Social Impact
May 3, 2021
How Do Immigrant Students Affect Their Classmates' Academic Performance?
While previous studies suggested a negative impact, new, more precise research shows these students often boost their U.S.-born peers’ test scores
David Figlio, Paola Giuliano, Riccardo Marchingiglio, Umut Ozek and Paola Sapienza
April 28, 2021
Why Companies Should Engage with Activists
As calls for social change grow louder, corporations that stay silent risk alienating both customers and employees.
Brayden King
April 1, 2021
How Debit Cards Are Helping Low-Income Households Save—and Benefiting Their Neighbors Too
A federal initiative in Mexico had huge spillover effects.
Pierre Bachas, Paul Gertler, Sean Higgins and Enrique Seira
March 1, 2021
There’s an Education Gap Between Rural and Urban Communities. Can Technology Bridge It?
Researchers identified a program that helps rural students learn—and improves their incomes later in life.
Nicola Bianchi, Yi Lu and Hong Song
February 17, 2021
Understanding the Rapidly Evolving World of Sustainable Finance
It’s no longer a niche investment strategy—and it has the potential to deliver strong returns.
Ravi Jagannathan, David Chen, Brian Bruce and Lloyd Kurtz
February 4, 2021
Big-Time College Athletes Don’t Get Paid. Here’s How This Amplifies Racial Inequities.
A new study finds that much of the revenue from football and basketball, which have a high proportion of Black athletes, gets funneled to predominantly white teams.
Craig Garthwaite, Jordan Keener, Matthew J. Notowidigdo and Nicole Ozminkowski
January 4, 2021
A Surprising Benefit of Feeling Ownership over Your Possessions
Owning things can boost our self-esteem. And that, in turn, can make us want to help others.
Ata Jami, Maryam Kouchaki and Francesca Gino
December 1, 2020
How Racism Discouraged Volunteer Enlistment Immediately after Pearl Harbor
New research examines what happened when Black and Japanese men, who were battling discrimination at home, were asked to fight injustice abroad.
Nancy Qian and Marco Tabellini
October 1, 2020
Researchers Designed an Algorithm to Save Schools Money and Improve Equity. The District Loved it. Then Things Got Messy.
A tale of bus routes in Boston shows the promises and pitfalls of using new technology to change entrenched systems.
Dimitris Bertsimas, Arthur Delarue and Sébastien Martin
August 7, 2020
Why Well-Meaning NGOs Sometimes Do More Harm than Good
Studies of aid groups in Ghana and Uganda show why it’s so important to coordinate with local governments and institutions.
Erika Deserranno, Aisha Nansamba, Nancy Qian, Katharine Baldwin, Dean Karlan, Christopher Udry and Ernest Appiah
July 20, 2020
Black-Owned Businesses Often Struggle to Access Capital. Here’s How Financial Institutions Can Change That.
Banks and investors need to redefine creditworthiness, diversify their boards, and think more about social returns.
William Towns
July 10, 2020
Does Social-Media Use Increase Xenophobia?
A recent study investigates, using data from a popular Russian social-media platform and information on regional hate crimes.
Leonardo Bursztyn, Georgy Egorov, Ruben Enikolopov and Maria Petrova
June 16, 2020
“This Is What It Means to Be Black in America and Black in Corporate America”
As the nation reckons with structural racism, a Kellogg professor and a Google diversity recruiter discuss what credible leadership looks like for business leaders.
Nicholas Pearce and Ginny Clarke
June 16, 2020
Podcast: “I’m Looking for Systemic, Permanent Change Right Now”
Anti-Black racism is deeply embedded in corporate culture. On this special episode of The Insightful Leader, Professor Nicholas Pearce and Google’s Ginny Clarke discuss the moral responsibility of leaders to finally address that.
Nicholas Pearce and Ginny Clarke
June 9, 2020
Some Companies Actually Do See Financial Returns on Their Social Investments. Here’s What They Have in Common.
A new study finds that ESG investments—when paired with high employee satisfaction—boost stock performance.
Kyle Welch and Aaron Yoon
April 17, 2020
Uncertainty. Loss of Control. Why COVID-19 Is a Perfect Storm for Conspiracy Theories.
And how policymakers can help make them less appealing.
Cynthia S. Wang
March 30, 2020
Podcast: Designing Social Impact Programs That (Really) Work
On this episode of The Insightful Leader: if a business is to survive in the long run, it’s no longer enough to make small changes to address inequality and climate change.
Megan Kashner
March 21, 2020
What Your Business Can Do to Help the Community during the Coronavirus Crisis
Want to take action but don’t know how? Answering these three questions can get you started.
Megan Kashner
March 18, 2020
Many Funds Have Committed to Socially Responsible Investing—But Few Are Following Through
As money flows into ESG funds, new evidence shows that most asset managers aren’t actually changing their investment behaviors.
Soohun Kim and Aaron Yoon
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June 5, 2026 · 31:32 minutes
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