IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/assmgt/v25y2024i2d10.1057_s41260-023-00345-w.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Which investors support the transition toward a low-carbon economy? Exit and Voice in mutual funds

Author

Listed:
  • Jonas Zink

    (University of Augsburg)

Abstract

Reducing portfolio carbon footprints (Exit) and voting in favor of climate-related shareholder proposals (Voice) are among the main actions that investors can take to promote an accelerated transition toward a low-carbon economy. This paper studies three important investor groups that can be instrumental in driving the transition and evaluates their Exit and Voice behavior. I find that the five largest asset managers perform poorly on Exit and Voice over the full sample period but improved on both in more recent years. Only a small fraction of signatories to sustainable investor initiatives are supportive of the transition. Counterintuitively, investors who perform poorly on Exit, perform well on Voice. Finally, I examine the financial consequences of employing Exit and Voice and find that Exit is positively related to risk-adjusted fund returns; however, this is not necessarily attributable to superior skill of fund managers.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonas Zink, 2024. "Which investors support the transition toward a low-carbon economy? Exit and Voice in mutual funds," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 25(2), pages 147-161, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:assmgt:v:25:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1057_s41260-023-00345-w
    DOI: 10.1057/s41260-023-00345-w
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41260-023-00345-w
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41260-023-00345-w?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hiraki, Takato & Liu, Ming & Wang, Xue, 2015. "Country and industry concentration and the performance of international mutual funds," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 297-310.
    2. Moonsoo Kang & K. G. Viswanathan & Nancy A. White & Edward J. Zychowicz, 2021. "Correction to: Sustainability efforts, index recognition, and stock performance," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(2), pages 151-151, March.
    3. Benoît Mercereau & Guillaume Neveux & João Paulo C. C. Sertã & Benoît Marechal & Gianluca Tonolo, 2020. "Fighting climate change as a global equity investor," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(1), pages 70-83, February.
    4. C. Edward Chang & Walt A. Nelson & H. Doug Witte, 2012. "Do green mutual funds perform well?," Management Research Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 35(8), pages 693-708, July.
    5. Boermans, Martijn A. & Galema, Rients, 2019. "Are pension funds actively decarbonizing their portfolios?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 50-60.
    6. Philipp Krueger & Zacharias Sautner & Laura T Starks, 2020. "The Importance of Climate Risks for Institutional Investors," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 33(3), pages 1067-1111.
    7. Samuel M. Hartzmark & Abigail B. Sussman, 2019. "Do Investors Value Sustainability? A Natural Experiment Examining Ranking and Fund Flows," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 74(6), pages 2789-2837, December.
    8. Diane Del Guercio & Jonathan Reuter, 2014. "Mutual Fund Performance and the Incentive to Generate Alpha," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 69(4), pages 1673-1704, August.
    9. Lukas Benz & Andrea Jacob & Stefan Paulus & Marco Wilkens, 2020. "Herds on green meadows: the decarbonization of institutional portfolios," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(1), pages 13-31, February.
    10. Olaf Stotz, 2021. "Expected and realized returns on stocks with high- and low-ESG exposure," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(2), pages 133-150, March.
    11. Heinkel, Robert & Kraus, Alan & Zechner, Josef, 2001. "The Effect of Green Investment on Corporate Behavior," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 36(4), pages 431-449, December.
    12. Fama, Eugene F. & French, Kenneth R., 1993. "Common risk factors in the returns on stocks and bonds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 3-56, February.
    13. Nickolay Gantchev & Mariassunta Giannetti & Rachel Li, 2022. "Does Money Talk? Divestitures and Corporate Environmental and Social Policies [The “Wall Street Walk” and Shareholder Activism: Exit as a Form of Voice]," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 26(6), pages 1469-1508.
    14. Azar, José & Duro, Miguel & Kadach, Igor & Ormazabal, Gaizka, 2021. "The Big Three and corporate carbon emissions around the world," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 674-696.
    15. Gunther Capelle†Blancard & Stéphanie Monjon, 2014. "The Performance of Socially Responsible Funds: Does the Screening Process Matter?," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 20(3), pages 494-520, June.
    16. repec:dau:papers:123456789/7347 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Moonsoo Kang & K. G. Viswanathan & Nancy A. White & Edward J. Zychowicz, 2022. "Sustainability Efforts, Index Recognition, and Stock Performance," Springer Books, in: Marielle de Jong & Dan diBartolomeo (ed.), Risks Related to Environmental, Social and Governmental Issues (ESG), pages 45-57, Springer.
    18. Florian Berg & Julian F Kölbel & Roberto Rigobon, 2022. "Aggregate Confusion: The Divergence of ESG Ratings [Corporate social responsibility and firm risk: theory and empirical evidence]," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 26(6), pages 1315-1344.
    19. Pedersen, Lasse Heje & Fitzgibbons, Shaun & Pomorski, Lukasz, 2021. "Responsible investing: The ESG-efficient frontier," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 572-597.
