Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/Zeckhauser_3.5.21.pdf

This webinar was given by Richard Zeckhauser, Jack Donahue and Karen Eggleston, on Friday, March 5, 2021, to discuss their recent book, "The Dragon, the Eagle, and the Private Sector: Public-Private Collaboration in China and the United States." Professor Yijia Jing of Fudan University, China’s leading expert on public-private relationships also participated. This webinar was co-sponsored by the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, FSI, at Stanford University. Larry Summers, M-RCBG Director, also provided an opening discussion (via recording). 

The governments of China and the United States - despite profound differences in history, culture, economic structure, and political ideology - both engage the private sector in the pursuit of public value. This book employs the term collaborative governance to describe relationships where neither the public nor private party is fully in control, arguing that such shared discretion is needed to deliver value to citizens. This concept is exemplified across a wide range of policy arenas, from producing housing to hosting the Olympics, from building human capital to providing healthcare. This book empowers public decision-makers to more wisely engage the private sector.

Fareed Zakaria: “It has become increasingly clear over the last few years that in tackling a country’s problems, what matters most is the quality of government rather than the quantity. This book provides a key to understanding how to achieve that quality--public-private collaboration, done right.”

Larry Summers: “This important book addresses how the two most important countries, the U.S. and China, address what may be their most important question: How can their public and private sectors cooperate most effectively with each other to create value. This is the rare book that is both analytic and a pleasure to read. It makes a lasting impression. It deserves a very wide readership among all those concerned about the future of the global economy.”

The Dragon, the Eagle, and the Private Sector: Public Private Collaboration in China and the US

Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/Sinden_3.11.21_transcript.pdf

This seminar was given on Thursday, March 10, 2021 by Amy Sinden, Professor of Law at Temple University Beasely School of Law. It was given as part of the Regulatory Policy Program's weekly webinar series.

Regulatory Review Progressive-Style: Suggestions for the Biden-Harris Administration

How can policymakers engage the private sector to deliver urgently needed progress on climate change? What are the best ways to finance a more sustainable future? Listen to this panel of alumni experts as they discuss these questions and more.
 
Panelists include:
Nicholas Kukrika MPP 2007, Partner, Generation Investment Management (moderator)
Moses Esema MPP 2014, Senior Vice President, Renewable Energy Finance, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Claire Healy MPA 2004, Director, E3G Washington
Bracken Hendricks MPP 1998, CEO, Urban Ingenuity
Katherine Tweedie MC/MPA 2012, Head of Canada, Ninety One

View the transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/alumni/events/alumni-talk-policy/climate-finance#transcript

Alumni Talk Policy | Next Generation of Sustainable Investing

Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/Haigh_Ghosh_4.9.21_transcript.pdf

This webinar was given on Friday, April 9, 2021 by John Haigh, Co-Director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government and Lecturer in Public Policy at HKS; and Dipayan Ghosh, Co-Director of the Digital Platforms & Democracy Project.

Visit this link to read their recent paper, Recommendations to the Biden Administration: On Regulating Disinformation and other Harmful Content on Social Media: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/mrcbg/publications/fwp/2021-02

Regulating Disinformation and Harmful Content Online: Recommendations to U.S. Policymakers

Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/Steuerle_4.16.21_transcript.pdf
PPT presentation: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/Harvard%20Bus%20%2B%20Econ%204-16-21-2.pdf

In this webinar (given on Friday, April 16, 2021), Gene Steuerle demonstrated the extraordinary extent that Democrats for decades have succeeded mainly in devoting almost all real growth in spending to Social Security and health care, while Republicans have concentrated on lowering taxes on capital owned mainly by the rich and avoiding tax increases on others. Like two closing arms of a pair of scissors, these efforts have increasingly cut out investment in the young, working families, people of color, and the pursuit of opportunity for all, while leading to ever higher debt as a share of GDP. Meanwhile, monetary policy (and global markets) adds to inflation in wealth more so than in consumer prices, adding to wealth inequality and threatening slower long-term growth by propping up unproductive investment. President Biden may very well want to pursue an opportunity agenda without attacking this brick wall, but it rises higher every day.

