Past Event Coverage
The Corporations and Society Initiative hosts the nation’s leading academics and practitioners to discuss the complex and interacting forces that impact corporations and society.
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Leadership in the Age of Outrage: Lessons from Karthik Ramanna
At a recent Stanford GSB’s CASI event, Ramanna discussed a new book he wrote to help business leaders navigate internal and external pressures.
November 20, 2024
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Defending Democracy and Justice in an Era of Rising Autocracies
At a CASI-hosted event, Sir William Browder (GSB ’89) discusses investing, human rights, and managing high-risk markets.
October 31, 2024
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Fifteen Cents on the Dollar: Authors Unveil the Stark Black-White Wealth Gap
CASI-hosted discussion with journalists Ebony Reed and Louise Story on their new book examining the historical and ongoing issues that fuel economic discrimination.
June 17, 2024
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"Davos Man" Exposed: Can Billionaires Really Solve Our Problems?
New York Times’ reporter Peter Goodman discusses rising inequality and challenges the effectiveness of billionaire solutions.
May 08, 2024
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The Great Debate: Is Democracy For Sale?
A CASI-hosted panel discussion reveals the challenges of creating a fair economy.
May 03, 2024
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Stanford Launches New Program on Capitalism and Democracy
CASI at the GSB and CDDRL at Freeman Spogli Collaborate to Address Democratic Recession
May 02, 2024
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A Conversation with Fahmi Quadir, Wall Street's Fearless Short Seller
At a CASI-hosted discussion, Quadir provided insights into the mindset and strategies of a seasoned short seller in navigating complex market dynamics
February 20, 2024
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China's Rise: An In-Depth Conversation with David Barboza
Former NY Times journalist and co-founder of The Wire China & WireScreen discusses the economic and technological changes that have redefined the global balance of power.
February 09, 2024
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Power and Politics in Banking
A conversation with CASI Faculty Director Anat Admati and Kevin Warsh, former governor of the Federal Reserve, moderated by Professor Amit Seru
February 01, 2024
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How Banking Undermines Democracy
In a recent CDDRL seminar, CASI Faculty Director and Professor Anat Admati shared her research on how banks use their power to break and distort rules with impunity.
January 12, 2024
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Five Takeaways: What’s the Point of an MBA?
Exploring the value of an MBA: A Stanford GSB Perspective
December 14, 2023
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Choosing a Path to Power for Good
The Corporations and Society Initiative (CASI) hosted an event examining leadership with Linda Ginzel, Anat Admati, and Jeffrey Pfeffer.
December 12, 2023
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Exposing The Big Fail: How COVID-19 Revealed America’s Health Divide
Investigative journalist and author Bethany McLean dissects the nation’s disjointed pandemic response.
November 21, 2023
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Bill Browder's Quest to Challenge Authoritarian Regimes and Advocate for Change
Browder discussed Putin, the war in Ukraine, ongoing efforts by the Russian leader to punish him, and his campaign for justice.
June 19, 2023
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Unmasking the Financial Secrecy System: How Rogue Capitalism Threatens Democracy
CASI-hosted event features Raymond Baker, author of Invisible Trillions, with Larry Diamond, senior fellow at Freeman Spogli Institute (FSI) and Hoover Institution.
May 25, 2023
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CASI Faculty Co-Director Anat Admati on the Recent Bank Failures and What Went Wrong
A roundup of media articles, interviews and opinion pieces with Admati, Stanford GSB Professor of Finance & Economics, who has written extensively about the banking system.
May 21, 2023
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Exposing the Big “Free Market” Myth with Author Naomi Oreskes
CASI discussion examines the consequences of businesses pushing “free market” ideology and the changes needed for markets to support rather than impede democracy.
May 19, 2023
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Tackling the Wealth Gap: KKR’s Pete Stavros and a New Employee Ownership Model
The founder and chairman of Ownership Works talks to GSB students about increasing engagement and building wealth for lower-income workers.
May 17, 2023
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Unions: A Blind Spot in Business Education Today
Faiz Shakir discusses the growing power of the labor movement and how business leaders can better engage with their employees.
May 07, 2023
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Faculty Talk: How “Free-Market Capitalism” is Overwhelming Democratic Institutions
CASI faculty co-director Anat Admati speaks at the Stanford GSB Alumni Women’s Leadership Conference.
