The UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment initiative has led to around a third of the world's financial assets being managed with a commitment to invest in a way that considers environmental, social or governance (ESG) criteria. The responsible investment trend has increased dramatically since the global financial crisis, yet understanding of this field remains at an early stage. This handbook provides an atlas of current practice in the field of responsible investment. With a large global team of expert contributors, the book explores the impact of responsible investment on key financial actors ranging from mainstream asset managers to religious organizations. Offering students and researchers a comprehensive introduction to current scholarship and international structures in the expanding discipline of responsible investment, this handbook is vital reading across the fields of finance, economics and accounting.

Launched in April 2006, the United Nation's Principles for Responsible Investment has been signed by 860 financial institutions, representing more than 25 trillion US$ in the first five years of their existence. This means that roughly 25% of the world's financial institutions have made some commitment to invest their assets in a way, which consider not purely financial but also some environmental, social or governance (ESG) criteria. This trend to invest responsibly is expected to strengthen even further as a consequence of the financial crisis, which resulted in considerable doubt regarding certain financial theories. However, no edited book has been published on the topic to date, which functions as general overview on research insights and market structures to represent a focal point of reference for both, academics and practitioners. This handbook will provide a prestige reference work which offers students and researchers an introduction to current scholarship and international structures in the expanding discipline of responsible investment.