Featured Research
HBS faculty conduct research that business leaders can put into action as they work
to ensure their firms create value for all stakeholders. Visit topically-focused research
sites to find more research output related to environment, inequality, and social impact.
The BiGS Idea: Strategies to Increase Diversity in OrganizationsThe BiGS Idea: Strategies to Increase Diversity in Organizations
Professor Frank Dobbin discusses what works and what backfires when companies implement diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, and he offers advice for companies hoping to create a more diverse workforce.
BiGS Idea: Accounting for ClimateBiGS Idea: Accounting for Climate
HBS Professor Bob Kaplan explains why the current method of tracking carbon emissions is not working, and proposes a new framework to fix it, called E-liabilities.
BiGS Idea: Divesting for ClimateBiGS Idea: Divesting for Climate
HBS Professor Boris Vallee offers proof that when lenders divest from coal producers and coal-reliant industries, the result is lower carbon emissions. The results come from a paper done by Professor Vallee and Professor Daniel Green.
The Changing Role of Business in Society
By: Peter Tufano, Sandra Sucher & Debora Spar
- OCT 2022
New research from The Institute for the Study of Business in Global Society (BiGS) and the Edelman Trust Institute shows that business is being called upon to play a leadership role in society. According to a global survey of over 14,000 respondents, business is the most trusted and most competent institution in society and is viewed as being able to have a positive impact on issues ranging from wage inequality to climate change. However, businesses need to reinforce their words with actions to maintain society’s trust.
When Climate Collaboration Is Treated as an Antitrust Violation
By: Matteo Gasparini, Knut Haanaes, & Peter Tufano
- OCT 2022
Carbon emissions transcend firms and borders—they are a massive, unpriced externality. Companies across industries are increasingly waking up to the need to cooperate in the fight against climate change but the law might get in the way. Across Europe and the U.S., regulators are discussing whether corporate climate collaborations violate antitrust law. Companies need to keep an eye on this debate, and regulators should strive to incorporate the effect of a partnership on emissions into antitrust considerations.
In the COVID Era, Corporate Health Benefits Demand CEO Leadership
By: Professor Regina Herzlinger
- SEP 2022
To Drive Diversity Efforts, Don’t Tiptoe Around Your Legal Risk
By: Edward Chang & Bonnie Levine
- JUL 2022
Many DEI initiatives are scuttled because DEI leaders and legal teams feel themselves to be at odds over questions of acceptable risk. DEI leaders see lawyers as guardians of the status quo, whereas legal experts, trained to anticipate the worst, believe they are protecting the company from legal risk. In most situations they’re confronted with a risk-reward calculus that’s easy to quantify.
2022 Edelman Trust Barometer: The Geopolitical Business
By: Edelman Trust Institute
- MAY 2022
The latest version of the Edelman Trust Barometer shows that there is a “new values mandate for business to be an ethical participant in society.” The report found that geopolitics is now a key issue for business to address and that, while trust in business is rising in the West, those gains are only seen among those in the top quartile of income.
Slavery and Capitalism
By: Sophus A. Reinert & Cary Williams
- MAR 2022
The birth of “Modern Economic Growth” constituted a watershed in human history, allowing societies to escape the Malthusian impasse and permanently raise living standards. While the new growth regime had lifted billions of people out of extreme poverty over the last two centuries, the total distribution of economic gains—both between and within countries—had been far from equitable.
Accounting for Climate Change
By: Robert S. Kaplan & Karthik Ramanna
- DEC 2021
Corporations are facing growing pressure—from investors, advocacy groups, politicians, and even business leaders themselves—to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from their operations and their supply and distribution chains. About 90% of the companies in the S&P 500 now issue some form of environmental, social, and governance report, almost always including an estimate of the company’s GHG emissions.