“The role of the economist is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple.” Milton Friedman said that and, yes, he may have oversimplified when framing the purpose of business. But Friedman’s point about clarity is worth holding onto even if his views about role of business in society are not…. Read more >
At the Qatar Economic Forum last May, Owusu Akoto told the audience about a West African farmer who “loses 60 percent of everything he grows because he doesn’t have the right storage” and “sells the remaining 40 percent at a discount because of its quality.” The son and grandson of farmers in Ghana, Akoto knows… Read more >
I’ve been thinking a lot about Ghana, mostly because we will soon welcome the GBSN community to Accra for GBSN Beyond 2025. Thinking back, my first “real” encounter with the country was not through an airport terminal. It was through the pages of Taiye Selasi’s debut novel called Ghana Must Go. My dad wouldn’t be… Read more >
Imagine the hurried life of a typical business student today, grabbing the last table at the coffee shop, busting out the laptop to tackle a complex case about an underperforming multinational company. The question is simple and open-ended: “What’s wrong with the company and what should leadership do next?” Our student promptly copies and pastes… Read more >
We’re going around the Zoom room, doing introductions, and I find myself smiling, feeling happy and proud. Part of the reason is where everyone is from: 12 faculty members from 11 different countries (and schools) across five continents. But that kind of international mix is the norm for GBSN. What stands out this time is… Read more >
When Lina Ayenew left Ethiopia to pursue an MBA in China, she carried more than ambition—she had a vision. She selected Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) to immerse herself in a place where education technology was revolutionizing how people learn, as well as to take advantage of the school’s in-class incubation program. Her… Read more >
On a warm morning in Accra, a young woman named Mariam rolls up the shutters of her shop, where she sells shea butter and handmade crafts. Her products have found customers not only in Accra, but also in several boutiques in the United States—thanks to the duty-free access provided by the African Growth and Opportunity… Read more >
And What We Can Do About It Writing about the climate challenge, French economist Jean Tirole frames the problem brilliantly: “The benefits of reducing climate change remain global and distant in time, while the costs of that reduction are local and immediate.” (Economics for the Common Good, p. 199) Why would any country take costly… Read more >
When I was an economics professor (which was a long time ago), I often invited students in introductory classes to play a simple game. They were instructed to choose “Heads” or “Tails” and secretly write their choice on a sticky note, while I randomly sorted the class into pairs. If the choices made by any… Read more >
Over the past few decades, globalization—the closer integration of countries and peoples—has been a powerful engine of economic growth, improving global health and lifting millions out of poverty, as well as increasing efficiency. Expanding cross-border collaborations and knowledge exchanges have empowered countries to address critical societal issues. However, globalization has also been blamed for widening… Read more >
