Socially responsible investing : The relationship between financial performance and SRI strategies of mutual funds

Social responsibility has gained popularity during the past few years, and one aspect of it is what benefits and costs it brings to a socially responsible investor. The purpose of this study is to examine whether different SRI strategies used by mutual funds are related to financial performance. By using multiple regression analysis and a sample of 88 Swedish SRI mutual funds over the period from 2014 to 2018, we find that using SRI screens first reduces the financial performance, but then gains a slight rebound as the screening intensity increases, indicating a U-shaped relationship. Further, we find that environmental screens impact the financial performance positively, and engagement and voting in sustainability matters is also positively related to performance