CSR in the post pandemic era: the dual promise of ESG investment and investor stewardship

November 23, 2021 Siddhant Goyal

Date of Publication: Mar 12, 2021

Author: Rudresh Mandal & Ashwin Murthy

Summary:

This paper locates its relevance in the post-coronavirus era. The business and legal fraternities have been provided an opportunity to re-examine the role of companies in society, at a time when supply chains are being dismantled and distrust in capitalism has increased. We argue that for companies to build sustainability into business practices (for CSR cannot just be a -œcheck the box- solution to social ills), the investment community -“ with necessary support from the regulators -“ must pressurize businesses to do so. We observe that the manner in which CSR is understood and implemented in India is insufficient, due to a myriad of factors including vested political interests. Thereafter, we highlight how market-driven measures such as ESG investing, uniform ESG reporting and an effective investor stewardship model can be the next pieces of the -œdesirable- CSR puzzle in India.

Link to Full Reading:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/24730580.2021.1899627