Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) And Public Policy: A Systematic Review

The increased prominence of ESG requires an understanding of how ESG practices relate to public policy systems. There are numerous reviews to comprehend the ESG-policy connection, but there are meaningful gaps. This paper addresses this by conducting a systematic review using the Scopus database, adhering to the PRISMA protocol. Of the 331 studies initially extracted, 96 studies remained for final analysis after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. This review explored trends, patterns, themes, and frameworks, while also identifying gaps and future research directions. The result demonstrates that ESG–public policy research is increasing rapidly but remains unevenly concentrated across various geographies, themes, theories, and methodologies. There is highly concentrated evidence for the USA and China, while other emerging economies remain significantly underrepresented, thus leaving unanswered the question of whether the results are generalizable. Thematically, there is a concentration of work on policy making, sustainability, governance, and corporate social responsibility. Theoretically, there is a narrow predominance of lenses, and behavioral and interdisciplinary approaches are not being utilized sufficiently. Methodologically, quantitative designs predominate, generating robust evidence but risking simplification. Furthermore, this research identifies research gaps and proposes future research questions to encourage further exploration in the field of ESG in public policy.