Designing a sustainable financial system : development goals and socio-ecological responsibility / Thomas Walker ; [edited by] Thomas Walker.

Intro; Acknowledgements; Contents; List of Figures; List of Tables; Chapter 1: Introduction; 1.1 System and Sector-Level Transitions Toward Sustainability; 1.2 Innovations in Best Practices, Tools, and Financial Products; 1.3 The Role of Regulation, Standards, and Policy; Part I: System and Sector-Level Transitions Towards Sustainability; Chapter 2: An Alternative Finance Approach for a More Sustainable Financial System; 2.1 Introduction; 2.2 Method and Sample Characteristics; 2.2.1 Sampling Issues; 2.2.2 Themes Identification and Validation; 2.3 Review Results 2.3.1 Theme 1: Critical Perspectives and Finance Reconsidered2.3.2 Theme 2: Sustainability Issues; 2.3.2.1 Social Investment, Responsible Investment and SRIs; 2.3.2.2 The Contribution of the Financial Sector to Sustainable Development and Environmental Engagement; 2.3.3 Theme 3: Social Banking and Social Finance; 2.3.4 Theme 4: Microfinance; 2.3.5 Theme 5: Islamic Finance; 2.3.6 Theme 6: Impact Investing; 2.3.7 Theme 7: Access to Finance for SMEs, Microenterprises and Start-Ups; 2.3.8 Theme 8: Crowdfunding as an Alternative Way of Funding; 2.3.9 Theme 9: Behavioral Finance 2.4 Main Findings: Interconnected Themes2.5 Where Are We Going and How Do We Get There?; 2.6 Conclusion, Limitations and Future Lines of Research; References; Chapter 3: Social and Environmental Responsibility in the Banking Industry: A Focus on Commercial Business; 3.1 Introduction; 3.2 CSR in the Commercial Banking Business; 3.3 Analysis and Empirical Results; 3.3.1 Sample; 3.3.2 Sources; 3.3.3 Procedure; 3.3.4 Variables; 3.3.5 Analyses; 3.3.6 Results; 3.3.6.1 Cluster Analysis: Obtaining Groups of Banks; 3.3.6.2 External CSR Index by Year and Cluster (2006-2009) 3.3.6.3 ANOVA and Differences Between Clusters3.3.6.4 Analysis of the `Consumer and Product ́Dimension; 3.4 Discussion; 3.5 Conclusions; References; Chapter 4: Seeking Greener Pastures: Exploring the Impact for Investors of ESG Integration in the Infrastructure Asset Class; 4.1 Introduction; 4.2 Understanding the Infrastructure Asset Class; 4.3 Infrastructure Needs and Investment in Canada; 4.4 Stakeholder Perspectives; 4.5 Implications and Conclusion; International Pension Funds That Invest in Infrastructure; References Chapter 5: Pricing Carbon: Integrating Promise, Practice and Lessons Learned from the Chicago Climate ExchangeReferences; Part II: Innovations in Best Practices, Tools, and Financial Products; Chapter 6: Designing Carbon-Neutral Investment Portfolios; 6.1 Introduction; 6.2 The Nature of Climate Risks; 6.3 Mounting ``GreenÂÁ̂ ́Pressure on the Financial System; 6.4 Financial Institutions ́Current Approaches to Eco-sustainability; 6.4.1 Exclusion/Negative Screening and Divestment; 6.4.2 Active Ownership and Engagement; 6.4.3 Sustainability Ratings.

This edited collection brings together leading theoretical and applied research with the intent to design a sustainable global financial future. The contributors argue that our world cannot move toward sustainability, address climate change, reverse environmental degradation, and improve human well-being without aligning the financial system with sustainable development goals like those outlined by the United Nations. Such a system would: (a) be environmentally and socially responsible; (b) align with planetary boundaries; (c) manage natural resources sustainably; (d) avoid doing more harm than good; and (e) be resilient and adaptable to changing conditions.