
This report summarises how policy portfolios support long-term, multigenerational investment planning by balancing strategic discipline with tactical flexibility. It presents model portfolios for institutional and ultra-high-net-worth clients, emphasising client-specific customisation, risk management, and the integration of long-term capital market assumptions to guide portfolio construction and decision-making.
Research
27 March 2024

Exit versus voice

This report summarises research comparing the effectiveness of “exit” strategies, such as divestment and boycotts, with “voice” strategies, such as shareholder engagement, in influencing corporate behaviour. It concludes that when most investors are even slightly socially responsible, engagement leads to socially optimal outcomes, whereas exit rarely does and can reduce welfare.
Research
28 October 2022

Evaluation project on the effects of engagement

Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF)
The report by Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) evaluates how engagement by external asset managers has affected investee companies from 2017–2022. Using causal inference analysis across over 26,000 engagements, it finds positive links between engagement and improvements in corporate value, governance, decarbonisation, and diversity.
Research
27 June 2024

ESG shareholder engagement and downside risk

Oxford university press
This study analyses whether investor engagement on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues reduces firms’ downside risk. Using data from 1,443 engagements with 485 global firms (2005–2018), it finds that successful engagements, particularly on environmental and climate issues, significantly lower downside risk and related environmental incidents.
Research
6 March 2024

Coordinated engagements

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)
This report summarises analysis of 31 PRI-coordinated investor engagements on environmental and social issues between 2007 and 2015. It finds that leadership structures, particularly two-tier models with lead and supporting investors, enhance engagement success, improve target company performance, and are associated with higher subsequent fund flows for participating investors.
Research
16 March 2025

2025 World investment report: International investment in the digital economy

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
This report summarises international investment trends in the digital economy, focusing on data, digital infrastructure, and technology services. It highlights uneven global distribution, the role of multinational enterprises, and policy implications for sustainable development, emphasising the need for balanced regulatory frameworks and equitable access to digital opportunities worldwide.
Research
22 July 2025

Global outlook on financing for sustainable development 2025: Towards a more resilient and inclusive architecture

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
This report summarises global financing trends for sustainable development, noting investment gaps in developing economies, heightened debt vulnerabilities, and the need for coordinated reforms. It highlights the importance of blended finance, resilience-building, and aligning the international financial architecture to better support inclusive and sustainable growth.
Research
7 February 2025

Integrating Nature into Finance: Laying the foundations to expand the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy to drive positive environmental outcomes in the agriculture and land sectors

Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI)
This report summarises how Australia’s Sustainable Finance Taxonomy could be expanded to agriculture, forestry and land management, proposing draft criteria for biodiversity protection, sustainable water use, and pollution control. It aligns with global biodiversity goals to guide investment and lending that support nature-positive outcome.
Research
9 September 2025

Ethical investing disclosure guidance

Financial Markets Authority (FMA)
This report summarises draft guidance from New Zealand’s Financial Markets Authority on ethical investment disclosure. It sets expectations under the FMC Act, warns against greenwashing, and outlines principles of clarity, substantiation, consistency, and management of third-party involvement to improve transparency and accuracy for investors.
Research
19 September 2025

The impact of physical and transition climate risk on asset valuation

EDHEC Climate Institute
This report analyses the interaction between physical and transition climate risks, showing their inverse relationship and implications for asset valuation. Using an extended DICE model, it quantifies how abatement policies affect costs and damages, links findings to SSP/RCP scenarios, and highlights valuation headwinds for global equities under varying decarbonisation pathways.
Research
11 April 2024

Place-based just transition: Policy baseline and case studies

Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC)
This report from the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change analyses place-based just transition policies in India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan. It outlines market-specific policy baselines, labour and social dynamics, financing needs and case studies, providing investors and policymakers with insights into ensuring equitable low-carbon transitions in Asia.
Research
22 September 2025

Climate finance

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
This report reviews research on climate finance, focusing on how climate risks affect financial markets. It discusses theoretical models and empirical evidence on pricing climate risk in equities, bonds, housing, and mortgages, and explores portfolio strategies for hedging. Future research directions in modelling, measurement, and financial stability are highlighted.
Research
10 December 2020

Corporate governance and equity prices

Harvard Business School
This report examines the link between shareholder rights and corporate performance in the 1990s. Using a Governance Index across 1,500 firms, it finds that stronger shareholder rights were associated with higher valuations, profits, and growth, while weaker rights correlated with lower performance and abnormal underperformance.
Research
12 September 2001

Enel: Industry case studies: Electric utility

United Nations Global Compact
This report presents Enel’s case study on implementing CFO Principles for the SDGs. It outlines historical drivers, sustainability disruption, strategic responses, and SDG investments, highlighting decarbonisation, electrification, and financial performance assessment. The report details Enel’s renewable energy expansion, SDG alignment, and integration of sustainability outcomes with financial results.
Research
20 September 2021

Presidential address: Sustainable finance and ESG issues: Value versus values

This report examines how investor and manager motivations—driven by either financial value or personal values—shape sustainable finance and ESG practices. It highlights definitional ambiguities, performance debates, and cultural differences, calling for clearer research to distinguish pecuniary risk-return considerations from non-pecuniary preferences in ESG investing.
Research
4 August 2023

Sustainable investing in practice: Objectives, beliefs, and limits to impact

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)
This paper surveys 509 equity portfolio managers on their treatment of environmental and social factors. Findings show most prioritise financial returns, with limited willingness to sacrifice performance. ES constraints from mandates, policies, and client values strongly influence decisions. Beliefs and constraints outweigh fund labels in shaping sustainable investing practices.
Research
12 August 2025
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