Book contents
- Hard Lessons in Corporate Governance
- Hard Lessons in Corporate Governance
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Editorial Note
- Introduction
- 1 Our Corporate Governance Experiment
- Part I What Do We Know about Corporate Governance Practices?
- Part II What Can We Conclude about Our Theories of Corporate Governance?
- Part III Are Social Welfare Outcomes Any Different?
- 11 Achieving Social and Environmental Goals through Corporate Governance
- 12 Shareholders and ESG Disclosure
- 13 Where Do We Go from Here?
- Index
12 - Shareholders and ESG Disclosure
from Part III - Are Social Welfare Outcomes Any Different?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 May 2024
- Hard Lessons in Corporate Governance
- Hard Lessons in Corporate Governance
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Editorial Note
- Introduction
- 1 Our Corporate Governance Experiment
- Part I What Do We Know about Corporate Governance Practices?
- Part II What Can We Conclude about Our Theories of Corporate Governance?
- Part III Are Social Welfare Outcomes Any Different?
- 11 Achieving Social and Environmental Goals through Corporate Governance
- 12 Shareholders and ESG Disclosure
- 13 Where Do We Go from Here?
- Index
Summary
The ever-increasing disclosure requirements we impose on public companies are, at best, not read, and at worst, are likely reducing the quality of investor decision-making. More environmental and social (ESG) disclosure has been touted as a popular solution to climate change and social issues. However, the evidence suggests this is highly unlikely, as it is very difficult for shareholders to understand the impact of corporate actions and the viable alternatives. Making matters worse, the very information shareholders require is information that assists a firm’s competitors and therefore is information that, if disclosed, has the effect of reducing the incentives for ESG innovation. Shareholders possess few legal tools capable of constructively engaging with corporate behavior. The empirical evidence about these theoretical points is evaluated, along with an examination of the real-world evidence about the outcomes of shareholder ESG interventions.
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- Hard Lessons in Corporate Governance , pp. 258 - 288Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024