The information that ESG raters produce is valuable. Assessing ESG performance is conceptually challenging because we need to measure contextuality, additionality, and preferences. ESG raters, specialized ESG data providers, and aggregators can harness economies of scale. Regulators should...

We show that firm valuations fell after a key expense became more visible in financial statements. FAS 123-R required firms to deduct option compensation costs from earnings, instead of disclosing them only in footnotes. Firms that granted high option pay experienced a significant earnings...