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Essays on the impact of corporate ESG commitments
Get PDFThis thesis investigates the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments
made by companies and their actions. By surveying some of the most recently developed
practices that companies have adopted to legitimise their ESG orientation, I critically
evaluate the efficacy of these practices in shaping organisational behaviours in the realm
of ESG throughout the three chapters of this thesis.
At first, I investigate the impact of signing the Business Roundtable Statement
(BRS) on firms' subsequent ESG performance. My analysis reveals that firms signing the
BRS exhibit a decline in ESG performance. Through the lens of the Prospective Moral
Licensing framework, I interpret that signatory CEOs enhance their self-image by merely
anticipating future moral actions, thereby diminishing their actual engagement in
committed moral behaviours. I also complement my results with explorations of the
boundary conditions under which the moral licensing effect is most pronounced.
Next, I examine the effectiveness of ESG-linked executive compensation in
mitigating engagement in ESG Controversies. While I find that ESG-linked
compensation is not generally effective in decreasing occurrences of ESG Controversies,
this link is particularly strong for firms run by powerful CEOs. Taken together, my
findings are in line with managerial power arguments that opportunistic CEOs may use
ESG-linked compensation targets to extract higher benefits by symbolically improving
their self-reported ESG performance without substantially addressing negative ESG
outcomes.
Finally, I assess how effective sustainability-linked loans (SLLs) are in promoting
meaningful improvements in borrowers’ ESG performance. Consistent with
“sustainability washing” concerns, I find that SLL borrowers in general do not improve
borrowers’ ESG profiles. However, I find that the effectiveness of sustainability-linked
loans is enhanced when there is a higher proportion of lead lenders with ESG-linked
executive compensation in a loan syndicate. I attribute these findings to the need for
stronger incentives for lenders to draft meaningful SLL contracts
Empowering sustainability assurance: how managerial engagement transforms institutional pressure into performance
No full textThis chapter explores how institutional investors and managerial engagement influence sustainability assurance, using ESG ratings as a proxy. Based on stakeholder and agency theories, it examines the effects of long-term and short-term investors on sustainability practices and how managerial engagement, measured by managerial shareholdings, moderates these impacts. Data from China's A-share market (2013-2022) with fixed-effects panel analysis was utilized, with robustness checks using Bloomberg ESG ratings confirming the findings. Heterogeneity analysis by firm characteristics and pollution intensity further supports the hypotheses. Results highlight managerial engagement's role in aligning corporate practices with investor expectations, offering insights to enhance sustainability assurance
Equality, discrimination and exceptionality in access to healthcare
No full textWhere health care commissioners decide, as a general policy, that they will not generally fund a particular medical treatment or intervention (or will restrict its availability to those meeting certain criteria) individual patients, denied under the policy, can ask for an exception to be made. This is generally done by means of an Individual Funding Request (‘IFR’) whereby the patient, typically with the support of their medical team, can make a case for individual funding on the basis that there are significant and relevant differences between their circumstances and those of other patients who might need or want the treatment in question. The approach of health care commissioners to deciding on IFRs is normally to take into account clinical factors only - policies tend to make clear that they will not take into account ‘social factors,’ including personal characteristics such as race, sex, age, religion, disability and sexual orientation, in deciding whether or not to make an exception – because of a desire to avoid discrimination and to treat patients fairly. This article explores the way equality law might bear on decisions to make exceptions to funding policies. It identifies, as far as is possible, the circumstances under which equality law will permit or will require the personal characteristics of patients to be taken into account in order to avoid discrimination and to treat patients fairly. It also highlights a number of challenges the equality law framework presents for commissioners in making decisions about how to allocate scarce resources
There is no 'off' switch: exploring bilingualism's impact on brain function and cognition as a continuously experienced cognitive challenge
No full textThe effects of bilingualism on the brain are often investigated in isolation, despite brain structure,
function, and cognition being interdependent factors. The cognitive effects of bilingualism are
often inconsistent, suggesting that the tasks used may not be sensitive enough to measure its
impact effectively. This thesis aimed to bridge the gap between the cognitive and functional
effects of bilingualism using elements of task-free and task-based experimental designs. A
literature review revealed that the cognitive effects of bilingualism occur in two primary domains:
language and executive function, which are supported by functional networks containing
overlaps in the brain regions involved. Using a task-driven resting-state electroencephalography
design, a continuous measure of bilingualism, and non-linear statistics, we conducted three
studies to investigate the impact of the demands of separate cognitive domains and bilingual
experience on functional connectivity. The first study examines bilingual brain function at rest and
following a domain-general artificial grammar learning task and found whole-brain bilingualism-modulated post-task connectivity, including greater posterior and left temporal connectivity at
higher levels of bilingualism. The second study examines the impact of task demands in the
language domain, finding that level of bilingualism significantly impacts connectivity between left
