Institutional Investors and Corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance Policies: Evidence from Toxics Release Data

Authors

Incheol Kim, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow
Hong Wan
Bin Wang, Marquette University
Tina Yang

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-27-2019

Abstract

This paper studies the role of institutional investors in influencing corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies by analyzing the relation between institutional ownership and toxic release from facilities to which institutions are geographically proximate. We develop a local preference hypothesis based on the delegated philanthropy and transaction-costs theories. Consistent with the hypothesis, local institutional ownership is negatively related to facility toxic release. The negative relation is stronger for local socially responsible investing (SRI) funds, local public pension funds, and local dedicated institutions. We also find that the relation is more negative in communities that prefer more stringent environmental policies and in communities of greater collective cohesiveness. Local institutional ownership, particularly local ownerships by SRI funds and public pension funds, is positively related to the probability that an ESG proposal is either introduced or withdrawn. The paper sheds light on the drivers behind institutions’ ESG engagement and their effectiveness in influencing ESG.

Comments

Original published version available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2018.3055

Recommended Citation

Kim, Incheol, Hong Wan, Bin Wang, and Tina Yang. “Institutional Investors and Corporate Environmental, Social, and Governance Policies: Evidence from Toxics Release Data.” Management Science 65, no. 10 (February 27, 2019): 4901–26. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2018.3055

First Page

4451

Last Page

4949

Publication Title

Management Science

DOI

10.1287/mnsc.2018.3055