Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government
The Political Economy of Firms and States in a Changing World
Business interests are powerful players in all political systems, and an improved understanding of state-business relations is essential to addressing many of the most significant challenges of our time, from the weakening of democratic institutions to the reversal of global economic integration.
What strategies do firms use to secure their interests? Why do these strategies vary across contexts and over time? How do divisions within business shape politics and policy? When do state-business relations lead to capture and corruption? Under what conditions is business influence instead a force for responsive government and broadly shared prosperity?
When business is not part of the solution, it is frequently part of the problem. By better understanding the political economy of business-government relations in the contemporary world, we hope to provide new insights into how business influence can be a positive force for democracy and development.
Our work thus focuses on several broad problems: strategies of business influence; firm responses to deglobalization; the politics of deindustrialization; and concentration, regulation, and technology. We aim to address these themes by bringing together a multidisciplinary group of scholars at all career stages to reexamine and revitalize the study of business and politics.
If you are a current Harvard affiliate and would like to get involved, please join the mailing list. More information about the cluster’s research themes and upcoming agenda is available on its website.
Administration
The Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government is chaired by Professors Alisha Holland, Gautam Nair, Meg Elizabeth Rithmire, and Dani Rodrik. Diana Ocampo Belloso is the cluster coordinator.
Alisha Holland
aholland@fas.harvard.eduResearch interests: The political determinants and consequences of infrastructure projects in Latin America; migration; crime control; and subnational governance.
Gautam Nair
gnair@hks.harvard.eduResearch interests: Comparative and international political economy; distributive politics; business-government relations; and South Asia.
Meg Elizabeth Rithmire
mrithmire@hbs.eduResearch interests: Comparative political economy of development and globalization in China and Southeast Asia.
Dani Rodrik
dani_rodrik@harvard.eduResearch interests: Globalization; economic growth and development; and political economy.
Diana Ocampo Belloso
dianaocampobelloso@wcfia.harvard.edu
Other Weatherhead Research Clusters
Born out of a need to complement the Center’s traditional focus of supporting individual faculty and student research, our Weatherhead Research Clusters revolve around hefty questions for the social sciences and the world. These research clusters represent core faculty interests, and aim to make a significant contribution by pushing the frontier of knowledge in their respective fields.
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Weatherhead Research Cluster on Identity and Conflict
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Valuing Accessibility
The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs welcomes affiliates with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you are associated with the Weatherhead Center or one of its programs and would like to request accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please get in touch with your program coordinator in advance of your participation. Requests for Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance, if possible. Please note that the university will make every effort to secure services, but that services are subject to availability.