Columbia Business School’s Hub Will Advance Social Impact

Columbia Business School announced the opening of The Hub – a new think tank dedicated to addressing today’s most pressing issues. With an initial focus on the intersection of business and society, The Hub will foster dialogue and the exchange of ideas between scholars, practitioners, policymakers, and the broader public. Located on the School’s new state-of-the-art campus in Manhattanville, The Hub will generate and disseminate thought leadership to equip leaders with the knowledge they need to address major societal issues through research, curriculum development, keynote events, and more.

Business and Society was selected as the inaugural theme because of the immense opportunity for businesses and policymakers to address societal issues and make a meaningful difference.

“The last several years have taught us that business leaders can’t afford to stay on the sidelines when it comes to world events. The current global climate requests timely attention and action,” said Columbia Business School’s Vice Dean for Research and Arthur J. Samberg Professor of Business Oded Netzer. “Today’s challenges are increasingly complex and require greater collaboration across stakeholders. The Hub, which will bring academia, industry, government, non-profits, and the broader public together, is an essential part of combatting these challenges, and, ultimately, driving true change and impact.”

The Hub will center its Business and Society work across numerous initiatives, starting with the following three:

Future of Capitalism

What is capitalism and what should it look like moving forward? 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% continues to accrue wealth – which begs the question, is capitalism working for all of us? To answer this question, Dean Emeritus and Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics Glenn Hubbard will convene business professionals, philanthropic leaders, academics, and journalists to consider whether our current systems for generating innovation and prosperity are still the right ones, and what roles business and government should play in a modern, late-stage capitalist economy. 

Business, AI and Democracy (BAID)

Are democracies living in a moment of crisis? Today, 72% of Americans believe democracy is under threat, due in part to the misinformation and hyper-partisan discourse dominating social media platforms. Business, AI, and Democracy (BAID), which will be overseen by Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Professor of Leadership and Ethics Bruce Kogut, will explore the impact of social and traditional media, government regulation, misinformation, and new and emerging technologies on democracy. Through academic-quality studies, advocacy, and events, BAID will lead the discussion around the strength of democracies today.

Think Bigger Innovations

Are businesses innovating effectively? The Think Bigger Innovations initiative will address the lack of success in corporate entrepreneurship and particularly around innovations with societal benefits. Led by S.T. Lee Professor of Business Sheena Iyengar, Think Bigger will connect innovators across various industries with global  executives, corporate board members, private equity leadership, and selected academics to learn the processes and strategies companies have implemented to make innovation successful and attainable.

Read more about the Hub at https://business.columbia.edu/hub.