Law and Public Policy
Our Endangered Planet: How to Protect and Promote Sustainable Development
The title of an upcoming Festival of Thinkers panel, "Future Resources: Envisioning Sustainable Development," only begins to hint at the broad range of interconnected subjects that go into any discussion of sustainability -- ranging from ecological concerns and population control to economic disparity and social disruption. Panelists will discuss the prospects for sustainability as societies move forward in an increasingly crowded world characterized by dwindling resources, continued poverty, civil wars and climate change, among other challenges.
The Good, the Bad and the Exaggerated in Michael Moore's New Film, 'Capitalism: A Love Story'
Michael Moore's movie, Capitalism: A Love Story, doesn't pull any punches in its depiction of capitalism as the monster that is destroying America. Moore's villains range from Wall Street bankers to Wal-Mart to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, while capitalism's victims include those who are losing their jobs, their houses and, in some cases, their faith in a system that is supposed to reward hard work and playing by the rules. Knowledge@Wharton asked Kent Smetters, a professor of insurance and risk management at Wharton who describes himself as "generally right of center," to review Capitalism: A Love Story.
Five Questions: What's New with Net Neutrality and India's Mobile Markets?
Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski in late September outlined principles of net neutrality to promote more open use of the Internet. What will these developments mean for business in the U.S. and other parts of the world? In a new interview format called Five Questions, Rajesh Jain, CEO of India-based Netcore, asks Wharton legal studies and business ethics professor Kevin Werbach about net neutrality. In the second part of the interview, roles are reversed and Werbach poses five questions to Jain about opportunities in the Indian mobile market, which is going through explosive growth.
FCC's Cable TV Ruling: Will the Competitive Landscape Change?
For cable TV companies in the U.S., August 28 was a day to celebrate. Ending several years of regulatory battles, a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals came down in favor of Philadelphia-based Comcast, which sought to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's contentious 30% market share limit on cable TV operators. Not everyone is happy about the ruling, fearing it will lead to cable monopolies. In contrast, Peter S. Fader, professor of marketing and co-director of the Wharton Interactive Media Initiative, sees this as a "golden age" for the industry and consumers alike. Fader spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about why the recent ruling is likely to make the landscape more, not less, competitive.
Connecting the Dots at the World Economic Forum: 'We Can No Longer Face Global Issues Alone'
Economic progress, ethics and social entrepreneurship are three themes that have long had a place on the agenda of the World Economic Forum (WEF), well before phrases like "subprime lending" had crossed the lips of bankers and Wall Street investors. But how can these and other global topics remain relevant during today's market turbulence? To answer that question, Knoweldge@Wharton spoke with Gilbert Probst, WEF managing director and dean of the Geneva-based, non-profit think tank's Global Leadership Fellows program; Tiffany West, associate director and Global Leadership Fellow, Program Development team; and Ana Karinna Sepulveda, project manager for the WEF's Global Education Initiative.
Can 'Cash for Clunkers' Help Jump-start the Auto Industry?
Ford reported its first sales gain in 20 months, thanks to the U.S. government's "cash for clunkers" rebate program that gives consumers a rebate of up to $4,500 to trade in older cars for new and more fuel-efficient models. Other manufacturers said their continuing sales declines would have been worse without the program. All in all, the officially named Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) provided taxpayers with a good return on their investment, Wharton management professor John Paul MacDuffie says in an interview with Knowledge@Wharton. But, he adds, the auto industry -- most notably GM and Toyota -- have a lot of work to do to prepare for a marketplace transformed by the financial crisis and growing demand for fuel efficiency.
Sacrifice and National Service: From the Civil War to Today's Financial Crisis
When President Barack Obama delivered his victory speech last November, he used the words "a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice" – a theme that he has continued to sound since taking office in January. But the concept of sacrifice is not new. When it comes to American history, sacrifice has long been a unifying ideal in times of crisis, and it has also long been a concept used by government to enlarge its scope, according to a recent book by Drew Gilpin Faust titled, "This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War."
