Shareholder activism on sustainability issues has become increasingly prevalent over the years, with the number of proposals filed doubling from 1999 to 2013. We use recent innovations in accounting standard setting to classify 2,665 shareholder proposals that address environmental and social...

Academics and regulators have given significant attention to the impact of institutional investors on the companies in which they invest. Some are concerned that the institutional investors act as common owners. But in their active ownership policies institutional investors often say they are...