Eugene Steuerle is an Institute fellow and the Richard B. Fisher chair at the Urban Institute. Among past positions, he was deputy assistant secretary of the US Department of the Treasury for Tax Analysis (1987–89), president of the National Tax Association (2001–02), codirector of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, chair of the 1999 Technical Panel advising Social Security on its methods and assumptions, and chair of the 2015–16 National Academy of Sciences Committee on Advancing the Power of Economic Evidence to Inform Investments in Children, Youth, and Families. Between 1984 and 1986, he was the economic coordinator and original organizer of the Treasury’s tax reform effort.

Short- and Long-Run Fiscal Policy, and the Rising Brick Wall Facing President Biden

Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/Angeloni_4.23.21_transcript.pdf
PPT Presentation: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/SLIDES%20WEBINAR%2023.4.2021.pdf
This webinar was given by M-RCBG research fellow Ignazio Angeloni on Friday, April 23, 2021. Co-authors of this study include Chantawit Tantasith and Johannes Kasinger. The seminar presented preliminary results of a project analyzing whether bank behavior and performance help explain recent patters of poverty and inequality at the local level in the US.

The analysis links up with the recent literature on rising deterioration of economic and social conditions in certain US regions. This literature has not considered financial factors so far. Yet, a long-standing stream of research has demonstrated that finance is an important co-determinant of economic performance and growth. County-level data on banking conditions do not exist in the US. Working (at least) with county-level disaggregation is necessary for this type of analysis, because in the US there exist widely different economic and social conditions across different parts of the same states. Therefore, the first part of the research (which is now at an advanced stage), was to build such data. Next, we have collected a series of indicators of economic and social conditions at county level. This is relatively straightforward as several data sources exist with the appropriate geographical disaggregation (Census, BLS, etc.). The next step is to calculate descriptive statistics and charts describing this data, prior to conducting further analysis. This part is in progress and we count on presenting evidence at the webinar. Next, the nature of the data (short-medium time dimension but very large spatial dimension) allows to conduct reliable panel data analysis of the impact of banking characteristics on local economic and social conditions. This is now starting; we may or may not be able to present results in the webinar. Eventually, assuming the FDIC allows, we intend to put the banking data at the disposal of researchers as soon as our statistical work is finished and thoroughly checked.

Financial Factors in Regional Poverty and Inequality: An Analysis Using County-Level U.S. Data

Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/Angeloni_4.23.21_transcript.pdf
PPT presentation: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/SLIDES%20WEBINAR%2023.4.2021.pdf

This webinar was given by M-RCBG research fellow Ignazio Angeloni on Friday, April 23, 2021. Co-authors of this study include Chantawit Tantasith and Johannes Kasinger. The seminar presented preliminary results of a project analyzing whether bank behavior and performance help explain recent patters of poverty and inequality at the local level in the US.

The analysis links up with the recent literature on rising deterioration of economic and social conditions in certain US regions. This literature has not considered financial factors so far. Yet, a long-standing stream of research has demonstrated that finance is an important co-determinant of economic performance and growth. County-level data on banking conditions do not exist in the US. Working (at least) with county-level disaggregation is necessary for this type of analysis, because in the US there exist widely different economic and social conditions across different parts of the same states. Therefore, the first part of the research (which is now at an advanced stage), was to build such data. Next, we have collected a series of indicators of economic and social conditions at county level. This is relatively straightforward as several data sources exist with the appropriate geographical disaggregation (Census, BLS, etc.). The next step is to calculate descriptive statistics and charts describing this data, prior to conducting further analysis. This part is in progress and we count on presenting evidence at the webinar. Next, the nature of the data (short-medium time dimension but very large spatial dimension) allows to conduct reliable panel data analysis of the impact of banking characteristics on local economic and social conditions. This is now starting; we may or may not be able to present results in the webinar. Eventually, assuming the FDIC allows, we intend to put the banking data at the disposal of researchers as soon as our statistical work is finished and thoroughly checked.

How does AI affect the future of employment? How can the private and public sectors ensure that this tectonic shift does not worsen inequality? Listen to this panel of alumni experts as they discuss these questions and more.

