PRI Academic Conference 2009 - Call For Papers
PRI Academic Conference 2009:The Next Generation of Responsible Investing
Principles for Responsible Investment Academic Network
Oct. 1/2, 2009 at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
Following the initial conference of the PRI Academic Network held at the Maastricht University in Sept. of 2008, the second annual conference will take place at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. The first day of the conference will focus on papers on the broad theme of "The Next Generation of Responsible Investing", while the second day of the conference will allow for other papers on Responsible Investing to be presented on themes such as universal ownership, corporate engagement, and shareholder advocacy.
Responsible Investing has always had a broad mandate. Put simply, it is a long-term sustainable investment strategy that values environmental, social and governance factors in investment decision-making. To date much of that activity has taken place in the public equities portfolios of PRI signatories. Increasingly there is an interest in extending Responsible Investing to other asset classes including real estate, private equity, infrastructure, and fixed income. Responsible Investing in these alternative assets include both developed and emerging markets. In these asset classes Responsible Investing often takes on a proactive form, with investors seeking out investment opportunities that offer both strong financial performance and positive ancillary benefits. Such environmental, social and governance impacts are not only valued in and of themselves, but are also seen as ways to generate Alpha in investment portfolios. The first day of the conference will encourage papers that examine this "Next Generation of Responsible Investing" and its implications for PRI signatories.
We anticipate academics, PRI signatories and other practitioners from around the world will participate in the conference. We have some funds to assist in student travel and encourage graduate students to submit abstracts. We will be applying for a travel grant from the Canadian Government and if successful we will be able to offer a travel stipend for other academic presenters.
A special themed issues of the Journal of Business Ethics (JoBE) will take the best qualitative papers on Responsible Investing presented at the conference selected by the program Committee and subject to the usual peer-reviewed process of the Journal.
The UN PRI Academic network has been established to support the work of the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment through academic research on responsible investing practices that factor the environmental, social and governance factors in investment decision-making. The Principles for Responsible Investment Academic Network is a unique web-based organization that facilitates knowledge exchange within the responsible investment community. It provides freely accessible avenues for research, education and network-building on critical responsible investment issues. In doing so, the Academic Network aims to stimulate interest in responsible investment research and provide multiple avenues for greater interaction between academia and practitioners.
Proposals
Abstract Proposal Submission Deadline: April 15th 2009.
The abstract for a paper should be no longer than one page (12 point font) and should include, in the following order: 1) a working title; 2) the conference theme being addressed; 3) a summary of the argument of the paper, how the issue fits within a wider literature (as appropriate), and its relevance to research and/or practice in the areas of interest to the UN PRI academic network and 4) very brief biographical information on the author(s). graduate students should include any request for travel subsidy, need of subsidy and amounts required.
Submission of Proposals
Proposal abstracts, in English, must be submitted by April 15th 2009 via email to Heather Hachigian and Ryan Pollice. Notification of receipt of the proposal will be provided. All proposals will be subject to peer review by the Program Committee listed below and notification of acceptance will be provided by May 15th 2009. Completed papers must be submitted by September 1st 2009 to Heather Hachigian and Ryan Pollice and will be forwarded to the chair of your session.
Detailed travel information for the Conference will be provided closer to the Conference date.
2009 UN PRI Academic Conference Program Committee
Rob Bauer, Professor, Maastricht University, ND
Gordon L. Clark, Professor, Oxford University Centre for the Environment, UK
Neil Eccles, University of South Africa
James Gifford, Executive Director, PRI, UK
Tessa Hebb, Director, Carleton Centre for Community Innovation (3CI), Canada
Assisted by:
Heather Hachigian, Carleton University, Canada
Ryan Pollice, PRI, UK
Paulo Peneda, ECCE, Maastricht University
