ESG - Environmental, Social and Governance

— Oct 18, 2024
Printer-friendly version
ESG: Myths and Realities - Collected Essays

ESG: Myths and Realities is a collected essay series, edited by Fraser Institute Senior Fellow Steven Globerman, that provides a wide-ranging assessment of the environmental, social and governance movement—known as ESG. Among other considerations, the essays identify and consider the myriad issues that arise when publicly traded companies are directed by government legislation and regulations, or pressured by interest groups, to adopt a broad stakeholder framework rather than a shareholder (or investor) focused framework.

— Aug 27, 2024
Printer-friendly version
It;s Time to Move on from ESG

Two new essays in the Institute’s series on the myths and realities of the ESG movement, It’s Time to Move on from ESG and Putting Economics Back into ESG, find that imposing top-down ESG mandates will cause substantial harm to the economy and workers, and public policy objectives, such as those addressed by ESG initiatives, should be decided by and acted on by democratically elected governments, not private sector actors.

— Jun 18, 2024
Printer-friendly version
ESG Investing and Financial Returns in Canada

ESG Investing and Financial Returns in Canada finds that despite claims to the contrary, the ESG rankings of publicly-traded Canadian companies have no significant effect on investment returns.

— Jul 14, 2023
Printer-friendly version
ESG Disclosures and the Decision to Go Public

ESG Disclosures and the Decision to Go Public is a new essay in the Institute's series on the ESG (environmental, social and governance) movement. It highlights how mandating ESG disclosures could discourage firms from entering public markets, thereby limiting entrepreneurial opportunities by making one of the main channels for accessing capital more expensive.

— Jul 7, 2023
Printer-friendly version
Does Adopting a Stakeholder Model Undermine Corporate Governance?

Does Adopting a Stakeholder Model Undermine Corporate Governance? is the latest essay in the Institute's series on the ESG (environmental, social and governance) movement. It argues that corporate efficiency will suffer if managers depart from a shareholder governance framework and that the wealth created by companies that prioritize profitability, while operating in accordance with a well-defined legal and regulatory system, will better promote society's environmental and social goals than will be the case if companies adopt broad stakeholder governance models.

— Jul 7, 2023
Printer-friendly version
ESG Mandates and Managerial Efficiency

ESG Mandates and Managerial Efficiency is a new essay from the Institute’s series on the ESG (environmental, social and governance) movement. Specifically, it addresses the question of whether regulation-imposed ESG mandates affect the principal relationship between shareholders and managers in public companies: are shareholders affected when a company’s management prioritizes ESG considerations over profit-enhancing decisions?

— Apr 21, 2023
Printer-friendly version
The Impracticality of Standardizing ESG Reporting

The Impracticality of Standardizing ESG Reporting is the latest essay in the Institute’s series on the ESG (environmental, social and governance) movement. It finds that mandating a uniform set of ESG reporting standards across all public companies would be extremely costly because of the difficulties defining ESG materiality and the scope of ESG standards, measuring and aggregating ESG information, and enforcing ESG standards.

Subscribe to the Fraser Institute

Get the latest news from the Fraser Institute on the latest research studies, news and events.