New research program on sustainable financial systems

The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) has been awarded MSEK 30 over four years for research on how financial systems can better contribute to the sustainable development of society. The research is funded by Mistra, The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, and includes a number of international and Swedish partners in a research consortium.

- On behalf of SSE, and all our collaborating partners, we are delighted that we won this important research grant. The programme will contribute to important knowledge on our financial systems and how we might make them more conducive to sustainable development, says Lin Lerpold, acting professor and executive director of Misum, Stockholm School of Economics.

The Mistra Financial Systems programme will be hosted by Misum in collaboration with the Swedish House of Finance, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm Environment Institute, London School of Economics, the ICMA Centre at Henley Business School along with Swesif and Statistics Sweden.

Peter Norman, former minister of financial markets, will chair the programme board, Cecilia Repinski will manage programme operations and professor Bo Becker, is appointed programme director.

- Mistras important support to our research is gratifying. This programme involves researchers from different universities within numerous disciplines, which well mirrors the complexity of our sustainability challenges. We have high ambitions and hope to broaden and deepen the knowledge and dialogue around sustainability in financial systems, says Bo Becker, Professor of Finance, Stockholm School of Economics.

The programme will focus on both immediate needs within current systems as well as rationales for alternative financial systems, how the sector and the economy can be fundamentally restructured to be more conducive to sustainable development.

- This is a timely programme, says Johan Edman, programmes director at Mistra.

For further information, please contact:

Lin Lerpold, acting professor and executive director Misum, lin.lerpold@hhs.se, + 46 8-736 9736

Bo Becker, professor and director of the programme, bo.becker@hhs.se, +46 8-736 9111

Johan Edman, programmes director, Mistra, johan.edman@mistra.org, +46 8-791 10 27