Sustainability and Executive Compensation

European Corporate Governance Institute - Law Working Paper No. 747/2023

Monash University Faculty of Law Legal Studies Research Paper

The Cambridge Handbook of Eu Sustainable Finance: Regulation, Supervision and Governance, 2024; https://www.amazon.it/Cambridge-Handbook-Sustainable-Finance-Supervision/dp/1009483943

63 Pages Posted: 22 Dec 2023

See all articles by Roberto Barontini

Roberto Barontini

Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies - Institute of Management; EUSFIL Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence

Jennifer G. Hill

Monash University - Faculty of Law; European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

Date Written: December 21, 2023

Abstract

Over the last few decades, executive pay has undergone several major reinterpretations, which have affected both its design and regulation. Our chapter provides an overview of the trajectory of executive pay, including the recent trend toward integration of sustainability and ESG targets in compensation packages.

Our chapter also provides empirical evidence as to the prevalence of ESG-linked executive pay in public listed companies. Analysing a sample of 8.649 publicly traded firms covering 58 countries in the period 2002-2021, we show that a growing number of listed firms include drivers involving sustainable performance in their executive remuneration packages. However, we identify notable differences associated with sector and country characteristics in this regard. For example, we find that, in countries with better government features, firms are more likely to adopt ESG-linked compensation.

Overall, our empirical analysis presents a mixed picture. Some of our findings could be consistent with the idea that ESG-linked compensation exacerbates the agency problem of executive pay. We cannot, however, rule out the possibility that such compensation provides a powerful incentive towards more sustainable corporate practices in the future.

Keywords: executive compensation, corporate social responsibility, compensation, corporate governance, ESG

JEL Classification: D22, G30, G34, J33, K22, K33, K40, M12, M14, M52, 016

Suggested Citation

Barontini, Roberto and Hill, Jennifer G., Sustainability and Executive Compensation (December 21, 2023). European Corporate Governance Institute - Law Working Paper No. 747/2023, Monash University Faculty of Law Legal Studies Research Paper, The Cambridge Handbook of Eu Sustainable Finance: Regulation, Supervision and Governance, 2024; https://www.amazon.it/Cambridge-Handbook-Sustainable-Finance-Supervision/dp/1009483943, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4671966 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4671966

Roberto Barontini

Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies - Institute of Management ( email )

Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 24
Pisa, Pisa 56124
Italy
++39 050 883.111 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.santannapisa.it/it/roberto-barontini

EUSFIL Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence ( email )

Italy

Jennifer G. Hill (Contact Author)

Monash University - Faculty of Law ( email )

Wellington Road
Clayton, Victoria 3800
Australia

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

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