The Power of Proxy Advisors: Myth or Reality?

This Article attempts to measure the impact of voting recommendations on voting outcomes. Unlike prior literature, it distinguishes correlation from causality by examining both the recommendation itself and the underlying factors that may influence a shareholder¿s vote. Using several different tests, we conclude that popular accounts substantially overstate the influence of ISS. Our findings reveal that the impact of an ISS recommendation is reduced greatly once company- and firm-specific factors important to investors are taken into consideration.

Overall, we estimate that an ISS recommendation shifts 6%¿10% of shareholder votes. We also determine that a major component of ISS¿s influence stems from its role as an information agent, aggregating factors that its subscribers consider important.