Research Fund Fuels Cross-Disciplinary Solutions for Responsible Leadership
Stanford GSB Dean Jonathan Levin (second from left) hopes to catalyze new research aimed at addressing specific problem areas.
The Business, Government & Society Initiative spurs interdisciplinary research addressing the world’s most critical issues.
From climate change to economic inequality, the world faces challenges that require new, cross-disciplinary thinking and research. The Business, Government & Society (BGS) Initiative at Stanford GSB brings together academics, practitioners, and policymakers from across disciplines to explore solutions to these problems. The initiative is entering its third year of awarding grants from the BGS Research Fund to advance these solutions.
The fund’s goal is to strengthen connections across academic areas and between the business school and other parts of Stanford. Research grants support new approaches to five key areas:
Business & Sustainability: The economic transformation and new business models and technologies necessary to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
Business & Beneficial Technology: The opportunities and risks new technologies pose to organizations, government, and society.
Business & Free Markets: New approaches to capitalism, including a competitive and innovative private sector and the relationship between firms and governments.
Business & Economic Opportunity: The reinvention of firms, markets, and governments in a way that expands economic opportunity and social mobility.
Business & Health: The opportunities and challenges presented by the biomedical revolution and needs of global population health.
“It’s bringing an issue-focused lens to an institution that is typically siloed by academic areas,” said Maria Frantz, director of the BGS Initiative.
After the first two grant rounds, more than 50 faculty members were involved in more than 65 research projects, ranging from market design to human behavioral incentives and AI algorithms. All share a common goal: to envision responsible leadership for the next century.
“It’s not only about maximizing shareholder value,” Frantz said. “Today’s leaders have to also navigate issues around sustainability, disruptive technology, and trust in capitalism in general. How do we prepare them for this environment?”
Read the full, original story to learn more about the Stanford BGS Initiative and the BGS Research Fund.