Panelists include:
Chris Riback MPP 1992, Founder, Good Guys Media Ventures (moderator)
Simon Mueller MC/MPA 2015, Principal, Boston Consulting Group
Shireen Santosham MPA 2009, Head of Strategic Initiatives, Plenty
Anna Stansbury MPP 2005, Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

View the transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/alumni/events/alumni-talk-policy/ai-employment-gap#transcript

Alumni Talk Policy | AI, Employment, and the Opportunity Gap

​Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/Bilmes_Brooks_4.30.21_transcript.pdf
This webinar was given on Friday, April 30, 2021 by Linda J. Bilmes, the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at HKS and Cornell William Brooks, Hauser Professor of the Practice of Nonprofit Organizations; Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership and Social Justice at HKS. Financial restitution is a widely accepted, utilized, and institutionalized mechanism by which the federal government compensates for harms. The U.S. has paid many forms of “reparations” throughout its history and has implemented hundreds of programs that compensate individuals and their descendants for various harms. In their new study, Bilmes and Brooks have developed a taxonomy of harms against African Americans in which the federal government played a direct or indirect role, and have mapped many of the interrelationships among these harms using data visualization software. They have then examined the issue of restorative justice and restitution to African Americans within the context of existing federal compensatory mechanisms. They provide a brief preview of a paper that they plan to release on June 19, 2021.

Restorative Justice: U.S. Norms for Compensating Harms for Restitution to African Americans

Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/Transcript_Future%20of%20Tech%20Commission%20Town%20Hall.pdf

Future of Tech Commission Town Hall: A Public Discussion on Creating Safe, Healthy Online Spaces for All Americans

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has reminded American families of the enormous possibilities and advantages of technology today and in the future. Please join us for this public town hall, led by the Future of Tech Commission, to generate input and feedback on the most urgent tech policy issues facing our economy and democracy.

The Future of Tech Commission is a private, independent and bipartisan working group developed in response to discussions with the White House and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to recommend a comprehensive tech policy agenda for the nation. The ideas and feedback generated from this event and diverse communities and groups across the country will be used to craft key tech policy measures, and set the stage to implement a robust tech agenda with bipartisan support.

In this town hall sponsored by the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government (M-RCBG), and co-sponsored by the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy and the Institute of Politics, we’ll be discussing how to protect the safety and health of Americans on online platforms, and how to foster a trustworthy and authentic public square of information that protects the health and safety of our families and kids. Hosted by John Haigh, M-RCBG Co-Director, the event will feature robust opportunities for audience engagement and comment, following brief remarks from:

•Former Gov. Deval Patrick, Future of Tech Co-commissioner
•Governor Charlie Baker (R-MA)
•Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA)
•Jonathan Zittrain, American Professor of Internet Law, Harvard Law School and Co-Founder, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society
•Joan Donovan, Research Director, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy and Leader of the Technology and Social Change Project
•Deb Roy, Executive Director MIT Media Labs: Co-founder and Chair of Cortico

Future of Tech Commission Town Hall: A Public Discussion on Creating Safe Online Spaces for All

Cities are at the forefront of the war against climate change. What can they do to increase resiliency in the face of this existential challenge? Listen to this panel of alumni experts as they discuss these questions and more. 

Panelists include:
Sanjay Seth MPA 2019, Climate Resilience Program Manager, City of Boston (moderator)
Ella Delio MPA 2004, Board Member, Environmental Grantmakers Association; Former Director for Environmental Programs, Greater New Orleans Foundation
Jane Gilbert MPA 1994, Chief Heat Officer for Miami Dade County; Managing Principal, Resilience Consulting LLC
Carlos Villacis MC/MPA 2002, International Consultant, United Nations

View the transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/alumni/events/alumni-talk-policy/climate-change-city-resiliency#transcript

Alumni Talk Policy | Climate Change and City Resiliency

Learn about the $1 trillion U.S. infrastructure law that was recently signed by President Joe Biden. What are its key benefits to public transportation, electric vehicles, and more? How will the law shape the future of transportation in the United States? 

