Raising the Bar on Corporate Governance : A Study of Eight Stock Exchange Indices
Stock exchanges around the world have launched Corporate Governance Indices (CGIs), sometimes as part of a broader Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiative. The comprehensive analysis of these indices presented in this study is the firs...
Main Authors: | , |
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Format: | Working Paper |
Language: | English en_US |
Published: |
World Bank and the International Financial Corporation, Washington, DC
2013
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/06/17886797/sustainability-indices-raising-bar-corporate-governance-study-eight-stock-exchange-indices http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16448 |
Summary: | Stock exchanges around the world have
launched Corporate Governance Indices (CGIs), sometimes as
part of a broader Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG)
initiative. The comprehensive analysis of these indices
presented in this study is the first of its kind, and it
reveals that CGIs have a positive impact, enhancing legal
and regulatory frameworks by extending governance criteria
to develop objective and measurable benchmarks. The study
also shows that CGIs present companies with an opportunity
to differentiate themselves in the market and, ultimately,
offer companies an incentive to adopt better governance
practices. Nevertheless, as the process for vetting and
evaluation of companies for inclusion in the indices
continues to evolve, access to underlying methodologies,
disclosure of the ratings and self-assessments of individual
companies, and of overall monitoring processes and
procedures can still be enhanced. This study reviews the
different approaches used by stock exchanges to build
indices incorporating corporate governance. In the case of
ESG indices, the focus is on the governance component of
these indices. The study also draws lessons from the stock
exchange's experiences and highlights success factors
and shortcomings. In particular it addresses the following
key questions: (i) what are the key drivers for stock
exchanges to launch CGIs; (ii) what are the critical
building blocks in the construction of a CGI; (iii) what are
the risks faced by those investing in CGIs. |
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