Climate governance and sustainability: An international analysis of green investments

Journal title MANAGEMENT CONTROL
Author/s Michele Rubino, Ilaria Mastrorocco, Elisa Gerbasi
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2026/1
Language Italian Pages 22 P. 67-88 File size 185 KB
DOI 10.3280/MACO2026-001004
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This study aims to examine the role of climate governance, understood as a paradigm of corporate governance aimed at achieving environmental sustainability goals, in the design of corporate environmental investment policies. To test this relationship, we conduct a quantitative analysis of a global sample of non-financial companies included in the S&P 1200 Index for the year 2024. The results indicate that companies adopting climate governance have a significantly higher propensity to disclose information concerning their green investments compared to the overall market, confirming the existence of a positive relationship between climate governance and environmental engagement. However, contrary to expectations, the results suggest that the influence of climate governance on environmental investments is stronger in North America than in Europe, underlining the crucial role of the market compared to institutional regulation. These findings have important theoretical and practical implications. From a theoretical perspective, the study contributes to the academic debate, paving the way for future longitudinal and country-specific analyses. From a practical perspective, the results provide valuable insights for corporate decision makers, investors, and policy makers and underline the strategic importance of climate governance for aligning companies with more sustainable development models.

Keywords: Climate governance, Sustainable investments, Corporate governance, S&P 1200, Comparative analysis

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Michele Rubino, Ilaria Mastrorocco, Elisa Gerbasi, Climate governance e scelte aziendali sostenibili: un’analisi internazionale sugli investimenti green in "MANAGEMENT CONTROL" 1/2026, pp 67-88, DOI: 10.3280/MACO2026-001004