hemisphere language network regions. Finally, the third study assessed the impact of executive
function domain task demands, revealing bilingualism-induced modulations to connections
from occipital to central and temporal regions. The results of these studies show differential
bilingualism-induced modulations to functional connectivity by cognitive domain. Overall, this
thesis highlights the importance of cognitive context on bilingual brain function, leading to
modulations in connectivity dependent on the task demands. Crucially, the results revealed that
bilingualism also impacts neural reorganisation in the short-term, and that these adaptations are
often non-linear in nature. These findings are discussed regarding their implications for current
models and theories in the field
Property taxation in Ghana: exploring the potential for a land value tax in customary land tenure systems
No full textThis thesis investigates the potential for Land Value Tax (LVT) within countries with customary
land tenure systems, with a focus on Ghana. Addressing the dual objectives of enhancing local
government revenue and expanding LVT literature in customary land contexts, the research
employs historical institutionalist theory to explore the influence of historical land tenure systems,
political factors, and institutional frameworks on LVT adoption. Adopting an interpretivist
paradigm and qualitative methodology, the study utilizes a case study approach to gain insights
into the complexities of Ghana's land and property tax administration. Findings reveal deep-seated
resistance from traditional authorities, rooted in historical and institutional legacies, which poses
significant political barriers to LVT. Practical obstacles, including inadequate systems for land
registration, valuation, and planning, further limit the viability of LVT. Policy recommendations
emphasize the need for policymakers to actively engage traditional authorities and incorporate the
unique historical and cultural dimensions of Ghana’s customary land tenure. The research
advances understanding of land taxation within Sub-Saharan Africa, underscoring the importance
of socio-cultural factors in policy design. Future research should include a broader range of
landowning communities, explore strategies for engaging traditional authorities, and assess how
economic crises may drive land policy reforms. Comparative studies across Sub-Saharan Africa
could also offer insights into LVT's potential in varied customary land tenure systems
Animal consciousness: why it matters
Get PDFThe last decade has seen an explosion of interest in the subject of animal consciousness. Conferences, journals, and new books are emerging at an accelerating rate. Why is this happening? In this article, I explain the ethical and scientific importance of animal consciousness that has fuelled this rising interest in animal minds. First, I will focus on the relevance of consciousness to the status of animals as subjects of moral concern. Second, I will explain the significance of the scientific study of animal consciousness for understanding consciousness more broadly, including insights into ourselves
The responsibility to protect the civilians of Gaza: building on international perceptions
Get PDFThis paper examines the relevance of applying the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) to the ‘atrocity crimes’ being committed in the Gaza Strip, in light of Israel's 2023 military operation, the October 7th attacks by Hamas and the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Drawing on 40 recent original expert interviews representing perspectives from both Western and BRICS countries, the research reveals a widespread demand to see the R2P applied to the civilians of Gaza and anger at the paralysis of decision-making at the UN Security Council. The double standards in the application of the R2P are found to further exacerbate global tensions. Wider consequences of the Palestinian plight are investigated, including the new menaces to the freedom of speech, the internal fracture in the West between populations and policy-makers, the reticence of the Arab world to support the Palestinians and the substantial threat to the perennity of the R2P
The return of raptors to Scotland’s skies: investigating the diets of reintroduced red kites and white-tailed eagles using stable isotopes
Get PDFSpecies reintroductions are increasingly seen as important methods of biodiversity restoration. Reintroductions of red kites Milvus milvus and white-tailed eagles Halieaeetus albicilla to Britain, which were extirpated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, represent major conservation successes. Here, we measured stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in feather keratin and bone collagen of museum specimens of red kites and white-tailed eagles, which were collected from across Scotland between the 1800s and 2010s. Our objectives were to investigate dietary differences between species and between the pre- and post- reintroduction periods. Among reintroduced birds, δ13C values were significantly less negative and δ15N values higher in feather keratin and bone collagen of white-tailed eagles compared to red kites, likely reflecting a greater reliance on marine resources by the former. Our stable isotope data showed a wide range, confirming the dietary diversity observed in conventional diet studies of both taxa, with white-tailed eagles, in particular, having wide dietary niches and a considerable degree of inter-individual variability. Isotopic data from pre-introduction red kites mostly fell within the range of post-reintroduction birds, suggesting they had similar diets to the pre-reintroduction birds, or the prey base for modern birds is isotopically indistinguishable from that of their historic counterparts. For white-tailed eagles, several pre-reintroduction birds were isotopically distinct from the post-reintroduction population. These differences may indicate a changing prey base, although these conclusions are complicated by shifting distributions and small population samples. Overall, our study demonstrates the utility of natural history collections in examining changes in diet, environment, and interactions with humans in reintroduced species compared with pre-extirpation indigenous populations