Former Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani: 'We Are on the Razor's Edge'
When Nandan Nilekani was the CEO of Infosys, one of India's top IT and outsourcing firms, he often found himself being forced to answer questions, not just about his company, but also his country. Sometimes, global business executives who visited the company's sprawling campus in Bangalore would raise issues to which Nilekani had no answer -- such as, "Why does Infosys have such a beautiful campus, but also large slums in other parts of the city?" So when Nilekani decided to write a book, unlike other CEOs who write about their favorite leadership or management theories, he chose India as his subject. In "Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation," Nilekani tackles themes ranging from education and demographics to investment and infrastructure. Nilekani, who was recently recruited by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to head a project to create a national identification card for the country, spoke with India Knowledge@Wharton about the book at the recent Wharton India Economic Forum in Philadelphia.
One War We Shouldn't Avoid: A New Approach to Reducing the Cost of Future Catastrophes
In 2005, three major hurricanes -- Katrina, Rita and Wilma -- struck the U.S. Gulf Coast area, causing not just death and destruction, but also leading to insurance payments and federal disaster relief of more than $180 billion. Today, say the authors of a new book titled, At War with the Weather: Managing Large-Scale Risks in a New Era of Catastrophes, the U.S. is even more vulnerable to catastrophic losses. Written by Howard Kunreuther and Erwann Michel-Kerjan, with colleagues Neil Doherty, Martin Grace, Robert Klein and Mark Pauly, At War with the Weather analyzes current thinking about catastrophes and proposes new solutions for reducing loss and providing financial protection against future disasters. Kunreuther, co-director of Wharton's Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, and Michel-Kerjan, the Center's managing director, recently talked to Knowledge@Wharton about their book.
'Rewarding Failure': Will the Crisis Leave a Residue of Moral Hazard?
The federal government has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into the banking system, and most experts seem to agree that the financial crisis is closer to its end than its beginning. But as attention shifts from fire fighting to rebuilding, many are worrying about the "moral hazard" that may remain, with an apparent government safety net encouraging a new round of foolish risk taking.
Articles 1 to 10 of 282 More >>
The title of an upcoming Festival of Thinkers panel, "Future Resources: Envisioning Sustainable Development," only begins to hint at the broad range of interconnected subjects that go into any discussion of sustainability -- ranging from ecological concerns and population control to economic disparity and social disruption. Panelists will discuss the prospects for sustainability as societies move forward in an increasingly crowded world characterized by dwindling resources, continued poverty, civil wars and climate change, among other challenges.
The Good, the Bad and the Exaggerated in Michael Moore's New Film, 'Capitalism: A Love Story'
Michael Moore's movie, Capitalism: A Love Story, doesn't pull any punches in its depiction of capitalism as the monster that is destroying America. Moore's villains range from Wall Street bankers to Wal-Mart to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, while capitalism's victims include those who are losing their jobs, their houses and, in some cases, their faith in a system that is supposed to reward hard work and playing by the rules. Knowledge@Wharton asked Kent Smetters, a professor of insurance and risk management at Wharton who describes himself as "generally right of center," to review Capitalism: A Love Story.
Five Questions: What's New with Net Neutrality and India's Mobile Markets?
Federal Communications Commission chairman Julius Genachowski in late September outlined principles of net neutrality to promote more open use of the Internet. What will these developments mean for business in the U.S. and other parts of the world? In a new interview format called Five Questions, Rajesh Jain, CEO of India-based Netcore, asks Wharton legal studies and business ethics professor Kevin Werbach about net neutrality. In the second part of the interview, roles are reversed and Werbach poses five questions to Jain about opportunities in the Indian mobile market, which is going through explosive growth.
FCC's Cable TV Ruling: Will the Competitive Landscape Change?
For cable TV companies in the U.S., August 28 was a day to celebrate. Ending several years of regulatory battles, a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals came down in favor of Philadelphia-based Comcast, which sought to overturn the Federal Communications Commission's contentious 30% market share limit on cable TV operators. Not everyone is happy about the ruling, fearing it will lead to cable monopolies. In contrast, Peter S. Fader, professor of marketing and co-director of the Wharton Interactive Media Initiative, sees this as a "golden age" for the industry and consumers alike. Fader spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about why the recent ruling is likely to make the landscape more, not less, competitive.
