About the Authors Abstract Funding Preface Acknowledgement CHAPTER 1: RETHINKING ESG: IDEALS, REALITIES, AND BEHAVIORAL VULNERABILITIES · 1.1 Introduction: Deconstructing the ESG Ideal · 1.2 From Rationality to Reflex: Theoretical and Behavioural Grounding · 1.3 ESG in Action: Global Illustrations of Ethical Inconsistency · 1.4 Survey Reflections: What Investors Say vs. What They Do · 1.5 Narrowing the Gap: Policy, Strategy, and Psychological Realism · 1.6 Conclusion: Rethinking ESG through a Behavioural Lens CHAPTER 2: PROFITABILITY VERSUS PRINCIPLE: THE FINANCIAL TRADE-OFFS IN ESG INVESTING · 2.
1 Introduction: Rethinking the ESG Payoff · 2.2 Literature and Theory: ESG Returns Through a Behavioural Lens · 2.3 Global Tensions: Ethical Branding and Financial Reality · 2.4 What the Data Shows: ESG Beliefs versus Investment Actions · 2.5 Closing the Gap: Practical Interventions and Policy Tools · 2.6 Conclusion: Beyond the ESG Narrative CHAPTER 3: THE TRUMP EFFECT AND ESG BACKLASH: POLITICAL RISKS AND MARKET REACTIONS · 3.1 Introduction: Unmasking the Political Vulnerability of ESG · 3.2 When Regulation Reverses: Political Economy and Behavioural Finance · 3.
3 Political Shockwaves: ESG Case Studies from the Trump Era · 3.4 Investor Reactions: Survey Evidence on Political Risk Perception · 3.5 Strengthening ESG Resilience in Politicised Markets · 3.6 Conclusion: ESG in an Age of Ideological Volatility CHAPTER 4: CRACKS IN THE INVESTOR LENS: COGNITIVE BIASES IN ESG INVESTMENT · 4.1 Introduction: The Myth of Rational ESG Investing · 4.2 Mapping the Bias Landscape: Theory and Literature · 4.3 Global Patterns of ESG Misjudgement · 4.4 Surveying Bias in Action: Insights from Malaysian Investors · 4.
5 Educating the ESG Mindset: Behavioural Solutions · 4.6 Conclusion: Toward a More Rational ESG Investor CHAPTER 5: THE ILLUSION OF GREEN: GREENWASHING, CREDIBILITY RISKS, AND MARKET FAILURES · 5.1 Introduction: Green on the Surface: ESG''s Credibility Crisis · 5.2 Rating Sustainability: Theory and Critiques of ESG Metrics · 5.3 Behind the Green Curtain: Case Examples of Reputational Engineering · 5.4 Insights from the Field: Interviews with Malaysian ESG Professionals · 5.5 Restoring Trust: Institutional and Behavioural Solutions · 5.6 Conclusion: Reclaiming Substance in Sustainable Finance CHAPTER 6: CONFIDENCE GAMES AND HERD INSTINCTS: BEHAVIORAL DISTORTIONS IN SUSTAINABLE MARKETS · 6.
1 Introduction: ESG Safety Illusion · 6.2 Theoretical Fault Lines: Overconfidence and Collective Irrationality · 6.3 ESG Boom-Bust Cycles: Global Case Reflections · 6.4 Interview Insights: Herding and Overconfidence in Malaysian ESG Behavior · 6.5 Managing Momentum: Behavioural Risk Controls for ESG Portfolios · 6.6 Conclusion: Rethinking ESG as a Social Signal CHAPTER 7: MALAYSIA''S DUAL ESG FRAMEWORK: INTEGRATING ISLAMIC FINANCE AND SUSTAINABLE INVESTING · 7.1 Introduction: Sustainability Meets Syariah · 7.2 Literature and Theoretical Grounding: Harmonising Ethical Systems · 7.
3 Real-World Convergence: Institutional and Policy Innovations in Malaysia · 7.4 Evidence from the Ground: Questionnaire Insights from Malaysian ESG Stakeholders · 7.5 Advancing Dual Integrity: Policy and Behavioral Recommendations · 7.6 Conclusion: A Malaysian Model of ESG Convergence CHAPTER 8: ASIA''S ESG MOMENTUM: GROWTH NARRATIVES AND STRUCTURAL VULNERABILITIES · 8.1 Introduction: The Rise of ESG in Asia · 8.2 Literature and Theory: Asia''s ESG Push Through a Structural Lens · 8.3 Reality Check: Regional Case Studies of ESG Contradictions · 8.5 Rethinking ESG Credibility: Regional Solutions and Behavioural Correctives CHAPTER 9: EUROPE''S ESG LEADERSHIP: REGULATORY INNOVATION AND HIDDEN INEFFICIENCIES · 9.
1 Introduction: Reframing Europe''s ESG Reputation · 9.2 Theory Meets Bureaucracy: ESG Regulation in the EU · 9.3 Lost in Translation: Case Examples of ESG Mislabeling and Reclassification · 9.4 Field Reflections: Questionnaire Insights from EU ESG Professionals · 9.5 Reforming the Framework: Making ESG Regulation Work · 9.6 Conclusion: Rethinking ESG Leadership CHAPTER 10: THE UNITED STATES AND ESG: POLITICAL REVERSALS, INVESTOR RESISTANCE, AND MARKET ADAPTATIONS · 10.1 Introduction: ESG''s Politicisation in America · 10.2 Reversals and Repercussions: Unpacking Federal and State-Level ESG Conflicts · 10.
3 Realignment in Practice: Case Evidence from Institutional Investors · 10.4 Interviews from the Frontlines: How U.S. ESG Leaders Are Adapting · 10.5 Surveying the Divide: Evidence from ESG Practitioners Nationwide · 10.6 Conclusion: Lessons from Fragmented Markets CHAPTER 11: ESG TECHNOLOGY, INVESTOR JUDGEMENT, AND LOCAL ADAPTATION · 11.1 Introduction: Digital Disruption in ESG Investing · 11.2 Algorithmic Oversight: Theoretical Anchors and Behavioural Tensions · 11.
3 Embedded or Erased? Case Reflections from Malaysian Fund Managers · 11.4 Quantifying Local Frictions: Survey Insights from ESG Practitioners · 11.5 Conclusion: Tech and Local Insight CHAPTER 12: PLANNING ESG FUTURES: GLOBAL SCENARIOS AND REGIONAL VALUES · 12.1 Introduction: ESG Beyond a Universal Blueprint · 12.2 Worldviews That Matter: Theoretical Foundations and Cultural Anchors · 12.3 Futures as Perceived: Survey Results from Asian ESG Professionals · 12.4 Voices of Vision: Interview Insights from ESG Policymakers and Thought Leaders · 12.5 Competing Horizons: Scenario Mapping and Strategic Differentiation · 12.
6 Conclusion: Toward Inclusive ESG Futures.