This episode, I speak with David Lucas, the Edward Pettinella Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship in the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University and a Research Fellow with the Institute for an Entrepreneurial Society. 

In our conversation today, we talk about a recent paper he published in AMJ, with co-authors, Matthew Grimes and Joel Gehman, about Remaking Capitalism into a more just, sustainable, and inclusive system.  The paper explores how legislation can shape how intensely firms focus on values-driven business. This leads to a broader discussion about the purpose of the modern firm and the paradoxical way that policy can in fact get firms to voluntarily shift away from a narrow focus on shareholder maximization.

Lucas, D. S., Grimes, M. G., & Gehman, J. 2022. Remaking Capitalism: The Strength of Weak Legislation in Mobilizing B Corporation Certification. Academy of Management Journal, 65(3): 958-987.

https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/amj.2020.1688