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The Impact of Impact Investing

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  • Berk, Jonathan B.

    (Stanford University and NBER)

  • van Binsbergen, Jules H.

    (University of Pennsylvania and NBER)

Abstract

We evaluate the quantitative impact of ESG divestitures. For divestitures to have impact they must change the cost of capital of affected firms. We derive a simple expression for the change in the cost of capital as a function of three inputs: (1) the fraction of socially conscious capital, (2) the fraction of targeted firms in the economy and (3) the correlation between the targeted firms and the rest of the stock market. Given the current state of ESG investment we find that the impact on the cost of capital is too small to meaningfully affect real investment decisions. We empirically corroborate these small estimates by studying firm changes in ESG status. When firms are either included or excluded from the leading socially conscious US index (FTSE USA 4Good) we find no detectable effect on the cost of capital. We conclude that current ESG divesture strategies have had little impact and will likely have little impact in the future. Our results suggest that to have impact, instead of divesting, socially conscious investors should invest and exercise their rights of control to change corporate policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Berk, Jonathan B. & van Binsbergen, Jules H., 2021. "The Impact of Impact Investing," Research Papers 3981, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecl:stabus:3981
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    Cited by:

    1. Jacquelyn Pless, 2022. "To Starve or to Stoke? Understanding Whether Divestment versus Investment Can Steer (Green) Innovation," NBER Chapters, in: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy and the Economy, volume 2, pages 107-147, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Michele Fioretti & Victor Saint-Jean & Simon C Smith, 2022. "The Voice: The Shareholders' Motives Behind Corporate Donations during COVID-19 (former title: Selfish Shareholders: Corporate Donations during COVID-19)," SciencePo Working papers hal-03386585, HAL.
    3. Khalfaoui, Rabeh & Mefteh-Wali, Salma & Viviani, Jean-Laurent & Ben Jabeur, Sami & Abedin, Mohammad Zoynul & Lucey, Brian M., 2022. "How do climate risk and clean energy spillovers, and uncertainty affect U.S. stock markets?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    4. Pierre Lavigne & Peter Tankov, 2023. "Decarbonization of financial markets: a mean-field game approach," Papers 2301.09163, arXiv.org.
    5. Tiziano De Angelis & Peter Tankov & Olivier David Zerbib, 2022. "Climate Impact Investing," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 676 JEL Classification: G, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    6. Kim, Daniel & Pouget, Sébastien, 2023. "Do carbon emissions affect the cost of capital? Primary versus secondary corporate bond markets," TSE Working Papers 23-1472, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    7. Pástor, Ľuboš & Stambaugh, Robert F. & Taylor, Lucian A., 2022. "Dissecting green returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(2), pages 403-424.
    8. Nickolay Gantchev & Mariassunta Giannetti & Rachel Li, 2022. "Does Money Talk? Divestitures and Corporate Environmental and Social Policies [The “Wall Street Walk” and Shareholder Activism: Exit as a Form of Voice]," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 26(6), pages 1469-1508.
    9. Thomas Url, 2022. "Die gesamtwirtschaftliche Bedeutung der österreichischen Versicherungswirtschaft," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 69819, April.
    10. Sastry, Parinitha & Verner, Emil & Marqués-Ibáñez, David, 2024. "Business as usual: bank climate commitments, lending, and engagement," Working Paper Series 2921, European Central Bank.
    11. Rob Bauer & Dirk Broeders & Annick van Ool, 2023. "Walk the green talk? A textual analysis of pension funds’ disclosures of sustainable investing," Working Papers 770, DNB.
    12. Carter Davis, 2023. "The Elasticity of Quantitative Investment," Papers 2303.14533, arXiv.org.
    13. Mark E. Bateman & Lisa R. Goldberg, 2023. "Ownership of ESG characteristics," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 24(7), pages 534-540, December.
    14. Bernd Scherer & Milot Hasaj, 2023. "Greenlabelling: How valuable is the SFDR Art 9 label?," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 24(7), pages 541-546, December.

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