The Vaasa conference “Accounting and Accountability for Climate Change” will be organized by the University of Vaasa on August, 11-12th, 2025. By integrating accountability, sustainability metrics and finance perspective, the conference promotes multidisciplinary dialogue to address climate-related challenges.
The conference is guided by scholars from different fields, including but not limited to accounting, finance, and financial economics disciplines. Through collaboration with practitioners and policy makers, the conference will develop and synthesize best practices to be disseminated to management, investors, regulators, and broader stakeholders, while encouraging further research on key issues.
Relevant topics for the conference include (but are not limited to):
• Climate and Biodiversity Reporting and Disclosure
• Incentives and Economic Impacts of Environmental Initiatives
• Capital Market Reactions to Climate-Related Disclosures
• Climate-related Risks and Financial Resilience
• Green Finance and Sustainable Investing
• Decision-Making Influenced by Environmental Disclosure and Performance
Keynote speaker:
Professor Stephen Penman, Columbia Business School (USA). Professor Penman is a founding editor of the Review of Accounting Studies and served as managing editor from 2002-2006. He is on the advisory boards of Phoenician Capital and Boston Harbor Investment Management and has served as an advisor to fundamental asset managers in the U.S., Europe, and China. He also serves on the Board of Directors of UBS Financial Services Inc. Hedge Fund Solutions and is chair of its audit committee. In 2020, he was elected to the Australian Accounting Hall of Fame.
The roundtable discussion will include representatives of business and policy makers including representatives of the Financial Stability Board.
Submission period: February 24, 2025 – April 30, 2025
The presenters of selected papers have an opportunity to publish their papers in a Special issue of Multinational Finance Journal.
The submissions must be in English.
There is no specific manuscript format and no page limit but papers should generally not exceed 50 pages.
Presenters of accepted papers must register as conference participants and pay the attendance fee as should non-presenters wishing to attend. The registration fee will be 180 EUR for an academic; 130 EUR for a PhD student and 80 EUR for an accompanying person.
Authors of accepted papers will be notified by May 31, 2025.
The conference organizing committee:
Professor Agnes Cheng, The University of Oklahoma (USA)
Professor Stephen Penman, Columbia Business School (USA)
Professor Timothy King, the University of Vaasa (Finland)
Associate Professor Anupam Dutta, the University of Vaasa (Finland)
Associate Professor Tatiana King, the University of Vaasa (Finland)
Associate Professor Mikko Ranta, the University of Vaasa (Finland)
Associate Professor Vanja Piljak, the University of Vaasa (Finland)
Assistant Professor Nebojsa Dimic, the University of Vaasa (Finland)