The social pillar of the environmental, social and corporate governance investing framework — known as ESG in short — has been dubbed the "middle child" largely due to data challenges. For years, the social pillar has been considered relatively nebulous and hard to quantify. And it comes despite the fact that the ESG investing framework has found itself in hot water politically. In these cases, she said the social pillar comes into play in ensuring a carbon transition is equitable and just. A fraught environmentGlobally, it appears social themes will become more clear and important to investors over time.

---

Persons: Michael Nagle, ESG, Michael Young, Young, They're, Marian Macindoe, Insperity, Fuller, Macindoe, that's, Yijia Chen Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty, Sustainable Institute, BNP, Securities and Exchange, Commission, Parnassus Investments, Irrational Capital, Microsoft, Apple, Apple Hospitality, Calvert Research, Management Locations: New York, U.S, United States, Harbor, ESG