Socially responsible investing in emerging markets

Using the scrutiny of SRI analysis, investors may have the leverage to influence the policies and corporate culture of international companies

Ethical or socially responsible investing (SRI) emerged from faith-based groups such as Quakers and Methodists at the turn of the last century. The early focus of these groups was to avoid investing in alcohol and gambling. The Vietnam War marked a watershed in the evolution of SRI. The agenda became not only more political, but also increasingly global with the launch of the World Pax Fund in 1971. The worldwide condemnation of the apartheid system in South Africa during the 1980s served to reinforce the international outlook of SRI and during the 1990s, concerns over the environment led t...