Columbia Law School, William and June Warren Hall, Room L107
In recent years, there have been important shifts in the relationship between business, law, and politics that we are only beginning to understand. This conference will bring together academics from law, economics, political science, and related disciplines to explore the evolving interplay between business, law, and politics. The conference will feature presentations of new academic research and a moderated panel on topics such as the changing political landscape in the business community, the external political risks facing businesses, the influence of business in politics, and the causes of corporate political activity, as well as how these dynamics ultimately shape the law.
Program
8:45-9:10 AM | Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:15-10:15 AM | Corporate Social Responsibility and Political Activity
Lisa Fairfax: Reframing the Corporate Political Speech Debate (discussant: Jeffrey Gordon)
Mark Roe: Corporate Social Responsibility and Its Political Economy (discussant: Dorothy Lund)
10:15-10:30 AM | Break
10:30-11:30 AM | Business and Politics: Employee and Investor Voice
Zhao Li: Can Employees Shape Corporate Political Spending in an Era of Democratic Backsliding? Evidence from the Capitol Insurrection (discussant: Jan Stuckatz)
Luigi Zingales (coauthored with Oliver Hart and Helen Landemore): How To Implement Shareholder Democracy (discussant: Eric Talley)
11:30 AM-12:15 PM | Lunch
12:15-1:15 PM | Political Ties and Corporate Decision-Making
Reilly Steel (coauthored with Eric Talley): Is There Politics in Money? (discussant: Lev Menand)
Jan Stuckatz (coauthored with Benjamin Egerod and Michael Muller): Revolvers in the Corporate Elite (discussant: Nolan McCarty)
1:15-1:30 PM | Break
1:30-2:45 PM | Reflections on Business, Law, and Politics in 2025
Matteo Gatti, Bruce Kogut, Syrena Shirley, and Luigi Zingales (moderator: Eric Talley)
For any questions, contact us at millsteincenter@law.columbia.edu.
