Social Issues
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- 14 Jun 2022
- Cold Call Podcast
What Does It Take to Close the Opportunity Gap in America’s Labor Market?
In the wake of George Floyd’s killing and widespread protests for social justice in the United States, OneTen was formed by a coalition of 40 large companies to address the disparity in job opportunities for African Americans without four-year college degrees. Their goal was to provide one million jobs in 10 years. But in order to do that, OneTen had to analyze the underlying problems and formulate recommendations for both system-level problems and those that manifest themselves at an organizational level. Professor Kash Rangan and OneTen CEO Maurice Jones discuss OneTen’s approach in the case, “OneTen: One Million Opportunities in Ten Years.”

- 31 May 2022
- Cold Call Podcast
Corruption: New Insights for Fighting an Age-Old Business Problem
Corruption is as old as humanity, with cases documented as far back as the Egyptian dynasties. While the World Bank estimates that international bribery exceeds $1.5 trillion annually, the larger and more subtle effects of corruption on economies and populations is incalculable. Harvard Business School professors Geoff Jones and Tarun Khanna explore how corruption uniquely affects business in emerging markets, and why it should be addressed by the public and private sectors in their case, “Corruption and Business in Emerging Markets,” and companion video interviews with more than 100 iconic entrepreneurs in emerging markets.

- 03 May 2022
- Cold Call Podcast
Can a Social Entrepreneur End Homelessness in the US?
Community Solutions is a nonprofit founded in 2011 by Rosanne Haggerty, with the ambitious goal of ending chronic homelessness in America. Its “Built for Zero” methodology takes a public health approach, helping communities across the US use better data collection and outreach to improve government processes and piecemeal solutions. In 2021, Community Solutions was awarded a $100 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation, and Haggerty and her team had to decide how to prioritize projects and spending to maximize the grant’s impact. Should they continue to focus on unhoused veterans or expand their work to include families and youth in need of housing? Senior Lecturer Brian Trelstad discusses Haggerty’s approach in his case, "Community Solutions."

- 04 Feb 2022
- Book
Beyond the Cold War: Reinventing Socialism in 5 Countries
People have long associated socialism with the Soviet Union and Cold War, but many countries in the developing world have adapted the ideology to meet their needs, says a new book by Jeremy Friedman. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 25 May 2021
- Research & Ideas
White Airbnb Hosts Earn More. Can AI Shrink the Racial Gap?
Research by Shunyuan Zhang shows how Airbnb's pricing algorithm reduces the impact of bias, and offers lessons for other technology companies trying to root out racial inequity. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 03 May 2021
- What Do You Think?
Where Does CEO Activism Go From Here?
More than 200 CEOs, including Warren Buffett, recently spoke out in support of voting rights. But whom do these CEOs represent? asks James Heskett. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 15 Mar 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
Fairness or Control: What Determines Elected Local Leaders’ Support for Hosting Refugees in Their Community?
Local politicians are not adamantly opposed to setting up host sites for refugees in their municipalities. However, they want a fair process to ensure that interaction between refugees and residents is limited, gradual, and mediated. Most importantly, local politicians want to control those interactions.

- 02 Mar 2021
- HBS Case
The Tulsa Massacre: Is Racial Justice Possible 100 Years Later?
A new Harvard Business School case by Mihir Desai examines the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, and asks difficult questions about what reparations America owes to its Black citizens. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 23 Feb 2021
- Research & Ideas
COVID-19 Shines New Light on Working Conditions in Supply Chains
Michael Toffel discusses how the coronavirus pandemic has renewed concerns about how suppliers treat employees, and how a new online resource can help. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 23 Feb 2021
- Cold Call Podcast
Examining Race and Mass Incarceration in the United States
The late 20th century saw dramatic growth in incarceration rates in the United States. Of the more than 2.3 million people in US prisons, jails, and detention centers in 2020, 60 percent were Black or Latinx. Harvard Business School assistant professor Reshmaan Hussam probes the assumptions underlying the current prison system, with its huge racial disparities, and considers what could be done to address the crisis of the American criminal justice system in her case, “Race and Mass Incarceration in the United States.” Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 16 Feb 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
Bollywood, Skin Color, and Sexism: The Role of the Film Industry in Emboldening and Contesting Stereotypes in India after Independence
Analysis of interviews with Bollywood producers and actors shows the extent of biases in the film industry during the decades after India’s independence in 1947. Gender stereotyping has remained a noteworthy feature of films, and bias towards light skin has only intensified.

- 08 Feb 2021
- Book
How to Make the World Better, Not Perfect
If we want to do more good for the world, we must first change how we think about our behavior, says Max Bazerman in his book Better, Not Perfect. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 19 Jan 2021
- Cold Call Podcast
Engaging Community to Create Proactive, Equitable Public Safety
Saint Paul, Minnesota Mayor Melvin Carter swept into office in 2018 promising equity. He wanted a new public safety framework that would be rooted in community. Then, with the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out much of the city’s budget and the May 2020 killing of George Floyd by a police officer in neighboring Minneapolis sparking calls to defund the police, how would Mayor Carter make these changes happen? Professor Mitch Weiss discusses the challenges and rewards of “possibility government” in his case, Community-First Public Safety. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 18 Jan 2021
- Book
How Thinking Like a Startup Helps Governments Solve More Problems
Public entrepreneurship can bring agile thinking and new ideas to governments. Mitchell Weiss explains how in his new book, We the Possibility. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 01 Jul 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Social Interactions in Pandemics: Fear, Altruism, and Reciprocity
An analysis of 89 cities worldwide shows that mobility responds to infection risk, altruism, and reciprocity. Correcting the SIR model to account for this behavior shows that a balanced approach involving stringency measures, in respect of human dignity, and responsible social preferences mitigates the pandemic health and economic costs.

- 30 Jun 2020
- Book
Capitalism Is More at Risk Than Ever
Almost a decade after writing Capitalism at Risk, Joseph Bower, Herman Leonard, and Lynn Paine argue that not enough companies are stepping up to fix big global problems. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 18 Jun 2020
- Research & Ideas
What Is an "Essential" Purchase for a Low-Income Family?
Phone or flour? People with lower incomes are judged more harshly for what they choose to buy, say Serena F. Hagerty and Kate Barasz. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

- 08 Jun 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Food Security and Human Mobility During the Covid-19 Lockdown
COVID-19 represents not only a health crisis but a crisis of food insecurity and starvation for migrants. Central governments should ensure that food security policies are implemented effectively and engage with local governments and local stakeholders to distribute food to migrants in the immediate term.

- 08 May 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Corporate Environmental Impact: Measurement, Data and Information
This paper proposes a methodology for investors, companies, or regulators to use established environmental resources, reasonably accessible in the public domain, to measure an organization’s environmental impact from operations. These measurements contain information that is different from environmental ratings widely used by investors and other stakeholders.
The Moral Enterprise: How Two Companies Profit with Purpose
Despite polarized attitudes, Rebecca Henderson argues that it's the perfect time for companies to reset their moral compass. In an essay from the book A Political Economy of Justice, she explores the social efforts of Cadbury and Unilever.