Library | ESG issues

Governance

The governance pillar in ESG (environmental, social, and governance) refers to the systems, policies, and practices that ensure an organisation is managed responsibly and ethically. It includes issues such as board structure, reporting & disclosures, shareholders & voting, and risk management. Strong governance reduces risks, enhances trust, and supports long-term business sustainability.

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Corporate sustainability reporting

This conceptual paper examines corporate sustainability reporting, distinguishing investor-focused sustainability-related financial disclosure from broader impact reporting. It argues investor interests are imperfectly aligned with societal goals and concludes that complementary financial and impact reporting standards are needed to support accountability, capital allocation and sustainability transition.
Research
23 January 2025

A theory of fair CEO pay

This research models executive pay where CEOs suffer disutility from 'unfair' wages. Firms motivate effort by threatening zero pay for poor performance, offering a fair output share only above a threshold. This rationalises performance-vesting equity and pay-for-performance structures even without traditional moral hazard incentives.
Research
15 October 2024

Globally representative evidence on the actual and perceived support for climate action

Using a survey of 130,000 people across 125 countries, the study finds strong global support for climate action, but widespread underestimation of others’ willingness to act. This perception gap may hinder cooperation; correcting it could materially strengthen climate action.
Research
9 February 2024

Navigating the corporate ego: Understanding the association between ESG performance and organizational narcissistic rhetoric

This study analyses 1,659 FTSE 350 observations to explore the link between ESG performance and organisational narcissistic rhetoric. Findings indicate that high ESG performance correlates with increased self-promoting language, though greater board gender diversity mitigates this effect. Additionally, strong financial results are positively associated with narcissistic corporate narratives.
Research
14 July 2025

A bibliometric analysis of four decades of shareholder activism research

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)
This bibliometric review of 1,055 works (1983–2021) charts the evolution of shareholder activism research. It highlights a shift from financial drivers to sustainability-oriented goals. While interdisciplinarity is increasing, disciplinary silos remain. The authors advocate for holistic approaches evaluating non-financial impacts alongside traditional metrics.
Research
19 February 2025

Private capital, public good: Building shared prosperity to create a resilient and inclusive economy

US Impact Investing Alliance
The report outlines bipartisan US federal policy recommendations to mobilise private capital for shared prosperity. It focuses on strengthening economic competitiveness, scaling community investing, and improving impact transparency to support inclusive growth, underinvested communities, and long-term economic resilience.
Research
12 October 2024

Preparing for next-generation information warfare with generative AI

Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
The report analyses how generative AI reshapes information warfare by enabling scalable manipulation, behavioural influence and dual-use knowledge diffusion. It highlights heightened risks to civilians, military operations and international law, stressing gaps in protection and the need for anticipatory, whole-of-society resilience strategies.
Research
10 December 2024

Sustainability-related risks and opportunities and the disclosure of material information

IFRS Foundation
This educational material explains how entities identify and disclose material sustainability-related risks and opportunities under IFRS S1 and S2, focusing on impacts on cash flows, access to finance and cost of capital, and applying consistent, entity-specific materiality judgements.
Research
18 November 2024

International round table: Financing climate action at city level

Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations
This report synthesises discussions from an international round table on financing city-level climate action, highlighting how local governments overcome fiscal constraints through tailored funding scales, partnerships, innovative revenue mechanisms, and long-term approaches to deliver major decarbonisation programmes across Europe and North America.
Research
10 October 2024

Good practice case studies in scope 3 data collection

United Nations Global Compact
The report presents practical case studies on Scope 3 data collection, covering supplier, upstream, downstream and employee engagement. It outlines hybrid methodologies, use of primary and spend-based data, and emphasises collaboration, pragmatism and incremental improvement to support credible emissions measurement and reduction.
Research
13 August 2024

Escalation: The destructive force of Australia's fossil fuel exports on our climate

Australian Human Rights Institute
The report finds Australia’s fossil fuel exports significantly escalate global warming and domestic climate risks. It highlights missing policy restrictions, growing harms to people and systems, and urges an orderly, cooperative and just phase-out with regulatory reforms and international engagement.
Research
9 August 2024

Competing in the age of disruption: A business briefing by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership

University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)
The report argues that global industrial transition is inevitable and accelerating, creating material risks and opportunities. It urges businesses to pursue innovation, reshape market rules and influence policy to secure competitiveness, manage systemic threats and drive sustainable market transformation.
Research
19 May 2025

AI governance behind the scenes: Emerging practices for AI impact assessments

Future of Privacy Forum (FPF)
The report outlines emerging organisational practices for AI impact assessments, highlighting common process steps, information gathering challenges, evolving risk-assessment methods, and difficulties evaluating mitigation effectiveness. It notes increasing cross-functional governance, reliance on third-party transparency, and the need for stronger metrics, education, and executive support.
Research
1 December 2024

Harmonised framework for impact reporting for social bonds handbook

International Capital Market Association
The handbook provides a harmonised framework for issuers to report social bond impacts, outlining core reporting principles, target population disclosure, and preferred quantitative indicators. It introduces sector guidance—initially affordable housing—and offers templates to support consistent, transparent, and comparable impact reporting across social project categories.
Research
24 September 2024

From ‘conflict minerals’ to peace? reviewing mining reforms, gender, and state performance in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

The review assesses how 3T mining reforms in eastern DRC affected state governance and gender inclusion. Findings show mixed results: limited improvements in demarcation, revenue collection and oversight, persistent armed interference, weak accountability, elite-captured cooperatives, and ongoing marginalisation of women.
Research
15 March 2021

Briefing paper: The fiduciary duty case for climate justice

Intentional Endowments Network
The report argues that climate justice is integral to fiduciary duty, as climate and inequality risks threaten long-term value. It outlines definitions, system-level investment frameworks, and practical tools that help investors manage systemic risks and support a just low-carbon transition.
Research
26 June 2025
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