Teaching about sustainable and responsible finance

04/03/2019
Teaching about sustainable and responsible finance - KEDGE
At a time when societal and environmental issues are becoming an unavoidable concern to all sectors of business, including the economic and financial world, Christophe Revelli, finance professor and head of the Corporate & Sustainable Finance master’s programme at KEDGE Business School, shares his analysis of the necessary evolution in the teaching of economics and finance at universities with XERFI Canal.

“The contents of university courses are certainly not suited to the current economic and societal context. The challenge is to offer training courses and content that clearly change the paradigm and help students get a clearer vision of practices in these fields”, explained Christophe Revelli.

Christophe Revelli analyses the current economics and finance teaching, which he believes doesn't “develop students’ critical thinking skills” and also suggests possible courses that could change the paradigm, with sustainability covered in all finance courses.

As part of this dynamic, Christophe Revelli mentioned the initiative launched by KEDGE Business School in 2016 which involved developing the first French and European master’s programme focused on sustainable finance and responsible finance. He also said that “the role of universities is more important than ever in solving societal issues through finance and the finance tool, particularly in light of the ecological transition, social inequalities and corporate mission and status ”.

More about Christophe Revelli:
Christophe Revelli is an associate professor of responsible/sustainable finance and head of MSc Corporate and Sustainable Finance at Kedge Business School (FIR-PRI 2018 awards for the best European innovation in the teaching of sustainable finance). He is also a board member of the Forum de l’Investissement Responsable (FIR). He created the first French and European master’s programme entirely dedicated to the challenges of sustainable finance and the integration of ESG criteria in financial decisions. He graduated from Montpellier University with a PhD in Management Science. His classes and research are focused on responsible/sustainable/green finance, a critical approach to the modern financial theory and impact investing. Christophe Revelli received the “RIODD-VIGEO” research prize for his thesis entitled “The financial performance of socially responsible investment (SRI): a meta-analytical approach” (Performance financière de l’Investissement Socialement Responsable (ISR): approche méta-analytique) in 2012 and the 2015 SAB award for the best article in sustainable finance for his article “Should Consider Islamic Investors SRI Criteria in their Investment Strategies?”.