March 22, 2023
Short Selling in Bull Markets with Founder & CIO of Safkhet Capital, Fahmi Quadir
Renowned investor Fahmi Quadir (featured in the Netflix series Dirty Money), discusses the role of the short seller in keeping markets honest and what it takes to stay afloat amidst the rising tide of a bull market. Short sellers like Quadir play an indispensable role in ferreting out fraud and holding companies accountable for what they tell their investors, their stakeholders, and the world at large. But, as we saw during the Gamestop saga, it can be a controversial and often thankless job, involving limitless risk. She shares what it is like to perform this role.
Corporations, Governments, and Cybersecurity with Nicole Perlroth
Cyber weapons, including hacks, surveillance, and ransomware can cause enormous harm to businesses, governments, and the critical infrastructure and services we all depend on. Nicole Perlroth, author of the book "This is How they Tell Me the World Ends", shares insights learned from investigating the highly opaque, often government-backed market for cyber weapons and the arms race it has created.
Can Business Help Strengthen Democracy? What Solutions Move the Needle?
If American Democracy is broken, who can fix it? This event, moderated by Didi Kuo, Stanford Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, will educate and challenge the GSB community to understand our country’s political structures and highlight where they need modernization to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Inside Amazon: A New Kind of Monopoly
Over the last two decades, Amazon has risen to become one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world—and many have started to call into question the tactics that it has used and is using to get to and stay at the top. CASI welcomed Stacy Mitchell, co-founder of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, a staunch advocate for policies that help level the playing field for independent businesses and curb corporate power, for a conversation with MBA ’21 Susannah Shattuck about the risks that Amazon poses to consumers, workers, and the market if it continues to dominate unchecked.
Surveillance Technology Governance
As the world rushes to put contact tracing and illness-tracking tools in place to enable effective response to the coronavirus pandemic, privacy experts are raising concerns about exactly how this technology will be built and governed. CASI and the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School co-sponsored a panel discussion on the use and governance of surveillance technology during (and after) the coronavirus pandemic. Our panelists shared their thoughts on how to align private and public sector interests to benefit society and support public health efforts, while also preserving privacy and civil rights.
COVID-19 Bailout Debate: Must Bailouts Go Through the Banking System?
GSB Finance Professors Arvind Krishnamurthy, Hanno Lustig, and Amit Seru joined moderator Professor Anat Admati to debate the objectives, policies, and implementation strategies of the U.S. government’s recent COVID-19 stimulus packages. This video is an excerpt from the longer conversation.
How Big Business Influences Government: A Conversation with Professor Thomas Philippon
The Corporations and Society Initiative at Stanford GSB hosts a discussion, with Professor Thomas Philippon of NYU Stern School of Business and CASI faculty director and GSB Professor of Finance Anat Admati, about Philippon's book: "The Great Reversal: How America Gave Up on Free Markets."
From Tesla to Wells Fargo: Scandal, Success, and Accountability in Corporate America
A conversation with three experts in legal, reputational, and financial risk to explore causes of, and solutions to, corporate scandals.
CASI-Stigler Center Workshops on Corporations and the State
Workshops for faculty and doctoral students, co-sponsored by the Stigler Center at Chicago Booth and the Corporations and Society Initiative at Stanford GSB.
May 12, 2021
The Political Power of Global Corporations
John Mikler, University of Sydney
Related Readings:
March 17, 2021
Unbundling Corruption: Why It Matters and How To Do It
Yuen Yuen Ang, University of Michigan
Related Reading:
2016-2018 Interdisciplinary Visitors Program
The Interdisciplinary Visitors Program was developed as a first step in breaking down academic silos to rethink corporations and capitalism. It brought together academics and practitioners with experience and expertise in law, economics, finance, policy, and the media with the goal of challenging assumptions. More details on the talks given by individual guests are linked below.
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Jerry Davis, Associate Dean for Business and Impact at the Ross School of Business
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Lee Drutman, Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation
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Jesse Eisinger, Senior Reporter at ProPublica
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Frank Foer, Contributing Editor at Slate
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Peter Georgescu, Chairman and CEO at Young & Rubican
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Bethany McLean, Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair
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Fiona Scott Morton, Theodore Nierenberg Professor of Economics at Yale University School of Management