This McKinsey report analyses CEO succession at family-owned businesses, drawing on 200 publicly traded and 170 private FOBs globally. It finds that succession on average erodes shareholder value, but top-performing FOBs can achieve the opposite by applying 11 critical practices spanning five foundational and six distinctive areas.

This study examines whether global institutional investors’ voting rationale disclosures influence Korean firms’ gender diversity and climate-related policies. It finds stronger investor focus on board gender diversity than climate risk, limited influence on large firms, greater impact on smaller firms’ emissions reductions, and evidence that voting rationales affect the credibility of sustainability reporting.

This report examines whether socially-minded investors influence corporate behaviour through voting, managerial incentives, or identity investing. It concludes that existing channels offer limited impact and evaluates potential legal reforms, such as binding shareholder votes and mandatory disclosures, to better align corporate actions with these investors' preferences.

This paper examines optional shareholder voting by institutional managers (IMs) using newly available SEC data on say-on-pay votes. Only 44% of IMs vote, yet their aggregate voting footprint is twice that of mutual funds. IMs use voting as a monitoring tool, with larger positions associated with greater opposition to management.

Study finds Societas Europaea adoption improves firms’ international positioning, increasing foreign investor ownership and cross-border acquisitions. However, markets generally react negatively, information asymmetry rises, and shareholder returns weaken post-adoption, suggesting governance flexibility and supranational identity benefits may be offset by uncertainty and potential minority shareholder concerns.

Tröger argues corporate governance tools, including stewardship, say-on-climate votes and ESG-linked pay, cannot replace broad climate regulation. Firm-level interventions may trigger “waterbed effects”, shifting emissions rather than reducing them. Carbon pricing or comprehensive emissions caps are presented as more effective.

Examines investor democracy in pension funds using deliberative mini-publics and a binding member vote. Finds informed deliberation shifts preferences towards impact investing despite potential lower returns, with broader member support leading to increased allocations, demonstrating how structured participation can guide sustainable investment decisions.

The UK Stewardship Code (2026) sets voluntary principles for asset owners, managers and service providers to demonstrate effective stewardship through transparent, outcomes-focused reporting, supporting responsible capital allocation and long-term value creation for clients and beneficiaries.

The report argues shareholder proposals are a key investor right, enabling engagement on governance and ESG risks, improving corporate accountability and long-term value. It highlights regulatory frameworks, practical impacts across sectors, and emerging threats to this mechanism within US capital markets.

The US SIF Proxy Proposal Archive is a public database providing access to over 7,000 shareholder proposals filed at US companies, alongside detailed research reports and annual briefings. It enables analysis of environmental, social and governance (ESG) trends, supporting investors in evaluating proxy voting issues and corporate engagement.

This month’s sustainability roundup traces a rapidly evolving landscape in climate governance and industrial transition, highlighting the convergence of ISSB-aligned disclosure standards and emerging carbon trade measures alongside shifting cost curves in transport and critical minerals. It underscores how tighter emissions accounting and border policies are embedding carbon competitiveness into capital allocation, while advances in electrification, AI-driven power demand and expanding legal accountability are integrating climate and nature risk into mainstream financial decision-making.

This guide outlines best practice for investor collaborations addressing systemic ESG risks. It defines collaboration models, examines benefits and barriers, and presents a six-step framework covering leadership, governance, alignment, resourcing and accountability. Case studies illustrate how structured, investor-led initiatives can influence corporate behaviour and public policy.

Provides system-level investors with practical language, research and engagement tools to address macroeconomic and systemic risks. Argues diversified portfolios depend primarily on overall market performance, which is shaped by social and environmental externalities, and supports stewardship actions to protect long-term portfolio value.

This report argues that climate change poses systemic risks to diversified portfolios and that conventional ESG engagement is insufficient. It proposes investor-led, enterprise-agnostic “guardrails” to limit greenhouse gas emissions, protect overall economic value, and complement inadequate regulation.

This article applies a systems lens to stewardship, arguing that fragmented intermediation and entrenched short-term time horizons undermine sustainability outcomes. It calls for recognising these structural barriers as a critical step toward more effective, systems-informed stewardship.

Portfolios on the Ballot (POTB) is a tool by The Shareholder Commons that tracks shareholder proposals with potential system-wide economic impacts. It supports portfolio-level analysis of proxy votes, focusing on long-term market, social, and environmental risks relevant to diversified investors.