The BGIE Unit conducts research on, and teaches about, the economic, political, social, and legal environment in which business operates. The Unit includes scholars trained in economics, political science, and history; in its work, it draws on perspectives from all three of these disciplines.

The following demonstrates one way of classifying the approaches the Unit takes to learning and teaching.

• The Unit examines the “rules” and policies established by government and other non-business institutions that affect business in the United States.
• The Unit turns to history to understand the origins of today’s business environment as well as some of the alternatives that have emerged from time to time.
• The Unit examines other countries’ business environments and their historical development.
• The BGIE group is deeply interested in the impact of globalization and the way rules are emerging to govern international economic transactions as globalization proceeds.