More and more analysts strive to measure the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of companies for investors for two reasons: first, to help them redirect their investments towards companies needed for the transition towards a more sustainable economy, second, to help them better understand a company’s risks. There is no standardized definition of ESG performance, which is thus the product of analysts’ methodologies. Relying on qualitative research, I explore how analysts produce this performance, and their own professional identity, in interaction with financial norms and discourse. The interpretation of my findings through a theoretical framework inspired by Axel Honneth and Judith Butler reveals how analysts internalize and reproduce these norms that determine their professional recognition and the recognizability of their analyses, but that also produce a reified representation of the world. I contribute to the literature on accountability and on performativity.
