The premise of this initiative was simple, as high inflation continues and recession fears abound, there is great concern that the working class will be left further behind as the top 1 percent continues to accrue wealth – which begs the question, is capitalism working for all of us? At least four forces are pushing for new ideas about capitalism and many potential areas of inquiry arise from these pressures, including: changes in the economic environment; the roles of investors in influencing business decision-making; effects of social movements on business decision-making; and actions by individual firms or groups of firms to address climate change.
This past initiative was led by Dean Emeritus and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics Glenn Hubbard convened business professionals, philanthropic leaders, academics, and journalists to explore these issues, including whether traditional cultural and economic factors supporting innovation and capitalism are still the right ones, as well as the roles for business and government in a modern capitalist economy.
