Library | ESG issues
Public Policy
Public policy refers to the actions and decisions taken by governments to address societal issues through laws, regulations, and funding priorities. It shapes the business environment by influencing regulatory requirements, market conditions, and corporate responsibilities. Policies related to taxation, labour laws, environmental regulations, and trade agreements can impact business operations, costs, and investment strategies.
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Governing global externalities: Investor voice amid fragmented policy
This research examines how corporate stewardship and policy advocacy address global externalities. Stewardship is more effective when foreign regulation is absent and leakage is high. However, if foreign regulation is feasible, stewardship can crowd out policy, while advocacy can encourage international regulatory coordination through strategic complementarity.
Analysing the EU policy mix for the built environment from a sufficiency perspective
This research assesses the integration of sufficiency principles into European Union building policies. Analysing 16 policy documents, it finds that while measures for reducing consumption and environmental sustainability are prevalent, social dimensions and behavioural changes are often neglected. It recommends prioritising building renovation over new construction to meet sustainability goals.
From voluntary to binding: Integration of sustainability standards and initiatives in public mining governance
This report examines the integration of sustainability standards and initiatives (SSIs) into public mining governance. Through surveys and case studies in Brazil, Madagascar, and Sweden, it demonstrates how voluntary standards complement mandatory regulations to address environmental, social, and governance risks, supporting policy formulation, implementation, and transparent reporting.
Locked in and priced out: How coal power contracts fuel debt and delay the energy transition
This report examines how rigid power purchase agreements for coal power in India, Indonesia, and Pakistan create unsustainable debt and delay the energy transition. It highlights how these contracts lock in expensive, polluting energy and proposes policy solutions including payouts, technology swaps, renegotiation, and litigation.
Administrative and market frictions in the choice between green and conventional bonds
This research investigates how administrative frictions and institutional environments influence corporate green bond issuance. Using global data from 2013–2024, it finds that bureaucratic complexity reduces green labelling probability, particularly outside transition-intensive sectors. Mandatory sustainability disclosure significantly increases issuance, highlighting the importance of efficient implementation for sustainable finance policies.
Powering aviation resilience: SAF and PtX policy design choices for Australia in a shifting global energy system
This briefing examines policy choices for scaling sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and Power-to-X (PtX) in Australia. It highlights the need for integrated policy packages, robust sustainability certification, and cross-portfolio coordination to transition from bio-based fuels to synthetic alternatives, ensuring long-term decarbonisation and fuel security.
Enabling framework conditions assessment for subnational climate finance in Indonesia
This report evaluates Indonesia's enabling framework conditions for subnational climate finance. It identifies critical gaps in institutional capacity, financial architecture, and data accessibility. Recommendations focus on expanding urban-specific incentives, leveraging blended finance, and synchronising digital platforms to improve local climate governance and bridge the national investment gap.
War and corruption: Corruption’s role in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine
This report examines how corruption enabled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and explores its escalation during the conflict. It details growth in criminal convictions, systemic theft within the military, and the erosion of procurement transparency. It further analyses the impact of sanctions on Russian oligarchs and the emergence of war beneficiaries.
Disability employment quotas: Lessons for Indonesia from ASEAN and East Asia
This report analyses disability employment quota systems across Indonesia, ASEAN, and East Asia. It identifies five legal models, ranging from binding levy-subsidy architectures to voluntary incentive-based approaches. Recommendations for Indonesia include clarifying calculation methodologies, establishing structured incentive frameworks, and implementing graduated compliance pathways to improve inclusive employment outcomes.
Chokepoint disruptions and their macroeconomic consequences
This report examines the macroeconomic consequences of global supply chain chokepoint disruptions. It finds that rising geopolitical tensions threaten critical nodes, causing significant output losses and price pressures. While substitution and inventories mitigate impacts, policy responses must consider a disruption's centrality and the private sector's capacity to adjust.
Too little too late? Nationwide carbon trading in China
This study evaluates China's rate-based National Emissions Trading Scheme using satellite imagery. It finds high-efficiency plants increased electricity generation and carbon emissions by approximately 5% relative to low-efficiency plants. The programme incentivised production without significantly reducing emission intensity, leading to an estimated aggregate increase in carbon dioxide emissions.
Green subsidies with demand distortions
This research evaluates green subsidies for induction stoves in Kenya, finding that demand distortions like credit constraints significantly enhance subsidy efficacy. While usage subsidies had no impact, purchase price subsidies achieved carbon abatement at just US$12 per ton. Contexts with high distortions offer highly cost-effective climate mitigation opportunities.
Anti-woke corporate governance
This research explores the emergence of partisan corporate governance, focusing on Texas as a conservative competitor to Delaware. It examines legislative changes to limit shareholder litigation and influence, the regulation of proxy advisors, and the resulting legal and political risks for corporations navigating an increasingly politicised regulatory environment.
Asset manager capture
This research examines "reverse capture", where government actors pressure large asset managers to advance political agendas. It analyses how expanding presidential power and market concentration enable this dynamic, using the ESG retreat as an illustration. The authors recommend narrowing fiduciary duties to insulate investment stewardship from political interference.
Using firm-level and integrated data sources for enterprise policy development: With illustrative country analysis of firm resilience
This report examines the use of firm-level and integrated data sources, including enterprise surveys, household surveys, and administrative records, for enterprise policy development. It features case studies from Colombia, Ecuador, and Brazil, analysing firm resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic through various indicators such as productivity, informality, and workforce restoration.
European employment and social outlook series
This report is part of a series providing an analysis of labour market and social developments within the European Union. It examines the relationship between job quality, productivity and economic performance, evaluating dimensions such as earnings and job security to inform evidence-based policymaking across Member States.