IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/ijfiec/v30y2025i3p3138-3168.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Do Socially Responsible Investment Funds Go Green? The Influence of Investment Styles and managers' Experience

Author

Listed:
  • Mathieu Mercadier
  • Yves Rannou
  • Mohamed Amine Boutabba
  • Jinzhao Chen

Abstract

We provide an holdings‐based analysis of socially responsible investment (SRI hereafter) funds' greenness and its determinants in Europe over 8 years (2015–22). To this end, a segmentation of SRI funds by greenness degree based on k‐means clustering is developed. Our results reveal that SRI funds' greenness depends on specific investment styles and the salient experience of managers in SRI. We verify that greening an SRI fund implies a higher stock selectivity leading managers to underweight their portfolios with fossil fuel stocks and raise the weight of green stocks once SRI market regulations in Europe have been implemented. Also, we find that active investment styles make SRI funds greener. Moreover, we provide evidence of counteracting experience effects provided that the more (resp. less) the manager is experienced in SRI (resp. mutual fund industry), the greener the fund is. In addition to those experience effects, we detect a gender diversity effect provided that a greater gender diversity in fund management teams contributes to increase SRI funds' greenness. Overall, our findings support the argument that the experience and abilities of fund managers are important factors for investors to consider when they choose SRI funds notably because skilled professionals with more experience in SRI are more likely to adapt to regulatory shifts.

