GBLC vienna 2015 Capitalism and Social Progress

The prevailing aspiration of business is performance, while that of society is progress. Capitalism, both the paradigm and practice, sits at the intersection of these dual aspirations. While its fruits have been impressive, capitalism now evokes a range of familiar concerns. From fairness to financialization, extreme climate to contagious consumerism, divergence in incomes to a money-politics nexus, trust in business and business leaders is shaky. Is the problem with the practice and/or the paradigm? Should and can enterprises better integrate performance with progress? Is performance the sole and proper realm of business while progress the proper realm of government? In this session we will explore these questions both from theory and practice.

Subramanian Rangan, The Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court Endowed Chair in Societal Progress