CEO compensation is increasingly being linked to ESG outcomes. In this paper, we provide evidence that ESG targets in CEO pay reflect stakeholder welfare. Using granular information on contract design from Swedish firms, we show that ESG-linked contracts are more likely for CEOs with broader...

Stakeholders are increasingly concerned with the social and environmental impacts of modern corporations. These concerns have led to directly incentivizing CEOs by making their pay contingent on ESG outcomes. In this paper, we propose to examine the implications of ESG-linked pay on the CEO...