Aggregate Confusion: The Divergence of ESG Ratings

Forthcoming Review of Finance

48 Pages Posted: 20 Aug 2019 Last revised: 26 Apr 2022

See all articles by Florian Berg

Florian Berg

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management

Julian F Kölbel

University of St. Gallen - School of Finance; MIT Sloan; Swiss Finance Institute

Roberto Rigobon

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management

Date Written: August 15, 2019

Abstract

This paper investigates the divergence of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings based on data from six prominent ESG rating agencies: KLD, Sustainalytics, Moody’s ESG (Vigeo-Eiris), S&P Global (RobecoSAM), Refinitiv (Asset4), and MSCI. We document the rating divergence and map the different methodologies onto a common taxonomy of categories. Using this taxonomy, we decompose the divergence into contributions of scope, measurement, and weight. Measurement contributes 56% of the divergence, scope 38%, and weight 6%. Further analyzing the reasons for measurement divergence, we detect a rater effect where a rater’s overall view of a firm influences the measurement of specific categories. The results call for greater attention to how the data underlying ESG ratings are generated.

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Sustainability, ESG Rating Agencies, ESG Rating Disagreement

JEL Classification: M14, G24

Suggested Citation

Berg, Florian and Kölbel, Julian and Rigobon, Roberto, Aggregate Confusion: The Divergence of ESG Ratings (August 15, 2019). Forthcoming Review of Finance, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3438533 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3438533

Florian Berg (Contact Author)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management ( email )

100 Main Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
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Julian Kölbel

University of St. Gallen - School of Finance ( email )

Unterer Graben 21
St. Gallen, 9000
Switzerland

MIT Sloan ( email )

100 Main Street
Cambridge, MA 02142
United States

Swiss Finance Institute ( email )

c/o University of Geneva
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CH-1211 Geneva 4
Switzerland

Roberto Rigobon

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management ( email )

E52-447
Cambridge, MA 02142
United States
617-258-8374 (Phone)
617-258-6855 (Fax)

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