Do Investors Value Sustainability? A Natural Experiment Examining Ranking and Fund Flows

Paper: SSRN 3016092

Abstract

Examining a shock to the salience of the sustainability of the US mutual fund market, we present causal evidence that investors marketwide value sustainability.

Complexity vs Empirical Score

• Math Complexity: 2.5/10
• Empirical Rigor: 8.0/10
• Quadrant: Street Traders — practical and empirical, lighter on theory

Why this score: The paper relies on econometric analysis (difference-in-differences, local linear plots, fixed effects) rather than advanced mathematics, but is exceptionally data-heavy, using a large-scale natural experiment on $8 trillion in assets with precise flow measurements and experimental validation.

Research Flowchart

  flowchart TD
  A["Research Goal:<br>Do investors value sustainability?"] --> B["Methodology:<br>Natural experiment from sustainability ranking shock"]
  B --> C["Data/Inputs:<br>US mutual fund flows & sustainability scores"]
  C --> D["Computation:<br>Difference-in-differences analysis"]
  D --> E["Key Findings:<br>Investors increase flows to<br>higher sustainability funds post-shock"]