Mediating ESG: Mapping individual responses to a changing field

Previous studies have called for more research into the human dimension of environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. Drawing on formal interviews and informal conversations with 57 fund managers and investment analysts working in the city of Edinburgh, UK, this study explores how traditional investors have responded to the growth of ESG investing. We derive abductively six different positions which investors adopt: the Idealist, the Jaded Idealist, the Enthusiastic Mediator, the Tempered Mediator, the Moderniser and the Traditionalist. The paper contributes to the ESG investing literature by identifying and discussing these different positions; the main theoretical contribution is a new conceptualisation of the position and role of the mediator.