Influence of Public Opinion on Investor Voting and Proxy Advisors
Fisher College of Business Working Paper No. WP 2014-03-12
Georgetown McDonough School of Business Research Paper No. 2447012
Dice Center Working Paper No. 2014-12
42 Pages Posted: 8 Jun 2014 Last revised: 21 Aug 2015
Date Written: July 1, 2015
Abstract
Institutional investors vote corporate proxies on behalf of underlying investors and beneficiaries. We show a strong relation between this voting and public opinion on corporate governance (as reflected in media coverage and surveys), with similarly strong results for voting by mutual funds. We also find that proxy advisors’ recommendations are associated with public opinion. Our results suggest that institutional investors and proxy advisors pay attention to the changing opinions of their beneficiaries and shareholders, as reflected in their voting decisions, and that the proxy voting process serves as a channel for the public to influence corporate behavior.
Keywords: Public Opinion, Media, Proxy Advisors, Institutional Investors, Proxy Voting
JEL Classification: G32, G34, G38
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation