When the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) decided to review how it determines what countries to invest in, the Center asked Lincoln Crow to develop and coordinate a campaign to educate CalPERS trustees about the use quality labor and environmental data when investing in emerging markets.
Working closely with key trustees Lincoln Crow found opportunities to educate both trustees and union members about the benefits of tougher investment standards. Bringing in outside experts and intervening in key public hearings, representatives of the AFL-CIO were able to build a logical case for the positive fiduciary impact of such standards.
By the time the CalPERS board decided to adopt the new standards they were so committed to changing investors criteria for thinking about these markets that they determined to build a comprehensive data base that they can share with other pension funds.