Consequences and Impacts of Pro-Business Political Influence

In partnership with Chronos Sustainability, this article reflects a survey about (i) how investors identify and assess political engagement activities; (ii) how investors integrate political engagement into their stewardship activities; and (iii) challenges to engaging on responsible political engagement with investees.

Based on the fact that the assumption that business and politics can and even should be kept separate is no longer realistic, the authors outline steps that effective leaders should take to ensure strategic decisions in the space, which include: (1) develop robust principles to guide strategic choices; (2) address ethical issues early; (3) consistently communicate and implement their choices; (4) engage with and beyond the industry to shape the context; and (5) learn from mistakes to make better choices in the future.

The Capitals Coalition is a global network that helps businesses recognize how their success is directly or indirectly supported by natural, social, and human capital—like clean air, skilled workers, and public trust. It offers practical frameworks, case studies, and tools to help companies measure, value, and better manage these dependencies for more sustainable, informed decisions.

This volume explores the promise of free markets to deliver prosperity and well-being—and the social, political, and institutional conditions required to sustain that promise. It shows why businesses have a stake in helping maintain those conditions through responsible political engagement.

This article discusses how businesses can thrive by achieving a net positive impact on people and the planet, and avoiding achieving returns by creating problems for people and planet. Calls on businesses to recognize that investing in healthy systems -- economic, civic and natural -- is the key to his positive impact. 

PRI sets out to create the case for investors to encourage responsible corporate political engagement. PRI shares precedent-setting principles followed by detailing the risks faced from irresponsible political engagement practices (e.g. the revolving door), which burden companies, investors, and society alike.

This framework is a comprehensive guide for institutions to justly transition to net-zero emissions, including four core pillars and 20 building blocks that provide practical examples for implementation, with alignment to just transition assessment methodologies.

Joe Zammit‑Lucia argues that in today’s world, politics and business are deeply connected, and companies need strong “political antennae”—a keen understanding of societal values, regulations, and consumer expectations—to succeed. Drawing on global case studies, he shows how pressures from stakeholders, investors, and regulators require firms to embed political awareness into their purpose, strategy, and daily operations to build trust and resilience.

This report recognizes that the stakeholder environment has shifted for many companies to encompass a broader range of stakeholders, and provides thoughts on how companies can take a truly long-term view of stakeholder interests.

This report goes beyond diversity and inclusion to outline how a business's actions, products and services, have influence within the company, within the community, and more broadly in society. The report provides concrete recommendations for companies.