Social and Sustainable Finance and Impact Investing (SSFII)
Academic Conference @Said, Oxford University
23. – 24. April 2015
Bringing together scholars from various disciplines to explore the topic of social and sustainable finance and impact investing
– carving out a research agenda and building a strong academic network to advance the field.
Short-paper abstract proposal submission for peer review: …………….30. Nov. 2014
(late abstract submissions will be accepted until December 20th !)
Revised full paper:…………………………………………………………………….10. March 2015
Conference registration deadline:………………………………………………..20. March 2015
Venue: SAID Business School, University of Oxford
Fee: £ 320,- standard/ £ 180,- for students and non OECD participants, including full programme, lunch and networking dinner.
Proposal Submissions should comprise an abstract of around 250 words, keywords, relevant stream selection and a related short proposal.
Format: Please follow the APA 5th referencing style closely, Times New Roman 12, single line spacing, and unnumbered, bold headlines in Times New Roman 14.
The paper must be submitted in WORD .doc or .docx format!
All submissions will be double blind peer reviewed for the conference and possible partnering publications.
CONFERENCE STREAMS:
- Social and Sustainable Finance, Relevance and Global Governance
- Impact Investing – Cases, Instruments, Players, Social and Financial Risk and Returns
- Public Policy and Public-Private Partnerships
- Environmental Markets and Finance, Stranded Assets and Carbon Markets
- Interdisciplinary Perspectives, e.g. Ethics, CSR, CG, Motives, Identity
- Crowdfunding and Venture Capital and its social impact
- Employee ownership, mutual funds and holding companies
- Social Entrepreneurship, Financing, Scaling and Growing
Over the last few years, sociological as well as economic developments have combined to raise the level of activities and policy interest in various forms of social and sustainable entrepreneurship, finance and related (impact) investments. However, funding sources and rationales for these initiatives have been neglected so far in the literature as distinct subjects for inquiry. Nevertheless, foundations, individual- and group investors, the global internet-crowd, as well as government agencies have become increasingly interested and willing to support more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable forms of funding and wealth creation.
New institutions and actors have been exploring hybrid logics, mechanisms and rationales for investment that combine social and environmental components of value, together with personal values and the disciplined pursuit of financial returns – this often despite the lack of availability of suitable metrics and instruments for building such portfolios. Public and private philanthropic finance have been explored as a means to encourage and empower innovative private (social)-entrepreneurial activities aiming to deliver social value and at the same time becoming financially independent through market-based activities. However, at the present stage of development there seems to be no rational, efficient global market – more a network of supply, demand, and intermediary groups linking capital and projects. The organisers want to know more about projects, players and their rationales when it comes to social finance and impact investments and the entrepreneurs that deliver the promises.
At the same time sustainable finance addresses a heterogeneous hodgepodge of various investments aiming for environmental, social or economic sustainability, with a strong focus on risk management. While everyone seems to approve its value proposition, few actually agree on the definition and scope of ‘sustainable finance and investment’. Many scholars however see a strong overlap and blurred boundaries between ‘social’ and ‘sustainable’ finance, especially when looking at the societal and economic developments that lead to the emergence of both of these concepts. The third pillar of sustainability, environmental perspectives finally displays a special high relevance given the onset of climate change, and its economic and societal impacts remain far from being comprehended. In all perspectives we are looking for theoretical as well as practical insights, from academia and professionals, from a variety of perspectives.
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