Episode 7 | Rob Bauer: Sustainable investing…belief or evidence?
In this episode of The Transition Tapes, we speak with Rob Bauer, Professor of Finance at Maastricht University, Chair in Institutional Investors, and Director of the European Centre for Sustainable Finance (ECCE).
Rob is a leading expert on pension funds, responsible investment, shareholder engagement and corporate governance. His work sits at the intersection of academic research and real-world investment practice, advising institutional investors on long-term strategy, climate risk and sustainability integration.
In the conversation, we explore what evidence — rather than assumptions — tells us about investor behaviour, including:
new pilot research with large pension funds on how members think about sustainability and what they expect from their investments
what professional investors actually believe about climate change and how those beliefs influence investment decisions
the empirical evidence on investor engagement and whether it delivers measurable impact
the commercial and structural barriers that limit collaboration among institutional investors
Beyond finance, Rob shares some of the books, films and podcasts that have shaped his thinking — as well as his passion for music. The episode also features his Transition Tapes playlist, with a selection of new wave, post-punk and indie tracks.
Don’t miss Rob’s recommended reads, podcasts, series and his Transition Tapes playlist.
🎵 Playlist:
📚 Books:
Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall
Peter Buwalda - Bonita Avenue
Donna Tartt - Secret History
Jan van Aken - De Ommegang
🎙️ Podcasts:
De stemming (Dutch politics)
Heavyweight: Great and fun podcast about life (by Jonathan Goldstein)
📺 Series:
Game of Thrones
The Leftovers
One battle after another