Introduction

The 2008/09 World Financial Recession heralded the “Age of Responsibility†as the societal call for responsible market behavior achieved an unprecedented momentum. Responsibility is part of human nature and complements corporate activities and financial considerations. The economic, legal, social and philanthropic responsibilities within the corporate sector are attributed in corporate social responsibility (CSR). Sustainable financial social responsibility is addressed foremost by socially responsible investment (SRI). Globalization, political changes and societal trends, but also the current state of the world economy, have leveraged a societal demand for ingraining responsibility into market systems. Intergenerational Equity explores corporate and financial social responsibility through the cases of CSR and SRI in order to draw attention to contemporary and prospective opportunities for intergenerational equity. Theoretical descriptions allow discussion of the human constituents of responsibility and the international emergence of CSR with special attention to multi-stakeholder partnerships. The rise of SRI in the international arena in the wake of stakeholder activism and intrinsic socio-psychological motives are outlined.