This paper is the first to empirically investigate the diffusion of energy labels in the European Union. We address the drivers of the adoption of energy performance certificates and the consequent wealth effects on the housing market. To this end, we use the Netherlands as a laboratory, with a...

Energy labels have proven to be an effective means for nudging households to make sustainable choices. The label information regarding future energy use has inspired consumers around the world to opt for more energy efficient cars to commute to work and to select more efficient appliances at...

Real estate has been at the forefront of the financial crisis, with the intransparency of securitized products, such as MBS, CMBS, and CDOs, playing a critical role. Real estate equity investments have received less attention during the crisis. Listed property companies (REITs) offer an...

The literature regarding mergers and acquisitions suggests various motives for delisting: improving managerial efficiency, undervalued shares, size effect, agency costs, and, most importantly, taking on extra debt to reduce cost of capital and decrease agency problems. These arguments could also...

We conduct a quantitative study to explain why firms lease commercial office space in buildings with a green label ñ as this implies paying a rental premium. Based on a literature review, we construct a theoretical framework of drivers underlying corporate social responsibility. We formulate...

The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its effect on firm performance is receiving increasing academic interest. However, most of the literature excludes the financial sector and, more important, listed property funds. This is surprising, as the real estate sector has a major...

This research exploits the experimental laboratory offered by REITs by investigating how REIT corporate governance affects performance. We follow Gompers, Ishii and Metrick (2003) and use a corporate governance index to measure the overall impact of corporate governance on various measures of...

Capital investments in energy efficiency in the built environment are a cost-effective manner to achieve substantial reductions in current carbon emissions. In fact, improvements in the energy-efficiency or sustainability of buildings have been shown to lead to positive financial returns....