Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Investment Tools: A Review of the Current Field Literature Review

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Release Date: December 01, 2017

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Investment Tools: A Review of the Current Field Literature Review

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About the Literature Review

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As investors increasingly consider environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors when selecting and managing investments, questions about ESG’s relevance to retirement investing have grown commensurately. With this growth comes greater interest to understand if and to what extent ESG investing might affect American workers' retirement prospects. The literature review summarizes the state of the ESG investing field and how four key investor groups—(1) financial advisors and money managers, (2) individual investors, (3) private-sector retirement plans, and (4) public pension plans—incorporate ESG investments into their portfolios. Across the investing sector, researchers have little consensus on the most effective ESG investment strategies (e.g. positive or negative screening versus ESG integration). Additionally, the literature does not provide much insight into how investors and advisors incorporate ESG investments into retirement savings, especially in private-sector retirement plans.

Citation

Ezeokoli, O., Layne, C., Statman, M., Urdapilleta, O. (2017). Summit Consulting. Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Investment Tools: A Review of the Current Field. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

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The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.