Journal of Business & Economic Policy

Is ESG more Resilient than Conventional Investments? Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic
Samuel Kyle Jones

Abstract
This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US ESG indices and their conventional counterparts. Impulse response functions computed from a vector autoregression show that the pandemic had a significant negative impact on the indices. However, ESG and conventional indices exhibited similar responses to pandemic-related shocks, casting doubt on claims of superior performance and risk mitigation characteristics of socially responsible investments during market crises.

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