Results for POLECON

This course focuses on the firm's strategic interactions with nonmarket players, like politicians, interest groups, activists, regulators, and bureaucrats. These players work within the public institutions that determine the "rules of the game" for market activity. Their interventions, like passing a new piece of legislation or writing new regulatory standards, shape market competition and the opportunities available to firms. The goal of the course is to build a deeper understanding of and appreciation for what goes on beyond the market, and to develop tools and frameworks with which to analyze it. We will focus on building integrated strategies for optimal firm performance that combine elements from within and beyond markets. The course is case-based, drawing on case studies from a variety of countries and institutional environments.

This course addresses managerial issues in the social, political and legal environments of business. Cases and readings emphasize strategies to improve the performance of companies in light of their multiple constituencies, both within the US and internationally. Most core courses focus on firms' interactions with customers, suppliers, and alliance partners in the form of mutually beneficial voluntary exchange transacted in markets. In contrast, this course considers the strategic interactions of firms with comparably important constituents, organizations, and institutions beyond markets. Issues considered include those involving activist and interest groups, the media, legislatures, regulatory and antitrust agencies, and other forms of political risk. In many of the class sessions, we will draw on theoretical and empirical research in political economy, a field that is particularly relevant for understanding relationships between firms and governments, because (unlike most of economics) political economy focuses on interactions that are neither voluntary nor transacted via money.

This course explores the experience of respected business leaders who have been able to integrate their spiritual and business lives successfully. It also provides an explicit opportunity for students to discuss their own intentions to find deep meaning in and through their business careers. Difficulties, struggles and barriers will be examined as well. Readings will include both biographies of specific business people and background materials on the major religious and philosophical traditions represented. A number of the exemplars whose biographical information will be examined, like Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, will be invited to class -- initially to listen to the class discussion, and then to provide feedback to students, expand on their own biographies and the background resources read in preparation for each class, and respond to questions and answers. This course will help students elucidate how their business careers fit into what ultimately matters most to them and how to build moral courage and long-term commitment to their ideals.

What does one need to know about Islam to do business effectively in an Arab country? How can understanding the Protestant ethic help Mexican managers deal with U.S. partners? How does Confucianism influence Chinese business ethics? What are the business advantages of knowing how different countries rate on the spectrum of individualist versus communitarian values? These are the kinds of issues discussed in this course, which seeks to help students who will be engaged in international business during their careers. It aims to examine the deeper levels of attitudes and beliefs, often unconscious, which lie beneath the way business is done in various countries. Information will be provided on major religious and philosophical traditions like Confucianism, Shinto, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Some cross-cultural frameworks will also be considered. Case studies and background readings are set in nations like China, Japan, India, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Mexico and the United States. The class will be discussion-based, drawing on students- own life experiences as well as the cases and readings. The hope is to provide a competitive advantage, both theoretically and practically, to students through understanding certain unspoken rules of the game in global business.

The future of the energy industry is deeply intertwined with politics and the formation of policy. In this class we'll take a deeper dive into the market and beyond-market (policy) strategies in the energy industry. Our focus will be on new clean energy technologies as they attempt to break into the industry. Each session will address a business problem and analyze the interaction of market structure and the beyond-market environment. The business problem will either come from a written case or a guest speaker. Topics covered: 1) Mapping the regulated energy landscape: the politics and innovation of the renewable energy industry. 2) Working with State Regulators and Using the beyond-market to dislodge entrenched incumbents. 3) Beyond State Politics: The US & Australian Federal Government. 4) The Utilities from inside and outside. 5) Investing in a highly regulated industry. This course is led by Steve Callander, GSB professor of public and private management & political economy and Josh Richman, VP of global business development and policy at Bloom Energy.

Cities are where billions of people live and they are the engine for innovation and economic growth. They are also going through enormous change and battling with fundamental problems, like housing, transportation, urban planning, the environment, safety, transparency and more. Innovation offers the promise of exciting solutions. But for that change to happen, it must serve the interests of the people who live in a city and overcome the challenges of politics and policymaking. The class will focus on this intersection. We will analyze cities as a distinct phenomenon, look at what is possible technologically, and explore how change can be made to happen. The class will consist of a combination of case studies, guest speakers, and class discussion. It will be led by Steve Callander, GSB Professor of Political Economy, and Sarah Hunter, the director of Global Public Policy at X, the google Moonshot Factory.

This capstone course uses novels and plays as a basis for examining the moral and spiritual aspects of business leadership and of the environment in which business is done. On the one hand literature is used as the basis for examining the character of business people, while on the other hand literature provides illumination of the cultural contexts of values and beliefs within which commercial activities take place in a global economy. The course is organized around the interplay of religious traditions and national identities. Classes are taught in a Socratic, discussion-based style, creating as much of a seminar atmosphere as possible. A two-text method is used, encouraging students to examine their own personal stories with as much care as the stories presented in the literature. This course will be graded on the basis of class participation, weekly reflection papers (1 page), and a final paper. There will be no exam. Course previously offered as POLECON 349.

This course provides an introduction to empirical and theoretical research in political economy, focusing on issues in democracies. Topics include institutional foundations, accountability and electoral incentives, candidate positioning, voter behavior, polarization, media and political communication, redistribution, special interests and lobbying, immigration, and populism.

Workshop for in-progress work by doctoral students in the PE program. Students present work and get feedback from other students and the faculty instructor.

This course is offered for students requiring specialized training in an area not covered by existing courses. To register, a student must obtain permission from the faculty member who is willing to supervise the reading.

This course is elected as soon as a student is ready to begin research for the dissertation, usually shortly after admission to candidacy. To register, a student must obtain permission from the faculty member who is willing to supervise the research.

Doctoral Practicum in Teaching

Doctoral Practicum in Research