How does sustainable investing impact pension funds?

Principal Investigator: Isaac Otchere, Finance
Project Title: Sustainable Investing and Sustainability of Pension Funds
Partner: CBC Pension Plan
Funder: SSHRC Partnership Engage

This research project will investigate how the movement towards sustainable and ethical investing is affecting pension assets. As this has not yet been empirically studied, this research will fill the gap in the literature by examining the impact of ethical investing on the growth and sustainability of pension assets. As countries around the world deal with rising climate risks and concerns around sustainability, a growing number of pension funds have integrated sustainable investing principles in their investment decisions. Given their size, and the fact that they are long-term investors, many have looked to pension funds for leadership in the field of socially responsible investing.

This research will be the first study to provide a comprehensive analysis of the effects of ethical and socially responsible investing decisions by pension funds. The results of this study will inform evidence-based policy making and would be valuable to CBC Pension, other pension fund administrators as well the Federal and Provincial governments about the effectiveness of their socially responsible investing mandate.