Environmental, social, and governance advocacy of global institutional investors: reshaping the governance of mission, social impact, and purpose

Jinsuk Choi

Chapter 17 in Advancing Corporate Governance Research, 2026, pp 337-350 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter examines the transformative influence of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) advocacy by global institutional investors on corporate governance, emphasizing its role in redefining mission, social impact, and purpose. It explores how universal owners, such as sovereign wealth funds and pension funds, leverage their systemic holdings to promote sustainable, ethical, and inclusive business practices. Highlighting a shift from shareholder-centric to stakeholder-inclusive governance, the chapter discusses the integration of ESG principles into corporate strategies, cultural reforms, and performance incentives. Additionally, it analyzes regional variations in ESG adoption, challenges like greenwashing, and the rise of ESG-focused shareholder activism. The chapter also considers the growing regulatory pressures, particularly in Europe and the US, shaping ESG discourse. By aligning corporate practices with broader societal goals, the chapter underscores how ESG advocacy fosters long-term value creation while addressing environmental and social challenges.

Keywords: ESG advocacy; Institutional investors; Corporate governance; Sustainability; Shareholder activism; Universal ownership (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035324958
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035324965.00031 (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 403 Forbidden

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:22953_21

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().