Suggested Citation

  • Mathieu Mercadier & Yves Rannou & Mohamed Amine Boutabba & Jinzhao Chen, 2025. "How Do Socially Responsible Investment Funds Go Green? The Influence of Investment Styles and managers' Experience," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(3), pages 3138-3168, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:ijfiec:v:30:y:2025:i:3:p:3138-3168
    DOI: 10.1002/ijfe.3061
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/ijfe.3061
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/ijfe.3061?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ghoul, Sadok El & Karoui, Aymen, 2021. "What's in a (Green) Name? The Consequences of Greening Fund Names on Fund Flows, Turnover, and Performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    2. Chen, Jean Jinghan & Xie, Li & Zhou, Si, 2020. "Managerial multi-tasking, Team diversity, and mutual fund performance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    3. Bolton, Patrick & Kacperczyk, Marcin, 2021. "Do investors care about carbon risk?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 517-549.
    4. Gunther Capelle-Blancard & Stéphanie Monjon, 2011. "The Performance of Socially Responsible Funds: Does the Screening Process Matter?," Working Papers 2011-12, CEPII research center.
    5. repec:dau:papers:123456789/7347 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Joliet, Robert & Titova, Yulia, 2018. "Equity SRI funds vacillate between ethics and money: An analysis of the funds’ stock holding decisions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 70-86.
    7. Fernando Muñoz & Maria Vargas & Isabel Marco, 2014. "Environmental Mutual Funds: Financial Performance and Managerial Abilities," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(4), pages 551-569, November.
    8. Les Coleman, 2023. "Explaining mutual fund behavior through the structure‐conduct‐performance lens," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(3), pages 2874-2884, July.
    9. Javier Gil-Bazo & Pablo Ruiz-Verdú & André Santos, 2010. "The Performance of Socially Responsible Mutual Funds: The Role of Fees and Management Companies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 94(2), pages 243-263, June.
    10. Leite, Paulo & Cortez, Maria Céu, 2015. "Performance of European socially responsible funds during market crises: Evidence from France," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 132-141.
    11. Alessi, Lucia & Battiston, Stefano, 2022. "Two sides of the same coin: Green Taxonomy alignment versus transition risk in financial portfolios," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    12. Muñoz, Fernando, 2021. "Carbon-intensive industries in Socially Responsible mutual funds' portfolios," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    13. Gunther Capelle†Blancard & Stéphanie Monjon, 2014. "The Performance of Socially Responsible Funds: Does the Screening Process Matter?," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 20(3), pages 494-520, June.
    14. Jacquelyn Humphrey & Darren Lee, 2011. "Australian Socially Responsible Funds: Performance, Risk and Screening Intensity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(4), pages 519-535, September.
    15. Xing Chen & Bert Scholtens, 2018. "The urge to act: A comparison of active and passive socially responsible investment funds in the United States," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(6), pages 1154-1173, November.
    16. Chen, Jie & Lasfer, Meziane & Song, Wei & Zhou, Si, 2021. "Recession managers and mutual fund performance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    17. Gbenga Ibikunle & Tom Steffen, 2017. "European Green Mutual Fund Performance: A Comparative Analysis with their Conventional and Black Peers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(2), pages 337-355, October.
    18. Humphrey, Jacquelyn E. & Li, Yong, 2021. "Who goes green: Reducing mutual fund emissions and its consequences," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    19. Gbenga Ibikunle & Carmen‐Pilar Martí‐Ballester, 2022. "Can water mutual funds aid sustainable development?," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 1173-1190, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Duong, An Thi Thuy, 2025. "Resilience or returns: Assessing green equity index performance across market regimes," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    2. José Luis Miralles-Quirós & María Mar Miralles-Quirós & José Manuel Nogueira, 2020. "Sustainable Development Goals and Investment Strategies: The Profitability of Using Five-Factor Fama-French Alphas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, February.
    3. Muñoz, Fernando, 2021. "Carbon-intensive industries in Socially Responsible mutual funds' portfolios," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    4. Simona Cosma & Paolo Cucurachi & Vincenzo Gentile & Giuseppe Rimo, 2024. "Sustainable finance disclosure regulation insights: Unveiling socially responsible funds performance during COVID‐19 pandemic and Russia–Ukraine war," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 3242-3257, May.
    5. Amparo Soler‐Domínguez & Juan Carlos Matallín‐Sáez & Diego Víctor de Mingo‐López & Emili Tortosa‐Ausina, 2021. "Looking for sustainable development: Socially responsible mutual funds and the low‐carbon economy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 1751-1766, May.
    6. Muñoz, Fernando, 2016. "Cash flow timing skills of socially responsible mutual fund investors," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 110-124.
    7. Gunther Capelle†Blancard & Stéphanie Monjon, 2014. "The Performance of Socially Responsible Funds: Does the Screening Process Matter?," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 20(3), pages 494-520, June.
    8. Sebastian Rathner, 2013. "The Relative Performance of Socially Responsible Investment Funds. New Evidence from Austria," Working Papers in Economics 2013-1, University of Salzburg.
    9. Al Ayoubi, Khalil & Enjolras, Geoffroy, 2022. "Does disinvestment from fossil fuels reduce the financial performance of responsible sovereign wealth funds?," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    10. Yuwen Dai, 2025. "Sustainable investing in emerging markets: Evidence from the Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(2), pages 2001-2015, April.
    11. Gunther Capelle-Blancard & Stéphanie Monjon, 2011. "The Performance of Socially Responsible Funds: Does the Screening Process Matter?," Working Papers 2011-12, CEPII research center.
    12. Pablo Durán-Santomil & Luis Otero-González & Renato Heitor Correia-Domingues & Juan Carlos Reboredo, 2019. "Does Sustainability Score Impact Mutual Fund Performance?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-17, May.
    13. Sebastian Rathner, 2013. "The Influence of Primary Study Characteristics on the Performance Differential Between Socially Responsible and Conventional Investment Funds: A Meta-Analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(2), pages 349-363, December.
    14. Leite, Paulo & Cortez, Maria Céu, 2015. "Performance of European socially responsible funds during market crises: Evidence from France," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 132-141.
    15. Sangki Lee & Insu Kim & Chung-hun Hong, 2019. "Who Values Corporate Social Responsibility in the Korean Stock Market?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-14, October.
    16. Clark, Ephraim & Lahiani, Amine & Mefteh-Wali, Salma, 2023. "Cryptocurrency return predictability: What is the role of the environment?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    17. Gerasimos G. Rompotis, 2022. "The ESG ETFs in the UK," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(2), pages 114-129, March.
    18. Fernando Muñoz & María Vargas & Ruth Vicente, 2021. "Style-changing behaviour in the socially responsible mutual fund industry: consequences on financial and sustainable performance," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 12(5), pages 1027-1051, February.
    19. Guillermo Badía & Maria C. Cortez & Luis Ferruz, 2020. "Socially responsible investing worldwide: Do markets value corporate social responsibility?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2751-2764, November.
    20. Giacomo Morelli & Rita D’Ecclesia, 2021. "Responsible investments reduce market risks," Decisions in Economics and Finance, Springer;Associazione per la Matematica, vol. 44(2), pages 1211-1233, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:ijfiec:v:30:y:2025:i:3:p:3138-3168. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/1076-9307/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.