Solutions for Academics
A robust and timely set of environmental, social & governance data that can be used by leading academics, researchers and other university professionals to enrich their research
ISS offers robust data, proprietary analytics, and expertise to help academic researchers uncover governance, environmental and social risks and understand key issues. Trust ISS for in-depth data in the areas of board, audit, compensation, shareholder rights, environmental and social issues, financial and company issues, mergers and acquisitions, proxy contests, and more.
ISS’ platforms and practitioner tools can be used by academics to access the same data and reports that are used by leading investors globally.
Datasets for Academics
Governance Data via Wharton Research Data Service (WRDS)
- Governance Data Available through WRDS
- Executive Compensation Data
- ESG Risk Screening, Research & Analysis
Governance Data Available through WRDS
- Includes proposals that came to a vote as well as those that did not (e.g., because they were withdrawn by the proponent or allowed to be omitted from the proxy by the SEC.)
- Variables include the lead filer of the proposals, meeting date & outcome.
Director Data
Coverage from 1996
- Includes a range of variables related to individual board directors at S&P 1500 companies (e.g., name, age, tenure, gender, committee memberships, independence classification, primary employer and title, number of other public company boards serving on, shares owned, etc.)
Corporate Takeover Defenses
Coverage from 1990
- Takeover Defense database provides information on takeover defense and other corporate governance provisions for major US firms. It also includes state takeover laws.
Voting Results
Coverage from 1997-2006: S&P 1500
Coverage from 2003: Russell 3000
*legacy dataset excludes director & auditor data which will be included in the latest R3K dataset being provided
- Includes all governance shareholder proposals and all non-routine management proposals (i.e., excluding director election and auditor ratification) for which we obtained vote results
- Option to include ISS vote recommendations is available
N-PX DATA
Coverage from 2003
- U.S. mutual fund voting records for all institutions filing the SEC form N-PX
- Global institutions covered by ISS outside SEC U.S. disclosures
Executive Compensation Data
ISS offers unparalleled breadth of compensation data, curated over many years and including proprietary data points often used in ISS’ proxy analyses. ISS’ global executive compensation solutions are used to evaluate the links between executive pay and financial performance, and assess whether pay incentives are aligned with company strategy.
Combine ISS Incentive Lab data with ExecComp Analytics to evaluate the link between executive pay and financial performance and assess whether pay incentives align with company strategy.
ISS ExecComp Analytics
Assess company pay practices among CEOs and NEOs, conduct peer benchmarking and comparisons, run quantitative pay for performance tests, and identify possible red flags on CEO pay.
Coverage includes:
- 4,000+ US companies from 2006 onwards
- 500+ CA companies from 2008 onwards
- 500+ UK companies from 2012 onwards
- 1,800+ European companies from 2014 onwards
- 600+ AU companies from 2011 onwards
Delivered via online platform and data feeds.
ISS Incentive Lab
Detailed comparable information on incentive awards, including performance metrics, performance goals, and payout structures on all incentive awards. Academics can leverage this insight to evaluate long term and short term compensation against executive targets and goals to determine appropriateness and alignment.
Coverage includes:
- 2,000+ US companies from 1998 onwards
- 2,200+ active US companies starting in 2015 (market cap > $1B)
- 400+ European companies from 2011
Delivered via data feeds.
ESG Risk Screening, Research & Analysis
ISS-Ethix solutions to align SRI policies and practices with shareholder interests.
- Responsible Investment Policy Development
- Screening, Monitoring & Company Assessments
- Research & Analysis
Research, Screening & Analysis
| Norm-Based Screening | Assesses companies’ adherence to international norms for human rights, environment, labor standards and anti-corruption. It adheres to the UN Global Compact Principles. |
| Controversial Weapons Screening | Assesses companies’ involvement in banned or controversial weapons such as anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions, biological and chemical weapons, depleted uranium and nuclear weapons. |
| Ethical Screens | Supports investor action on ethical or faith-based criteria by assessing a company’s current involvement in certain products and services. |
| Fossil Fuel Screens | Assesses companies’ involvement in various activities that can impact climate change, including exposure to oil, gas, and coal. |
| Norm-Based Screening for Countries | Evaluates countries in relation to international normative standards for human rights, the environment, labor standards and anti-corruption. |
| ISS-Ethix Fund Screening | ESG monitoring of funds based on their underlying holdings, including analysis of multi-level fund holdings, fully extendable to fund-in-fund structures. |
