# Stewardship

*ESG & Sustainable Finance — Finicade finance glossary*

Stewardship is investors using ownership rights — engagement, voting, escalation — to influence company behaviour rather than simply selling. It's the main alternative to divestment, and its logic is direct: a seller has no further influence while a holder retains a vote. Evidence of effectiveness is mixed and depends heavily on whether engagement carries a credible escalation behind it.

**Also known as:** active ownership, engagement, stewardship code

**Related terms:** [Proxy Voting](https://finicade.com/glossary/proxy-voting), [Divestment](https://finicade.com/glossary/divestment), [Corporate Governance](https://finicade.com/glossary/corporate-governance), [Activist Investor](https://finicade.com/glossary/activist-investor), [Sustainable Investing](https://finicade.com/glossary/sustainable-investing)

Source: https://finicade.com/glossary/stewardship