RSC Scholars’ Exchange with Dr. Mohammad Ali Jamali

This presentation examines the structural limitations of sustainable finance in emerging as a global strategy for advancing development and its ability to deliver measurable SDG outcomes, through the lens of contemporary financial and policy frameworks. Drawing on evidence from ESG practices, green finance instruments, and cross-national regulatory initiatives, it explores how the mechanisms of sustainable finance have expanded rapidly yet often fail to generate verifiable developmental impact.

The discussion foregrounds three systemic tensions that shape this mismatch, and concludes by showing how, within this evolving policy landscape, sustainable finance often reflects a reification of developmental aspirations, symbolically aligning with the SDGs while revealing critical gaps between financial instrument design and real-world developmental outcomes.