Corporate social responsibility and financial markets

Abstract

This thesis examines the economics of corporate social responsibility, with an emphasis on the role of financial markets and institutions. Questions that are raised are: What does corporate social responsibility mean in an economic context? What is the impact of corporate social responsibility on the financial performance of a company? What kind of role can a stock market play in trying to achieve sustainable development? What is the relation between corporate social responsibility, economic allocation, (re)-distributional effects and location choice? In this thesis, both theoretical and empirical research is presented in trying to answer these questions