Research Spotlight: Peter Iliev

By Katherine Schreiner

The Center for the Business of Sustainability helps showcase a variety of faculty research done within the Smeal College of Business.

Finance Department Professor Peter Iliev has gone above and beyond with his research, co-writing two pieces on sustainability in the finance field. In Smeal, Iliev teaches primarily financial management courses that educate students on investments, corporate finance, and dividend decisions. He has also done a wide variety of research in the field, having been published in many top-tier journals.

Professor Peter Iliev's Work:

Director Expertise and Corporate Sustainability (2023), pp. 2085–2123:

In his paper, "Director Expertise and Corporate Sustainability," Iliev takes a look at how sustainability performance is enhanced at U.S. firms when they gain knowledge from foreign countries and their sustainability reforms. He searches to provide insight to firm sustainability, and influence discussions on corporate sustainability practices.

When asked about his goals with this paper, Professor Iliev stated, "By highlighting the positive impact that board-level expertise can have on environmental and social practices, the paper aims to contribute to the understanding of how corporate governance plays a role in driving sustainability efforts."

Can Banks Save Mountains? (2023), pp. 761-791:

In his paper, "Can Banks Save Mountains?" Iliev explores how limited lending bank policies impact mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining. MTR is a controversial method of coal extraction and has a negative environmental impact. This research shows that some banks that have put these policies in place have affected MTR, but it is not a significant change.

"By analyzing the effects of these policies, I aim to uncover whether such corporate actions lead to meaningful environmental changes or if they are primarily driven by external pressures, such as media scrutiny, rather than a genuine commitment to sustainability, "Professor Iliev stated. "Ultimately, the paper seeks to contribute to the broader discussion on the effectiveness of corporate environmental responsibility initiatives and the role of financial institutions in promoting sustainability."

Any questions about his research can be directed to pgi1@psu.edu.

Any questions on the relationship between finance and sustainability, go to https://majorsustainability.smeal.psu.edu/overview-3/

Any questions about other faculty research, go to https://www.smeal.psu.edu/sustainability/faculty-research