    20. K. J. Martijn Cremers & Roberta Romano, 2011. "Institutional Investors and Proxy Voting on Compensation Plans: The Impact of the 2003 Mutual Fund Voting Disclosure Rule," American Law and Economics Review, American Law and Economics Association, vol. 13(1), pages 220-268.
    21. Carhart, Mark M, 1997. "On Persistence in Mutual Fund Performance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(1), pages 57-82, March.
    22. Sabastian Utz & Maximillian Wimmer, 2014. "Are they any good at all? A financial and ethical analysis of socially responsible mutual funds," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 15(1), pages 72-82, February.
    23. Francisco Climent & Pilar Soriano, 2011. "Green and Good? The Investment Performance of US Environmental Mutual Funds," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 103(2), pages 275-287, October.
    24. Gbenga Ibikunle & Tom Steffen, 2017. "European Green Mutual Fund Performance: A Comparative Analysis with their Conventional and Black Peers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(2), pages 337-355, October.
    25. Pavlova, Ivelina & de Boyrie, Maria E., 2022. "ESG ETFs and the COVID-19 stock market crash of 2020: Did clean funds fare better?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    26. Benoît Mercereau & Lionel Melin & Maria Margarita Lugo, 2022. "Creating shareholder value through ESG engagement," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(7), pages 550-566, December.
    27. Humphrey, Jacquelyn E. & Li, Yong, 2021. "Who goes green: Reducing mutual fund emissions and its consequences," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    28. Rohleder, Martin & Wilkens, Marco & Zink, Jonas, 2022. "The effects of mutual fund decarbonization on stock prices and carbon emissions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cortez, Maria Céu & Andrade, Nuno & Silva, Florinda, 2022. "The environmental and financial performance of green energy investments: European evidence," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    2. Roman Kräussl & Tobi Oladiran & Denitsa Stefanova, 2024. "A review on ESG investing: Investors’ expectations, beliefs and perceptions," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(2), pages 476-502, April.
    3. Luo, Qiling & Xue, Minggao & Xiong, Yeqin & Ge, Xiaowen, 2024. "The backfire of mutual funds balancing financial objectives in ESG investments: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PB).
    4. Marupanthorn, Pasin & Nikitopoulos, Christina S. & Ofosu-Hene, Eric D. & Peters, Gareth W. & Richards, Kylie-Anne, 2024. "Mechanisms for implementing fossil fuel divestment in portfolio management with impact on risk, return and carbon reduction," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    5. Avramov, Doron & Cheng, Si & Lioui, Abraham & Tarelli, Andrea, 2022. "Sustainable investing with ESG rating uncertainty," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(2), pages 642-664.
    6. Rudkin, Wanling & Cai, Charlie X., 2023. "Information content of sustainability index recomposition: A synthetic portfolio approach," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    7. Luo, Di & Farag, Hisham, 2024. "ESG and aggregate disagreement," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    8. Carta, Nicola & Carta, Matteo & Rigoni, Ugo, 2024. "The countdown to carbon neutrality: Implications for passive investors," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 244(C).
    9. Ciciretti, Rocco & Dalò, Ambrogio & Dam, Lammertjan, 2023. "The contributions of betas versus characteristics to the ESG premium," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 104-124.
    10. Ferriani, Fabrizio, 2023. "Issuing bonds during the Covid-19 pandemic: Was there an ESG premium?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    11. Fan, Kwok Yuen & Shen, Jianfu & Hui, Eddie C.M. & Cheng, Louis T.W., 2024. "ESG components and equity returns: Evidence from real estate investment trusts," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PB).
    12. Pástor, Ľuboš & Stambaugh, Robert F. & Taylor, Lucian A., 2021. "Sustainable investing in equilibrium," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 550-571.
    13. Pástor, Ľuboš & Stambaugh, Robert F. & Taylor, Lucian A., 2022. "Dissecting green returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(2), pages 403-424.
    14. Ved Dilip Beloskar & S. V. D. Nageswara Rao, 2024. "Screening activity matters: Evidence from ESG portfolio performance from an emerging market," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(3), pages 2593-2619, July.
    15. Al Ayoubi, Khalil & Enjolras, Geoffroy, 2022. "Does disinvestment from fossil fuels reduce the financial performance of responsible sovereign wealth funds?," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    16. Rojo-Suárez, Javier & Alonso-Conde, Ana B., 2024. "Have shifts in investor tastes led the market portfolio to capture ESG preferences?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    17. Lestari, Jenjang Sri & Frömmel, Michael, 2024. "Socially responsible investments: doing good while doing well in developed versus emerging markets?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    18. Muñoz, Fernando, 2021. "Carbon-intensive industries in Socially Responsible mutual funds' portfolios," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    19. Horn, Matthias & Oehler, Andreas, 2024. "Constructing stock portfolios by sorting on ESG ratings: Does the rating provider matter?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    20. Ramelli, Stefano & Ossola, Elisa & Rancan, Michela, 2020. "Climate Sin Stocks: Stock Price Reactions to Global Climate Strikes," JRC Working Papers in Economics and Finance 2020-03, Joint Research Centre, European Commission.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Exit; Voice; Mutual funds; Climate change; Transition; Fund performance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:assmgt:v:25:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1057_s41260-023-00345-w. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.