Education - Stone Centre for the Study of Wealth Inequality

This course has one core objective: understanding which business decisions positively impact society, and what it means for business to be a force for good. This requires understanding other institutions shaping social well-being: markets, governments, legal systems, culture, and international institutions. While distinct from a "non-market strategy" course focused on navigating constraints like regulation or reputation, this course remains highly career-relevant: sustainability consulting is booming, sustainable investing is rising, and every industry now weighs its environmental impact. The course takes a balanced view of profit-seeking, recognizing how markets channel self-interest toward common good, while thoughtfully examining the market failures that complicate this picture. We'll also pay close attention to business innovation as a driver of progress.

This course focuses on public policy issues that affect all of society and what we (businesses, government, individuals) should be aware of to understand our influence on them. It examines this broader environment from the perspective of the firm through both case studies and through the lens of how businesses can be most competitive in environments where these issues can be a constraint but also an opportunity. Understanding how businesses should react to or affect major policy issues will affect their ability to perform and create value, not only for its shareholders but for society as well.

Global politics fundamentally shape the global economy. By creating laws and regulations, domestic and international political actors create “the rules of the” game for doing business and mold the strategies and impacts from other non-state actors, like interest groups. As you progress in your business career, your ability to assess and handle the political and policy-making environment will be an important asset. This will be true whether you will be doing business within or outside your home country. The purpose of this course is to help you develop this ability.

As every issue of the Financial Times illustrates, politics is a major force in shaping business worldwide. As you progress in your business career towards higher-level management, your ability to assess and handle the political environment will become an increasingly significant skill. This is particularly true if, like most INSEAD graduates, you will be doing business internationally or outside your home country. The purpose of this course is to help you develop this vital ability. Sessions cover issues such as: understanding politics; state structures; varieties of capitalism; industrial policy; international and regional regimes; the future of international politics; international political economy and the WTO; and the power of NGOs.

Growing inequality is one of the biggest social, economic and political challenges of our time. Over the past two decades, an extremely small share of the population has accumulated an ever-increasing share of society’s resources. The concentration of wealth at the very top is part of a much broader rise in disparities all along the income distribution. While people at the top enjoy increasing income and employment opportunities, the middle class face narrowing employment options and stagnating incomes.  At the same time, emerging markets have captured an ever-increasing portion of global income. Understanding the causes and implications of these changes for both society and for business will be the focus of this course.

Power is one of the most fundamental concepts in the social sciences. From philosophers, to politicians, to even comic book writers, people have observed that regardless of whether you have a desire or disdain for it, power plays a pivotal role in societies and organizations. The purpose of this course is to help you (i) understand, (ii) analyse, and (iii) harness power. Both anecdotal evidence and decades of research have shown that power can dramatically impact the way we think, feel and behave—in ways we do not expect. This course will illuminate the interpersonal, psychophysiological, and interpersonal effects of power. You will learn practical and useful political skills that will help you navigate and manage power dynamics in organisations.