As ESG Disclosure Gaps Persist, a New Handbook Maps the Measurement Problem
The Global Sustainable Investment Review 2024, published by the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance in November 2025, put a number on a problem practitioners have long suspected: large institutional mandates, sovereign portfolios, and private-market assets — together some 40 to 50 percent of global assets — remain largely outside disclosure frameworks. The green economy itself is now valued at USD 7.9 trillion, yet the data infrastructure meant to track and verify it is still catching up. Reliable measurement remains one of the main obstacles to ESG investing at scale.
The newly published Handbook of ESG Investing, edited by Hans Lööf, Maziar Sahamkhadam, and Andreas Stephan (Edward Elgar Publishing), speaks directly to the measurement side of this problem. Across twenty chapters and three parts, international contributors move from the theoretical foundations of ESG ratings and portfolio theory, through empirical measurement of ESG performance in equities, green bonds, and ETFs, to the practice of ESG investing in both developed and emerging markets — including how artificial intelligence and machine learning are being applied to ESG measurement and sustainability reporting.
Three applications stand out for practitioners and researchers alike. First, the volume's treatment of ESG ratings comparability gives portfolio managers a framework for reconciling conflicting scores from different providers, a recurring complaint among institutional allocators. Second, its chapters on green bonds and ESG-leader strategies in multi-asset portfolios offer empirically grounded guidance rather than marketing claims. Third, the handbook's dedicated coverage of cognitive biases in ESG decision-making gives risk teams a vocabulary for auditing their own investment committees, not just external managers.
For academic and institutional libraries, the handbook fills a genuine gap between narrow practitioner guides and single-market academic studies. Its international scope — contributors span Europe, Asia, and the Americas — makes it a reference point for finance and economics collections supporting graduate research, sustainable finance electives, and institutional ESG committees seeking a common methodological grounding.
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Q&A
What gap does the Handbook of ESG Investing address?
It examines ESG measurement and data comparability, the area where the GSIA's 2024 review shows disclosure frameworks still fall short, with a large share of global assets outside them.
Who edited the Handbook of ESG Investing?
Hans Lööf, Maziar Sahamkhadam, and Andreas Stephan, with contributions from finance and economics researchers across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Does the handbook cover AI applications in ESG investing?
Yes. Several chapters examine how big data, AI, and machine learning are being applied to ESG measurement and sustainability reporting in global value chains.
Is this handbook suitable for an academic library collection?
Yes. Its three-part structure spanning theory, measurement, and practice makes it suited to finance and economics collections supporting graduate research and sustainable finance programs.
Where can I order the Handbook of ESG Investing?
Through CLNZ Books, with worldwide shipping and institutional invoicing available on request.