Abstract

This paper investigated the development of the current status of socially responsible investment indices and their composition features, and it was found that the socially responsible investment indices were highly developed since the 2006 period. The socially responsible investment indices mostly used in European markets are becoming a trademark in many countries. Meanwhile, this paper listed some assessment criteria covering environment, social, governance and other fields. Different indices made use of the different assessment methods. This paper summarized these assessment methods and divided them into five kinds, after which it introduced their advantages and disadvantages.

Key words: Socially responsible investment, index, method, criteria.