Ethics and Socially Responsible Investment: A Philosophical Approach

This volume breaks new ground by approaching Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) as an explicitly ethical practice in financial markets. The work explains the origins and conceptual structure of SRI and links its pursuit to both its deeper philosophical foundations and the broader, multi-dimensional global movement towards greater social responsibility in global markets. The book applies the discussion of ethical foundations to a practical perspective, with a case study of the Australian SRI sector based on interviews with Australian SRI fund managers generating practical recommendations for better integrating ethics into SRI practice - especially through a focus on ethically-informed engagement with invested companies - and an in-depth discussion of the central practical SRI issue of fiduciary responsibility. Finally, the book brings together the discussion of practical and ethical theoretical perspectives to sketch out what the authors believe to be an achievable ideal for SRI, represented in an 'ethical chain' of actors in markets worldwide in which SRI - soundly based and clearly articulated in ethical terms - is a central link.

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