We study shareholder activism through proxy proposals in the United States from 1997-2006. We investigate the determinants for being targeted and the corresponding voting results. By using a distinctive sample that also includes withdrawn and omitted proposals, we circumvent a selection bias...

Manuscript Type: EmpiricalResearch Question/Issue: We study more than 12,000 shareholder proposals that were filed to S&P1500 companies from 1997 to 2009, and investigate the determinants of proposal withdrawal by the sponsoring shareholder. We also study the effectiveness of withdrawn proposals...

We study the global corporate engagement activities of a large UK-based asset manager from 2006 to 2011. Using proprietary data on these activities, we find that corporate engagements “behind-the-scenes” are frequently used to change corporate behavior. We show that geography is an important...