Tensions: Business, Civic Society and Politics: Winter 2024
Leadership for Society
Tensions: Business, Civic Society and Politics
Professor Brian Lowery dares to ask the questions that demand answers in our provocative speaker series examining the significant opportunities and major challenges of balancing short-term return on investments with long-term goals of sustainability, equity, and social stability through the theme Tensions: Business, Civic Society and Politics.
Join the Stanford Graduate School of Business’s Leadership for Society Program this winter to explore Tensions: Business, Civic Society and Politics. Conversations air on Mondays at 6:30pm PT via YouTube.
HOW FAST FOOD FRANCHISES SHAPE COMMUNITIES
Join us as we explore the complex relationship between fast food franchises, civic engagement, business opportunity, and communities in the United States.
Marcia Chatelain
Penn Presidential Compact Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America
THE ECONOMICS OF INEQUALITY
Nobel laureate Sir Angus Deaton addresses the crisis of “deaths of despair” in the United States. Americans without bachelor’s degrees are dying at much higher rates than those who hold a bachelor’s degree. Who should be responsible for addressing this crisis? What is the role of the government? What role does economics play?
Sir Angus Deaton
Senior Scholar and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Professor of Economics and International Affairs Emeritus at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and the Economics Department at Princeton University.
THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND ITS SOCIAL DISCONTENTS
Are government officials’ social media accounts private or should they be considered “state action”? Stanford Law School Professor Pam Karlan discusses the recent case that she argued before the US Supreme Court in this conversation about the First Amendment and social media.
Pam Karlan
Stanford law professor; co-director Supreme Court law clinic;
BUILDING BRIDGES: THE YMCA’S ROLE IN A DIVIDED AMERICA
What role can and should civic organizations like the YMCA of the USA play at a time of intense political polarization, demographic segregation, and rising socioeconomic inequality? Suzanne McCormick, President and CEO of the YMCA of the USA, discusses their opportunities and challenges in creating a space that is welcoming to all.
Suzanne McCormick
President and CEO, YMCA of the USA
GOVERNING TECH: INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND COMPETITION
When regulating something as complex as artificial intelligence, how should countries work together? What are the responsibilities of private citizens, civic organizations, and governments in regulating and governing technology? How do you balance profit with national security? Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar, President of the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace discusses these important questions in the next Leadership for Society conversation with Professor Brian Lowery.
Mariano-Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar
President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
BEYOND THE CHECKERED FLAG: WHAT F1 TELLS US ABOUT SPORT AND SOCIETY
Formula One is a global sport. It has teams that cost many millions to operate, it races at some 24 venues around the world, and it hosts an array of sponsors. F1 is big business that arouses fans’ passion and entices countries and sponsors that want a piece of its glow for a variety of reasons, which can lay bare the tensions between business, civic society and politics. Toni Cowan-Brown, an F1 commentator, addresses these challenges and the opportunities for the sport in this Leadership for Society conversation.
Toni Cowan-Brown
A San Francisco-based tech and Formula 1 commentator examining the crossovers with tech, politics, F1 and internet culture.
WHEN THE WELL RUNS DRY: TENSIONS, SOLUTIONS, THE FUTURE OF WATER
Water is critical for life on Earth to survive but there is a finite amount of water and many stakeholders who want it. Who should determine who has access and who doesn’t? What does equitable water access look like? How much should we pay for a natural resource like water? Pacific Institute Co-Founder and Senior Fellow Peter Gleick discusses the tensions inherent in determining who should have access to water, how much businesses, agriculture, and communities should have, and how to plan for a future with less water.
Dr. Peter Gleick
Internationally recognized environmental scientist and communicator and co-founder of the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California.
THE DIVIDED STATES OF AMERICA
The United States has become deeply polarized along political party lines. In a country where most people choose to surround themselves with like-minded individuals, finding common ground between those with different beliefs becomes increasingly difficult. New York Times columnist Thomas Edsall addresses these tensions and other challenges to the future of democracy in this conversation.
Thomas B. Edsall
The New York Times opinion columnist and Columbia School of Journalism adjunct professor
TECHNOLOGY, FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY
How do we balance tensions between business interests and national security in a deeply connected world? We benefit from immigration and in some cases rely on manufacturing capabilities and investment from countries like China but still need to be mindful of national security concerns associated with geopolitical competitors. H.R. McMaster, 25th United States National Security Advisor discusses these challenges and more in this conversation on technology, foreign policy and national security.
H.R. McMaster
25th United States National Security Advisor
IMMIGRATION: NAVIGATING ECONOMIC CONCERNS AND CIVIC INTEGRATION
Immigration is a critical component of a thriving economy but it is also one of the most controversial and divisive issues in the United States and globally. Explore pivotal questions on successful immigration and breaking barriers for community prosperity with CEO Rachel Perić of Welcome America and Professor Brian Lowery. Discover collaborative solutions across society, private businesses, and government for creating environments where everyone can thrive.
Rachel Perić
CEO of Welcoming America
THE GROWTH OF AI: BALANCING BUSINESS INTERESTS AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Artificial intelligence elicits a variety of responses from concern to excitement. Learn more about AI, including questions about policy, national security, regulation, data security and transparency in this conversation with Google Cloud CEO and MBA alumnus Thomas Kurian ’94 and Professor Brian Lowery.
Thomas Kurian
CEO of Google Cloud
More Session Details Coming Soon!
This site will be updated weekly with upcoming sessions. In the meantime, please register below and explore past sessions on our YouTube playlist from this “Tensions: Business, Civic Society and Politics” series.
Register
After registering by completing this form, the Leadership for Society Program will send you a calendar invitation and reminder email to join sessions live via YouTube.
With any questions, email: gsb_leadershipforsociety@stanford.edu