This panel features:
Keatra Fuller MPP 2007, Acting Chief of Staff, Acquisitions and Contracting, Federal Aviation Administration (moderator)
Christina Marin MPP 2014, Deputy Director of Treasury Services and P3 Finance, MBTA
Mark Sullivan MPP 1984, Director, Center for Innovative Finance Support, Federal Highway Administration
Victoria Wassmer MPP 1995, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation

Alumni Talk Policy: Transportation + Infrastructure

Giandomenico Magliano, the Italian Ambassador to France and a graduate of Harvard Kennedy School (MPA 1981), speaks with Doug Gavel, Harvard Kennedy School Communications, at the U.N. Climate Change Conference, COP21, in Paris France, on December 9, 2015. 

Giandomenico Magliano MPA 1981

What factors place women at a disadvantage in negotiation? How can you best prepare for important career negotiations? Hannah Riley Bowles is a leading expert on when and how gender influences negotiation and on the role of negotiation in the career advancement of women. Join us as she shares her research and answers callers’ questions on this important issue.

The Wiener Conference Call series is made possible through the generosity of Malcolm H. Wiener, a longstanding member of Harvard Kennedy School Dean’s Council and benefactor of the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy.

Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-research/policy-topics/gender-race-identity/thinking-strategically-about-career

Thinking Strategically About Career Negotiations with Hannah Riley Bowles

According to Stephen Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs at HKS, both Democrats and Republicans have been misguided in their pursuit of liberal hegemony. What would better serve U.S. interests? How should the United States focus its military commitments? Listen to this conversation with Professor Walt as he addresses these questions and discusses his latest book, The Hell of Good Intentions: America’s Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy (October 2018).

Wiener Conference Calls recognize Malcolm Wiener’s role in proposing and supporting this series as well as the Wiener Center for Social Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/wiener-conference-calls/stephen-walt

America’s Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy with Stephen Walt

What role do moral values play in sensitive negotiations? How can vision and authentic leadership create positive change for the public good? Listen to this Wiener Conference Call with Ambassador Wendy Sherman, director of the Center for Public Leadership at HKS, as she draws from her experience in the federal government, where she served as lead negotiator for the Iran nuclear deal, and from her time as a social worker and advocate for women. Ambassador Sherman answers callers’ questions and discusses her book, Not for the Faint of Heart.

Wiener Conference Calls recognize Malcolm Wiener’s role in proposing and supporting this series as well as the Wiener Center for Social Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/node/263556

Lessons in Courage, Power, and Persistence with Ambassador Wendy Sherman

Once one of the wealthiest nations in Latin America, Venezuela is undergoing the biggest economic collapse this hemisphere has ever seen accompanied by rampant inflation, degradation of infrastructure, and a growing number of refugees. How should Venezuelans respond to this crisis? Listen to this Wiener Conference Call with Ricardo Hausmann, director of HKS’s Growth Lab, former minister of planning in Venezuela, and former member of the Board of the Central Bank of Venezuela, who shares his thoughts on the crisis.
 
Wiener Conference Calls recognize Malcolm Wiener’s role in proposing and supporting this series as well as the Wiener Center for Social Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/wiener-conference-calls/ricardo-hausmann

Understanding the Venezuelan Crisis with Ricardo Hausmann

From the Arab Spring to the Black Lives Matter movement, civil resistance occurs around the world. But how can nonviolent social movements succeed against the rise of fictional narratives in the media? Erica Chenoweth, Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights and International Affairs, discusses these topics and more during this Wiener Conference Call.
 
Wiener Conference Calls recognize Malcolm Wiener’s role in proposing and supporting this series as well as the Wiener Center for Social Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

View the transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/wiener-conference-calls/erica-chenoweth#transcript

Social Movements in the Age of Fake News with Erica Chenoweth

This seminar was given by Jeanette Fielding, Chief Corporate Affairs & Communications Officer at Upfield; and Myriam Sidibe, M-RCBG Senior Fellow on Thursday, February 13, 2020 as part of M-RCBG's weekly Business & Goverment Seminar series. For additional information, visit www.mrcbg.org.

For People and Planet: A Company On a Mission to Improve Lives with Plant-Based Foods

This seminar held on February 20, 2020 and was a discussion between Tom Barkin, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and M-RCBG Senior Fellow Megan Greene, as part of M-RCBG's weekly Business & Government Seminar Series. 

