The nature of stewardship varies based on shareholder structures. In the Nordic region (similar to many Asian jurisdictions), the role of states, sovereign holding companies and wealth funds, other public market actors such as public pension funds, families, family-controlled investment companies and family-based foundations is significant compared to (other) national and international institutional investors. In this chapter, we discuss the peculiarities of Nordic stewardship as a backdrop for our analysis of Norwegian stewardship, which is dominated by the state and the municipalities, but also to some extent by private investors. In Part II we discuss the Nordic stewardship in light of international stewardship discussion, before concentrating on Norway and the current regulatory framework of stewardship there in Part III, reflecting on the Norwegian choices concerning stewardship in light of global challenges. Part IV reflectss on why a stewardship code is not needed in Norway. What Norway does need, is a clear and mandatory regulation to ensure that Norwegian business and finance contribute to the transition to sustainability. A stewardship code would not be a sufficiently strong measure. Conversely, it could hold Norwegian business and finance back in the face of the rapid developments on EU and international level.

This chapter introduces the Handbook, providing an overview of its aims and structure, as well as the core research questions that the contributions to it collectively address. It discusses sustainability-related problems associated with the legal form of the corporation, and provides background on state-of-the-art research in natural sciences and other relevant fields that inform our understanding of sustainability. It concludes with specific research questions and a presentation of the Handbook’s structure.

The board has a crucial role in determining the strategy and the direction of the corporation. However, currently the function of the corporate board is constrained through the social norm of shareholder primacy, reinforced through the intermediary structures of capital markets. This chapter argues that a reform of EU corporate law is key to integrating sustainability into mainstream corporate governance, into the core duties of the corporate board, to change corporations from within. While previous attempts at harmonising core corporate law at the EU level have failed, there are now three drivers for reform that may facilitate a change: the EU’s Sustainable Finance Initiative, which concentrates mainly on the environmental aspects of sustainability; the push to introduce legal requirements for due diligence on human rights; and experimentation by some national legislators within the EU with reforms of their own.