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Research

Overview

The Oxford Sustainable Finance Group undertakes pioneering multidisciplinary research. We seek to deeply understand the challenges and opportunities across different areas of sustainable finance. As researchers, we have both the privilege and the responsibility to think about these issues profoundly and over the long-term.

Our research is always forward-looking. We don't focus on documenting the past or replicating research that is easily done from within financial institutions. We don't think that the genuinely interesting questions in sustainable finance reside largely in the regression analysis of ESG scores and the financial performance of US listed securities. Nor do we think that the scope of sustainable finance research should be limited to private financial institutions in a limited number of contexts. We draw on a range of disciplines and traditions, as well as methods and technologies. In other words, we aren't hammers and we don't just see nails. We also always have a preference for transparency and creating public goods and as a result we also don't do black boxes.

As a result of our scale, networks, reputation, and experience, we are uniquely placed to identify the important research questions and to turn our research into real change that actually improves the efficacy of sustainable finance, whether that is through changes in financial practice, policy, supervision, or client demand.

We have research clusters to develop and nurture deep capabilities in four specific areas: climate and environment analytics, stranded assets and transition finance, spatial finance, and machine learning and data science. Researchers and research students operate in one or more clusters, while working in multidisciplinary project or programme teams across the Group. We also have several special initiatives that we have created independently or with other organisations. These are not the limits of our work and you can find out more, including about how to work with us, by contacting the Director, Dr Ben Caldecott.

Publications

For information on our published work, please see the OxSFG publications page. For details of media articles, see our Articles page.

Keep in touch

Projects, programmes, and special initiatives