The Political Risk Brief

Leaders in government and business should recognize America’s social capital collapse as the most serious threat to the nation’s political stability and economic strength.  In this episode, Baron analyzes the policy implications of a nation “falling apart” and explores potential solutions.

Even as the U.S.-China economic relationship remains pivotal, Beijing increasingly denies outsiders visibility into the nation’s intentions and governance.  Previous approaches to understanding and shaping Beijing’s views – whether utilizing either high-prestige “fixers,” or on-the-ground data sources – have proven unreliable. In episode 20 of the Political Risk Brief, the Baron team presents the firm’s recently released Influencer Analytics research on the people, businesses, and institutions that matter to Beijing.

Philanthropic foundations today act as major competitors in policymaking, often dwarfing the efforts of even the largest private enterprises. Although commonly unrecognized or underestimated, massive not-for-profit organizations increasingly shape the elite policy consensus. In this episode, the Baron team discusses this “invisible hand” guiding political competition and recommends approaches for business leaders.

The health care sector has entered a period of intensified political conflict. Building for decades and accelerated by powerful external forces, this clash of some of the nation’s largest companies promises to affect millions of Americans and reveals important lessons regarding corporate competition waged through the arena of government. The Baron team reviews the history of health care politics and the emerging trends shaping America’s largest economic sector.

Often in American political life, an individual or small group embodies an era. In this episode, Baron explores Washington’s current man of the moment: Jeffrey Zients.  His rise to the pinnacle of national political power reveals fundamental insights into America’s contemporary political elite.

The ever-changing competition to shape policy in Washington, D.C. challenges even the most experienced practitioners. In this episode, the Baron team distills the critical government relations trends that define the current government relations and issue advocacy landscape.

Corporate America’s relationship with the Republican Party is undergoing the most significant change in four decades. The movement driving this shift: National Conservatives, or “NatCons.” What is national conservatism? Who are the NatCons? If successful, how will NatCons alter the long-dominant GOP policy consensus in support of free trade, low corporate taxes, and light antitrust enforcement?

America’s leading corporations appear poised for a dramatic escalation in engagement of Washington, D.C.  Baron explores this emerging phenomenon by examining Amazon’s massive investment in the nation’s capital, which threatens to ignite an influence arms race among the Fortune 100.

With Taiwan now a focal point of U.S. foreign policy, Episode 13 explores how Washington has come to view China-Taiwan tension. The Baron team explores major blind-spots on the U.S. side, including the role of predictions, the value of ambiguity, and concepts of sovereignty.

The federal government is the world’s biggest customer. Public sector procurement increasingly drives private sector innovation and tips markets. In Episode 12, the Baron team details the shifting dynamics of U.S. government procurement and offers a practical guide for understanding the business and political implications of the private sector’s public sector future.