The Ownership Project

The Ownership Project explores how structuring ownership of key elements in the economy can help businesses and communities address pressing societal challenges and support human values in the 21st century.

How ownership is structured is foundational for any economy: Ownership shapes the exchange of goods and services between buyers and sellers, grants access and control over capital and resources, and mediates the governance of economic enterprises. Despite its centrality, the topic of ownership leaves much to be explored.

Founded in 2024 as part of the Institute for Business in Global Society at Harvard Business School, The Ownership Project addresses this gap by systematically and comprehensively expanding the theoretical, empirical, and practical study of ownership through collaborations involving scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.

From acreage to AI: Rethinking business ownership

Harvard Business School faculty discuss how the initiative studies different ownership structures in the economy and their impacts on individuals, businesses, and communities.

Video duration:1:50

The Ownership Project goes right to the heart of what BiGS is designed and excited about doing, which is to ask really important questions: Does ownership matter? Which forms of ownership deliver what kinds of outcomes and for whom?

A headshot of Debora Spar.
Debora L. Spar; Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor Business Administration Senior Associate Dean for Business in Global Society

Research

Three workstreams

Enterprises

What are the advantages and limitations of different ways of structuring the ownership of business enterprises? Under what conditions are some preferable over others? What are the key institutional features that support particular forms of ownership? Current research includes cases on employee ownership trusts, developing dimensions for an expanded typology of ownership models, creating a cartography of alternative ownership models, and studies on how private equity can fund worker ownership.

  • Worker Ownership and Profit Sharing

  • Steward, Purpose, and Trust Ownership

  • Private Equity

  • Family Ownership

  • Shareholder Ownership

  • Early-Stage Ventures

Resources

How does ownership shape access to and allocation of the myriad resources that contribute to a functioning economy, flourishing society, and individual wellbeing? Ongoing research in this area includes studies on community land trusts and an exploration of non-Western land ownership practices with EthicsLab in Cameroon.

  • Land

  • Housing

  • Water and Natural Resources

  • Financial Assets and Access to Capital

Societal challenges

In what ways can ownership be structured to address problems in society? Where does ownership provide an underexplored opportunity to overcome challenges to the common good? How do technological and societal changes in the 21st century create opportunities and challenges to existing and emergent forms of ownership? Active projects include a survey of innovative local media ownership models, a case preserving the ownership of human ideas against copyright infringement and AI, and a technology development sprint with the U.S. Census Bureau creating tools that empower community-led wellbeing measurement.

  • Media Ecosystem

  • Economic Transitions

  • Environmental Sustainability

  • Digital Economy

Want to Collaborate?

People

Faculty Co-Directors

  • Headshot of Nien-hê Hsieh

    Nien-hê Hsieh

    Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration

  • Headshot of Ethan C. Rouen

    Ethan C. Rouen

    Terrie F. and Bradley M. Bloom Associate Professor of Business Administration

  • Debora L. Spar profile photo

    Debora L. Spar

    Jaime and Josefina Chua Tiampo Professor of Business Administration, Senior Associate Dean, Business in Global Society, Unit Head, General Management

Researchers

  • Headshot of Tony Guidotti

    Tony Guidotti

  • Headshot of Emma Salomon

    Emma Salomon

  • Headshots of Ester Cho

    Esther Cho

Case studies

Videos

Events & News

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