This year, the Stigler Center for the Study of the Economy and the State recorded a number of panels on topical issues with top experts. These are the three most-watched webinars of 2022.
China’s New Path: Challenges and Opportunities
China has experienced several socio-economic developments recently, including a consolidation of political power, increasing regulatory activity in various sectors, and a renewed government emphasis on “common prosperity”. These changes suggest a shift in China’s political economy, and perhaps a new era in the country’s development – with unclear domestic and global consequences. This year the Stigler Center hosted a series of conversations on the current situation and future prospects for China at home and abroad.
For the first event in this series, we invited Zhiguo He (Chicago Booth), Minxin Pei (Claremont McKenna), and Susan Thornton (Yale Law School), for a conversation moderated by Jamil Anderlini (POLITICO Europe).
2. Unpacking ESG: Exit vs. Voice
Should investors focus on divesting from companies (exit) or changing them from inside (voice)?
In addition to direct investment in accordance with ESG principles, investors have a number of ways to influence and promote socially and environmentally desirable outcomes. In the news, we hear of investors choosing to divest from certain assets while others seek to drive company change as shareholders and board members. Though often discussed as opposing strategies, we seek to examine when and why investors may choose one strategy and how collectively these strategies can impact change.
Panelists included Elizabeth McGeveran (Director of Investments, McKnight Foundation), David Swift (Chief Operating Officer, Engine No. 1), Luigi Zingales (Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance), and Marianne Bertrand (Professor of Economics).
3. China’s Leadership Transition
This was yet another event in the Stigler Center’s series on the political economy of China. Panelists included Meg Rithmire (Associate Professor of Business of Administration, Harvard Business School), Victor Shih (Associate Professor; Ho Miu Lam Chair in China and Pacific Relations UC San Diego) and Sue-Lin Wong (China correspondent, The Economist).
