ESG Initiative News Archives

11 Social Impact Leaders Receiving Loan Forgiveness Awards in 2023

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The ESG Initiative is pleased to announce the 2023 recipients of the John M. Bendheim Loan Forgiveness Fund for Public Service.…Read More

Analyzing weakening economic conditions in December 2022

Photo of nurses on strike on the streets of London. Signs are visible that say "honk if you support air pay for nursing"

Read on to learn about December’s global hot spots for business and conflict, from a 40-year high in consumer prices in Japan contributing to a cost of living crisis, to 10-year high interest rates in Australia meant to decrease inflationary pressures.…Read More

Where U.S. house prices may be most overvalued as climate change worsens

Mike Ryerson of Harlem Heights makes his way back to his home on a flooded street after Hurricane Ian surge waters flooded the area.

(Outlet: The Washington Post) Benjamin Keys, a professor of real estate and finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School who has studied the effects of sea level rise on housing markets, weighs in on new research in the field.…Read More

Penn Medicine-Wharton Fund for Health Invests in Twentyeight Health to Improve Reproductive Health Access

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(Outlet: Penn Medicine News) The Fund for Health, a joint initiative of Penn Medicine and the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Initiative at the Wharton School is now backing Twentyeight Health, an online platform and telemedicine service designed to expand reproductive health care access for women from underserved communities.…Read More

Twentyeight Health Announces $8.3 Million In Funding, Making Health Care More Accessible To BIPOC And Underserved Communities

Cofounders of Twentyeight Health posed smiling with their arms crossed on a street in front of red brick buildings.

(Outlet: Forbes) The Fund for Health, a joint initiative of Penn Medicine and the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Initiative at the Wharton School joins other mission-driven funds in backing Twentyeight Health in its latest funding round.…Read More

3 new executive leadership certificate programs from Wharton to check out

Image of the Annenberg School of Communication on a sunny day with people sitting at a table and chatting out front.

(Outlet: Fortune Education) Top business schools have been at the forefront of developing and launching executive education programs on a variety of topics like advanced management, data science, and business analytics. Now another topic is being added to the mix: environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG). This month, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which Fortune ranks as having the No. 4 full-time MBA program in the U.S., announced three new ESG-focused executive education certificate programs for financial professionals, senior leaders, and strategists.…Read More

Investors focus ESG on contrast between climate words and actions

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(Outlet: Roll Call) According to the Center for Political Accountability and the Zicklin Center for Governance and Business Ethics at the Wharton School’s CPA-Zicklin Index, nearly 78 percent of companies in the S&P 500 index fully or partially disclosed political spending last year.…Read More

Studying an MBA in sustainability at one of the world’s most sustainable universities

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(Outlet: Top MBA) Wharton MBA students Manuel Gallardo and Nehali Jain share their experience as Business, Energy, Environment and Sustainability (BEES) majors alongside commentary from Wharton Climate Center Co-Director Sarah E. Light.…Read More

Wharton Launches ESG Certificate Programs For Executives

Photo of Wharton graduates in graduation regalia with two people in the front holding a Wharton alumni banner

(Outlet: Business Because) The Wharton School has announced the launch of a range of ESG focused online learning programs designed for business executives. The blended online programs are for cross-industry executives in charge of making high-stakes decisions and leading the implementation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into key business areas.…Read More

The ESG Initiative presents an update to the POLCON dataset

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The Wharton Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Initiative is proud to present an update to the POLCON (POLitical CONstraint) dataset, including new data through the end of the year 2020. The POLCON measure, developed by Vice Dean and Faculty Director of the ESG Initiative Witold Henisz, is a quantitative measure of institutional constraints that uses a spatial model of political interaction and measures the feasibility of a change in policy given the structure of a nation’s political institutions.…Read More