Connecting the Dots at the World Economic Forum: 'We Can No Longer Face Global Issues Alone'
Economic progress, ethics and social entrepreneurship are three themes that have long had a place on the agenda of the World Economic Forum (WEF), well before phrases like "subprime lending" had crossed the lips of bankers and Wall Street investors. But how can these and other global topics remain relevant during today's market turbulence? To answer that question, Knoweldge@Wharton spoke with Gilbert Probst, WEF managing director and dean of the Geneva-based, non-profit think tank's Global Leadership Fellows program; Tiffany West, associate director and Global Leadership Fellow, Program Development team; and Ana Karinna Sepulveda, project manager for the WEF's Global Education Initiative.
Can 'Cash for Clunkers' Help Jump-start the Auto Industry?
Ford reported its first sales gain in 20 months, thanks to the U.S. government's "cash for clunkers" rebate program that gives consumers a rebate of up to $4,500 to trade in older cars for new and more fuel-efficient models. Other manufacturers said their continuing sales declines would have been worse without the program. All in all, the officially named Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) provided taxpayers with a good return on their investment, Wharton management professor John Paul MacDuffie says in an interview with Knowledge@Wharton. But, he adds, the auto industry -- most notably GM and Toyota -- have a lot of work to do to prepare for a marketplace transformed by the financial crisis and growing demand for fuel efficiency.
Sacrifice and National Service: From the Civil War to Today's Financial Crisis
When President Barack Obama delivered his victory speech last November, he used the words "a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice" – a theme that he has continued to sound since taking office in January. But the concept of sacrifice is not new. When it comes to American history, sacrifice has long been a unifying ideal in times of crisis, and it has also long been a concept used by government to enlarge its scope, according to a recent book by Drew Gilpin Faust titled, "This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War."
Former Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani: 'We Are on the Razor's Edge'
When Nandan Nilekani was the CEO of Infosys, one of India's top IT and outsourcing firms, he often found himself being forced to answer questions, not just about his company, but also his country. Sometimes, global business executives who visited the company's sprawling campus in Bangalore would raise issues to which Nilekani had no answer -- such as, "Why does Infosys have such a beautiful campus, but also large slums in other parts of the city?" So when Nilekani decided to write a book, unlike other CEOs who write about their favorite leadership or management theories, he chose India as his subject. In "Imagining India: The Idea of a Renewed Nation," Nilekani tackles themes ranging from education and demographics to investment and infrastructure. Nilekani, who was recently recruited by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to head a project to create a national identification card for the country, spoke with India Knowledge@Wharton about the book at the recent Wharton India Economic Forum in Philadelphia.
One War We Shouldn't Avoid: A New Approach to Reducing the Cost of Future Catastrophes
In 2005, three major hurricanes -- Katrina, Rita and Wilma -- struck the U.S. Gulf Coast area, causing not just death and destruction, but also leading to insurance payments and federal disaster relief of more than $180 billion. Today, say the authors of a new book titled, At War with the Weather: Managing Large-Scale Risks in a New Era of Catastrophes, the U.S. is even more vulnerable to catastrophic losses. Written by Howard Kunreuther and Erwann Michel-Kerjan, with colleagues Neil Doherty, Martin Grace, Robert Klein and Mark Pauly, At War with the Weather analyzes current thinking about catastrophes and proposes new solutions for reducing loss and providing financial protection against future disasters. Kunreuther, co-director of Wharton's Risk Management and Decision Processes Center, and Michel-Kerjan, the Center's managing director, recently talked to Knowledge@Wharton about their book.
'Rewarding Failure': Will the Crisis Leave a Residue of Moral Hazard?
The federal government has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into the banking system, and most experts seem to agree that the financial crisis is closer to its end than its beginning. But as attention shifts from fire fighting to rebuilding, many are worrying about the "moral hazard" that may remain, with an apparent government safety net encouraging a new round of foolish risk taking.
Articles 1 to 10 of 282 More >>