What is Greenwashing and Why Do Companies Engage in it?

Greenwashing is conveying misleading or unproven claims about the positive environmental impact of a company’s product. A recent example is HSBC’s misleading advertisement which faced an immediate backlash. The banking giant rolled out an advertisement highlighting its $1 trillion investment in green initiatives. However, the Advertising Standards Authority noted the bank continues to make huge…

In Conversation with Sergei Guriev: Spin Dictators and Rising Tensions with Russia

Sergei Guriev, Provost and Professor of Economics, Sciences Po, recently joined Elias Papaioannou, Professor of Economics at London Business School and Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development, to discuss his latest book ‘Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st Century’ and the conflict in Ukraine, the political environment…

FIRESTONE: COLONIAL CONCESSIONS IN LIBERIA

Firestone: Colonial Concessions in Liberia

Firestone is one of the oldest and largest natural rubber plantations in the world. Founded in 1926 in Liberia by Harvey Firestone, the plantations continue to provide employment for thousands of Liberians to date. Till Trojer, a post-doctoral researcher at the Wheeler Institute, anthropologist and filmmaker, travelled to Liberia last year in May to film…

The cost-of-living crisis and the UK economy

The cost-of-living crisis and the UK economy With rising prices, economic downturn, a higher cost of borrowing and looming fiscal deficits, the cost-of-living and energy crises remain front page news for government, businesses, entrepreneurs and people living in the UK. How can we make sense of everything that is happening – and what should we…

I-Venture @ ISB London Conference 2022: Building the India-UK Startup Corridor

I-Venture @ISB with the support of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development at London Business School hosted last week’s London Conference 2022: Building the India-UK Startup Corridor, aimed at fostering collaboration between two leading startup ecosystems – India and the UK. The conference brought together founding teams and key members of the ecosystems in…

Highlighting research for impact

Wheeler Institute launches new micro website showcasing business research with a focus on development. The Wheeler Institute has launched a micro website under the banner ‘Business research for impact’. Spanning every urgent social issue from climate change to political economy and gender discrimination to global conflict, the new microsite brings together the Institute’s research into…

Challenging our WEIRD perspective on African development

African History through the Lens of Economics, an innovative, open-access, online course which attracted over 27,000 people from across the world, explored how history has shaped and continues to influence domestic policies and economic development in Africa. A reflective essay by David Jones, MBA 2022 graduate from London Business School and intern at the Wheeler…

Political Organisation and Social Structure

African History through the Lens of Economics: An introduction to African development and history The Wheeler Institute’s open access online course, African History through the Lens of Economics, covered pre-colonial political organisation and contemporary social structures in two lectures, the first by Stelios Michalopoulos, Eastman Professor of Political Economy at Brown University, and Warren Whatley,…

The importance of education for economic development

African History through the Lens of Economics: An introduction to African development and history The penultimate lecture in the Wheeler Institute’s open access online course, African History through the Lens of Economics, considered the impact of education on social mobility in Africa. David Laitin, Professor of Political Science at Stanford University, Leonard Wantchekon, Professor of…