Investing in the Future: Ethical Finance

Catalog description

In today's evolving financial landscape, the debate on connections between economic activity and socio-environmental impact has become increasingly relevant and, as a result, ethical finance is emerging from its niche. However, the terms "ethical finance" and "sustainable finance" are often overused and interchanged, causing a risk of greenwashing. This course will explore ethical finance, from its beginning through recent developments, and will pay particular attention to the Italian and EU take on it. The students will be provided with a comprehensive understanding of the ethical considerations and frameworks that guide responsible financial practices. The course will focus on the need for sustainable, socially responsible, and transparent financial strategies. It will analyze the ethical implications of different financial activities, explore the role of finance in promoting sustainable development and addressing societal challenges, and examine the tools we can apply to achieve ethical finance globally. Though an analysis of different case studies, the course will focus on the innerworkings of ethical finance, the innovations it brought about in financial and economic systems, and the links between finance and ethics, going beyond Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing. The various approaches that are used to investigate the goals, constraints, and opportunities of environmental and social considerations in finance will be defined.