This project consisted of six work packages (WPs). For WP1, Training and Mentorship, the fellow met regularly with the supervisor for career planning and management of the action. The fellow was also involved in two-way knowledge transfer and mentorship. Staff at the host institution mentored the Fellow to deepen her existing research skills and supported her to earn an Associate Level Teaching Certificate from Advance HE. The Fellow also organized reading groups with colleagues at the host institution and met with graduate students to facilitate knowledge exchange and develop her own mentorship skills and experiences.
The next set of work packages (WPs 2-4) focused on data collection. For WP2, Literature Review and Data Collection Part 1, the fellow focused on secondary literature identification and review, review and analysis of relevant policy documents, such as annual reports and governance documents related to climate finance, ESG investing, and fiduciary duty. This research was written up and published in an international peer-reviewed scientific journal. Work for WP3, Data Collection Part 2, included secondary analysis of demographic data, targeted site visits to current and planned urban housing developments in London, participant observation and in-depth interviews with a cross-section of experts in the fields of pensions, ESG, real asset investing, and housing justice. WP4, Data Collection Part 3, included site visits to cities in the North of the UK as well as further secondary literature review and document analysis.
The final two WPs (WPs 5 & 6) focused on analysis, writing, and dissemination of results. For WP5, Analysis and Dissemination Part 1, the fellow wrote two scientific papers. The first was presented at two different workshops, where the fellow received extensive feedback, before being submitted to an international peer-reviewed scientific journal. The second paper is in progress and a preliminary draft was presented to colleagues at an international conference in August 2023. The Fellow plans to present this and integrate feedback one further time before submitting it to a leading scientific journal in the field. The activities in WP6, Analysis and Dissemination Part 2, included participation at three international workshops, and five international conferences where she gave paper presentations. The fellow also held six different chair and discussant roles at these and other events. Finally, the Fellow collaborated with two other MSCA fellows to put together a research symposium, held in April 2023, and is the co-organizer of a double panel on ESG and social finance at the Urban Affairs Association conference in New York in April 2024.
The main results are that the project developed an in-depth case study of one of the UK’s largest “green” build-to-rent (BtR) housing providers, and documents the intersection of BtR housing development and ESG strategy, with a focus on how social value and risk are defined and operationalized.
