New Books Network Lily Hsueh, "Corporations at Climate Crossroads: Multilevel Governance, Public Policy, and Global Climate Action" (MIT Press, 2025)
Oct 17, 2025
Lily Hsueh, an Associate Professor in Economics and Public Policy at Arizona State University, delves into the crossroads of corporate climate action in her insightful book. She explores how corporate environmentalism is shaped by market and regulatory pressures, illustrating proactive measures like emissions targets. Hsueh also highlights the crucial role of management in climate strategy and the influence of consumers on sustainability decisions. Additionally, she discusses the complexities of corporate support in the face of regulatory challenges and the importance of multi-level governance for effective climate policy.
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Silicon Valley Origins
- Lily Hsueh grew up in Silicon Valley and witnessed early corporate environmentalism around toxics and industry cleanups.
- Those experiences motivated her to study public policy and explore how markets, regulation, and activism shape firm behavior.
What Corporate Environmentalism Entails
- Corporate environmentalism includes proactive investments like renewables, emissions targets, and internal carbon pricing.
- These firm-led actions range from local cleanups to corporation-wide climate strategies.
Disclosure ≠ Performance
- The CDP surveys firms on governance, risk management, targets and emissions but grades disclosure not performance.
- Hsueh distinguishes sustainability outputs (disclosure) from environmental outcomes (actual emission reductions).
