Law, Finance and Sustainability

The Sheffield Institute of Corporate and Commercial Law (SICCL), in collaboration with the project Sustainable Market Actors for Responsible Trade (SMART), welcomes proposals for papers to be presented at the international conference on ‘Law, Finance and Sustainability’, to be held at the University of Sheffield on 11th September 2017.

This is the third in our series of highly-successful "Law and Money" conferences which have featured leading finance and banking scholars from around the world. Photo: Miran Rajavec CC by 2.0

Conference background

Sustainability – in its environmental, economic and social forms – is the most pressing challenge facing humanity, and is at the core of much contemporary thought and discourse. This is increasingly true in financial markets, where investors and institutions are in many cases required to consider sustainability and sustainable development when making their investment decisions.  More than ever, high-level consideration is being given to factors such as environmental risks, climate change, and corporate social responsibility at both public and private levels. Financial institutions, investors and governments play crucial roles in determining project funding, and law and regulation play a vital in delimiting and enhancing sustainable approaches to financial investment.
Regulators and legislators in many jurisdictions have incorporated references to sustainability into regulatory guidance and relevant legal instruments. Unfortunately, many of these requirements are weak and have little power to bind those in control of financial capital. Recent political developments – especially the rise of populist factions in the U.S. and Europe – threaten to derail the sustainable finance movement, and claims are again being made by some that economic growth and sustainability are incompatible. In light of promises of a return to 20th century industrial strategies and the relentless pursuit of “job creation” and growth at the expense of environmental considerations, the importance of re-emphasising sustainable business practices has never been greater.
This conference is intended to allow for the critical discussion of law and finance in this context. It will be of interest to academics, policymakers, regulators and practitioners in any area of law, regulation, finance, economics, politics, political economy, sociology, management and/or business.
We invite papers which consider sustainability in the following (non-exhaustive) contexts:

  1. Law, finance and environmental risk
  2. Financial institutions and climate risk
  3. Investments regulation and sustainability
  4. Securities law and sustainability
  5. Corporate law and sustainability
  6. Legal and political barriers to sustainable Finance
  7. Corporate governance and sustainability
  8. Banking regulation and sustainability
  9. Financing sustainable business

Practical information

Proposals should be submitted with a suggested title, author’s name and affiliation and an abstract of approximately 300 words to Dr Jay Cullen by 30th June 2017. Authors will be informed of the final decision by 7th July. Draft papers of no less than 4000 words are due one week prior to the conference (4th September); papers will be included in the SMART Working Paper series. The choice of proposals will seek to ensure a balanced representation of the various aspects of the conference theme.
There is no registration fee for the conference. Lunch, and light refreshments will be provided for all participants during the conference. Speakers will also be invited to our speakers’ dinner, free of charge. Please be advised that at present we are not able to cover funds for travel and accommodation.

Contact

Dr Jay Cullen:
Lecturer in Banking and Finance Law
jay.cullen@sheffield.ac.uk

    

About SICCL

SICCL aims to provide a critical and interdisciplinary approach to contemporary legal and regulatory issues. It focuses on the relationship between law, economics and finance with the aim of moving legal discourse and scholarship forward in a progressive and collaborative way. SICCL members are actively involved in research and policy-making in many aspects of corporate and commercial law, including corporate governance; corporate social responsibility; aspects of intellectual property; banking and financial regulation; theories of money; e-commerce; commercial property; WTO law; and internet privacy.
 

 

Published May 11, 2017 9:46 AM - Last modified Sep. 29, 2020 3:26 PM