Wide-scale adoption of renewable energy is essential to ensure Europe decarbonizes its energy systems and meets its ambitious net-zero targets. But what motivates interested individuals to make the decision to invest? A recent study by Operations Management Professors Andrea Masini and Sam Aflaki (HEC Paris), Shadi Goodarzi (California State University and the University of Texas), and Behnam Fahimnia (University of Sydney Business School), sheds light on the influence of different communication sources on this process, with implications for policymakers, technology providers, and other sustainability stakeholders.
By Andrea Masini , Sam Aflaki
The European Commission mandated a group of experts to work on new European corporate social responsibility reporting requirements. Marieke Huysentruyt, Associate Professor of Strategy and Business Policy and Academic Director of the Inclusive Economy Center at the Society & Organizations Institute of HEC Paris, was part of a group that drafted legislation on the question of equal opportunity. She describes how her working group shaped their proposals for a wide, long-lasting impact.
By Marieke Huysentruyt
Three HEC academics joined forces with an S&P Global social specialist in ESG research (Bruce Thomson) to bring out a landmark report on the social factors covered – and not - in ESG frameworks. The report “What Gets Measured” challenges traditional coverage of the social dimension in corporate ESG frameworks and suggests ways to ensure that what gets measured “matters for businesses and the people and communities they impact”. We talk with HEC professor and co-author Marieke Huysentruyt.
By Marieke Huysentruyt , Bénédicte Faivre-Tavignot , Leandro Nardi , Bruce Thomson
Do international sanctions that are imposed with the intention to improve the human rights situation in the targeted country always lead to better human rights? No, according to Professors Armin Steinbach, Jerg Gutmann, Matthias Neuenkirch, and Florian Neumeier, who have studied empirically the legal proportionality test. Their results cast doubt on the lawfulness of many trade and financial sanctions imposed by the US, the EU and other countries – an insight that might extend to many of the sanctions in place today.
By Armin Steinbach
Does monetary financing undermine fiscal discipline, as suggested by legal bans on monetary financing in many jurisdictions? No, according to Professors Armin Steinbach and Oliver Hülsewig, who have studied empirically the impact of unconventional monetary policy throughout the euro crisis. The results cast doubt on categorical prohibitions on monetary financing and call for less concerns in coordinating monetary and fiscal policy -- an insight that might continue to be relevant during COVID-struck economy.
The trade deal currently being negotiated between the US and the EU is one of the most ambitious ever conceived, with a chapter dedicated to promote the convergence of the respective policies across the Atlantic. While this has triggered fears of a “race to the bottom”, i.e. to lower health and safety standards, a new paper argues that the treaty could actually be a chance to “level up” instead of down.
By Alberto Alemanno
In theory, codes of conduct - rules that an organization agrees to follow – do not have legal force. Indeed, they have long been regarded as nothing more than simple marketing tools. And yet, all the evidence seems to suggest that, by imposing compliance with good business practices, such codes increasingly regulate trade. Moreover, in recent years, codes of conduct have even helped protect consumers by providing a basis in law for legal proceedings.
By Arnaud Van Waeyenberge
The principle of openness is set to fling open the doors of institutions hitherto perceived as having been created and operated by elites and hidden from democratic scrutiny. But will openness, meant to improve transparency and participation, really enhance political legitimacy and accountability so as to strengthen democracy in the EU?
In this video, Jean-Michel Gauthier, Affiliate Professor of Energy Economics & Finance, explains that even though the world has gone through one of the worst recessions ever, the energy market only shows little sign of moving on to a more sustainable path.
By Jean-Michel Gauthier
Even though renewable energies are increasingly considered the energy sources of the future and continue to receive significant public support, their share in investment portfolios remains small. Andrea Masini and Emanuela Menichetti investigate the nonfinancial factors that hold private investors back.
By Andrea Masini