Transcript (PDF): https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/Barkin_2.20.20.transcript.pdf

A Conversation with Tom Barkin, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President

Listen to this Wiener Conference Call with Dani Rodrik, who will discuss how COVID-19 will affect globalization and which developing economies are best poised to respond to the crisis.

Wiener Conference Calls recognize Malcolm Wiener’s role in proposing and supporting this series as well as the Wiener Center for Social Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

View the transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/wiener-conference-calls/dani-rodrik#transcript

Will COVID-19 Remake the World?

Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/Malcolm%20Sparrow%20on%20The%20Fundamentals%20of%20Regulatory%20Design.pdf

This seminar was given by Malcolm Sparrow, Professor of the Practice of Public Management, Harvard Kennedy School, on Thursday, September 17, 2020 as part of the Regulatory Policy Program's weekly seminar series.

Malcolm Sparrow on the Fundamentals of Regulatory Design

In this inaugural event of Harvard Kennedy School’s “Alumni Talk Policy” series, Teresa Acuña MC/MPA 2016, Seth Flaxman MPP 2011, Christina Fletes MPA 2016, and Ali Khan MPP 2010 discussed growing voter concerns surrounding the 2020 U.S. elections. 

They shared the following resources: 866-OUR-VOTE, an election protection hotline that people can use to report issues at the polls; https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/voting-rights/ and www.votehealth2020.com to learn about voting rights; healthyvoting.org and https://www.vote.org/covid-19/ to learn about voting during the pandemic.

View the full transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Alumni/PDFs/2020.10.07_Alumni-Talk-Policy_Civic-Engagement_Transcript.pdf

Alumni Talk Policy | Civic Engagement and the 2020 U.S. Elections

Transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/mrcbg/files/Ndidi%20Nwuneli_10.15.20_transcript.pdf

This webinar was given on Thursday, October 15, 2020 by Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, co-founder of Sahel Consulting and co-founder of AACE Foods. She spoke about her new book, "Food Entrepreneurs in Africa: Scaling Resilient Agriculture Businesses."

Food Entrepreneurs in Africa: Scaling Resilient Agriculture Businesses

How will the elections in the United States play out?
What are the prospects for Donald Trump’s reelection? Will Joe Biden gain enough electors to unseat Trump? Will the Senate flip? Less than a week before Election Day, David King assesses the Democrats’ and Republicans’ prospects during this Wiener Conference Call.

View David King's presentation slides: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Alumni/PDFs/2020-Election-Wiener-Conference-Call.pdf

Want to view the video of this discussion? Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AazCC1m10wQ&feature=youtu.be

Wiener Conference Calls recognize Malcolm Wiener’s role in proposing and supporting this series as well as the Wiener Center for Social Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

View the transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/wiener-conference-calls/david-king#transcript

The 2020 U.S. Elections with David King

Listen to this panel discussion with our alumni experts who are working on the frontlines of the pandemic in the Global South. Panelists include:

Carl Manlan MC/MPA 2012, Chief Operating Officer, Ecobank Foundation (moderator)
Lorena Barberia MPP 1999, Professor of Political Science, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Prerna Makkar MPA/ID 2008, Founder and Director, Health Compact
Diana Samarasan MC/MPA 2004, Founding Executive Director, Disability Rights Fund

The Alumni Talk Policy series features HKS alumni in panel discussions about pressing public issues.

View the transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/alumni/events/alumni-talk-policy/covid-19-global-south#transcript

Alumni Talk Policy | COVID-19 in the Global South

What can we learn from America’s history of polarization? How can we use these lessons to unite America and move from an individualistic to a more cooperative culture? Listen to this Wiener Conference Call with Robert Putnam and his coauthor, Shaylyn Romney Garrett, who discuss their new book, The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again.

Want to view the video of this discussion? Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXk9JVKsOk&feature=emb_title

Wiener Conference Calls recognize Malcolm Wiener’s role in proposing and supporting this series as well as the Wiener Center for Social Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

View the transcript: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/wiener-conference-calls/robert-putnam#transcript

Popular tracks by Harvard Kennedy School