Corporate Purpose, CSR, and ESG

Recent Trends in Corporate Governance

In recent years, the longstanding debate between shareholder-oriented and stakeholder-oriented models of corporate governance for large listed, or "public" corporations, has experienced a resurgence.

Legal Landscape and Public Objectives

Simultaneously, a wave of new regulations has reshaped the legal landscape, compelling businesses to integrate public objectives - such as environmental protection or the social interests of specific stakeholder groups - into their decision-making processes, which were traditionally driven solely by profitability considerations.

Scholarly Perspectives and Comparative Analysis

Against this background, the book brings together economic, comparative, historical, and doctrinal perspectives of scholars from US and European legal academia.

Discourse on the Role of Public Corporations

The ongoing discourse regarding the fundamental role of public corporations in economies and society is vivid and rather different, across Europe, and the US.

Legal and Cultural Contexts

Filling a gap in comparative literature on these themes, this volume further explores commonalities across these varying legal landscapes, while remaining cognizant of distinct, cultural, legal, and economic contexts.

European vs. US Approaches

Most strikingly, the contributions here point to the European emphasis on stakeholder-oriented regulation, in contrast to the US-American focus on shareholder value.

Legal Developments and Theoretical Insights

Providing a comprehensive analysis of recent legal developments in this space, this volume serves as an essential theoretical guide to debates around corporate purpose, CSR, and ESG today.