Search results

The purpose of this paper is to examine the performance of exchange traded funds (ETFs) that hold corporate social responsibility (CSR) stocks and compare their risk-return characteristics with the market.

The authors use the Sharpe ratio and Jensen’s α from multivariate regressions to perform a multi-country study to examine how CSR-oriented ETFs perform against global, national, and regional market indexes. The authors examine paired groupings of each CSR-oriented ETF with its corresponding index after appropriate risk adjustments.

The authors find that CSR-oriented ETFs’ perform similar to their market indexes. Thus, individual investors can earn comparable returns while investing in CSR-oriented ETF, indicating that they can indeed do “good” while not missing out on returns. However, the authors also find that unlike the previously documented buffer effects that CSR-oriented firms enjoy, CSR-oriented ETFs do not outperform their market indexes during economic downturns. Thus, CSR-oriented ETFs are not safe havens for individual investors during times of economy-wide slumps.

The main limitation of this study is its limited sample size. Because the authors use novel hand-collected data, the authors have 11 CSR-focused ETFs with their corresponding indexes.

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that examines individual investor participation using CSR-oriented ETFs. The study is made possible by hand-collected data on CSR-related ETFs which identify in detail the composition of each of these ETFs, and the findings highlight how individual investors can promote CSR while also making sound investments.

The current literature on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) shows a tangled picture of its etiology and diagnosis. It directs at over-medicalization in ADHD cases due to the pharmaceutical-based models surrounding its treatment. Further, the authors observed the negligible reporting of India’s ADHD scenario in the reviewed literature. Thus, this study aims to explore the status of ADHD in India’s urban setting through a pilot study.

Social constructivist viewpoint guided this study. The authors conducted the pilot in two phases: face-to-face semi-structured qualitative interviews with 11 mental health professionals in the first phase, and, in the second phase, five mental health professionals responded to an online survey with same questions. After qualitative analysis, four major themes were identified: participants’ opinions on ADHD etiology, issues in diagnosis, social context of ADHD and alternatives to medication.

The findings highlight the need to re-visit the ADHD narrative in the Indian context. These findings also emphasize future investigation on the medicalization of ADHD in India.

A countrywide epidemiological survey is required to explore the distribution of the disorder to standardize diagnosis and treatment procedures pan-India. This paper is an attempt to iron out the ADHD-related information that needs further exploration and research.

With in-depth interviews of mental health professionals, the study explores the state of ADHD in an urban setting in India. Future research must build on the current findings to establish the etiological and diagnostic framework of ADHD.