Research that drives change.

The Business and Policy Initiative at Simon Business School fosters high-quality research about the interaction of public policy and business strategy.

Supported in part by The Bradley Center, the initiative is a hub for thought leadership on antitrust and merger policy, financial regulation, monetary and fiscal policy, health care policy, and labor market policy. The initiative seeks to inform public policy by promoting dialogue between researchers, policymakers, industry leaders, students, and alumni.

Jeanine Miklos-Thal, Director of the Business and Policy Initiative at Simon Business School, Introduces this new thought leadership initiative

AI, Competition, and Antitrust Workshop Webinar

Watch keynote speaker Professor Thibault Schrepel delve into the subjects of AI, competition, and antitrust issues. 

Watch Now

Meet the faculty behind the initiative

Narayana Kocherlakota
Professor of Finance
Louise and Henry Epstein Professor of Business Administration
David Primo
Ani and Mark Gabrellian Professor
Professor of Political Science and Business Administration

Recent policy research by Simon faculty

Simon Business School is committed to elevating academic research. Our faculty are thought leaders and subject matter experts, producing research that to helps organizations better confront complicated business challenges.

The Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of Accounting & Economics, and the Journal of Monetary Economics were all founded at the University of Rochester, and we continue to lead in research. Our renowned faculty have been published in a wide breadth of noteworthy publications, including The NY TimesThe Register, Inside Higher Ed, the Journal of Financial EconomicsThe Economist, and many more.

Faculty & Research

Antitrust and Competition Policy

Health Care Policy

Financial Regulation

Macroeconomic Policy

Labor Market policy

Campaign Finance

Events

Financial Policy and Regulation conference

Mester Loretta
-

Financial Policy and Regulation Conference 
November 14–15, 2025 | Simon Business School

Join the Simon Business & Policy Initiative for a two-day Financial Policy and Regulation Conference featuring the Bradley Lecture on Financial Regulation, delivered by Loretta J. Mester, former president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and adjunct professor at the Wharton School. Mester brings decades of experience in central banking, economic policy, and financial regulation. More details, including the full program, will be shared closer to the event.
 

Past Business & Policy Events

From the Dean's Corner

Simon faculty are experts on topics ranging from Artificial Intelligence to cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens. Take a deep dive into their
research and hear firsthand insights from subject matter experts in the Dean’s Corner.

Inside Business Education at Simon

Regarded as a world leader in quantitative, economics-based education, our analytics-based curriculum prepares students to lead in the global business marketplace. Our curriculum includes a strong focus on public policy and business strategy. 

STR 428 Strategy Beyond Market

We repeatedly observe top executives caught off-guard when faced with “nonmarket” threats such as proposed government regulations or activist pres- sure. But the concept of strategy beyond markets extends further than reactively responding to threats. Managers also have the opportunity to shape the nonmarket environment in ways that advantage their firm. In this course, we will develop a framework for constructing nonmarket strategies and integrating them with market strategies. We will cover a broad range of topics, including the legislative process, regulation, activism, corporate social responsibility, and crisis management. We will also study the special challenges facing global firms and innovative firms. Class sessions will be highly interactive and will emphasize the real-world applicability of the frame-works and theories we discuss in class.

BPP 426 Macroeconomics

Macroeconomics is the study of how economies grow and fluctuate over time, and how they interact with one another. In this course, we discuss economic measurement, economic growth, and the business cycle. We also discuss the implication of modern theories of growth and fluctuation for the conduct of monetary policy and fiscal policy. There is a strong emphasis on the international linkage among economies and the implications of macroeconomics for the business environment.

GBA 441 Business Ethics & Corporate Social Responsibilities

This course deals with business ethics and the social responsibility of business organizations. Through class discussions and case studies, students explore the theory and practice of business ethics and develop their ability to recognize and address ethical issues. The course equips students with analytical skills in ethical reasoning and provides them with a substantive framework to deal with ethical challenges they are likely to encounter in their careers. Topics include corporate responsibilities vis-à-vis employees, customers, and society; insider trading; discrimination in employment and in the sharing economy; advertising and sales tactics; ethics in pricing; bribery; executive pay; intellectual property in the pharmaceutical industry; censorship; health care resource allocation; and environmental responsibilities.

BPP 432 Basic Business Law

This course surveys the law of contracts, agency, and business associations – with the objective of developing familiarity with selected laws, regulations, legal principles, and legal processes that govern (a) efficient exchange, generally; and (b) how and in what ways managers and entrepreneurs organize and interact to facilitate exchange. Although emphasis will be on United States law, there will be selected reference throughout the course to issues related to international transactions and to pertinent differences in legal systems of countries outside the United States. The course has a distinct transactional focus, with heavy reliance upon contemporary cases, commercial practices, and issues. Particular attention will be given to the impact of the legal framework upon sound managerial decision-making, business risk management, commercial rights and responsibilities, and ultimately business valuation.

GBA 444 Ethics & Policy in Tech

Tech firms—from start-ups to industry leaders—face a range of ethical and policy challenges. Start-ups may face barriers to entry or regulations ill-suited to their innovation. Industry leaders have to consider antitrust considerations if they dominate a market. And tech firms of all sizes face ethical quandaries on issues such as artificial intelligence, to give just one example. The globalization of business adds to the complexity of these policy and ethical considerations. This course will equip you with the tools you need to consider the policy and ethical environments of tech firms and how they connect with firms’ market environments. The tools you develop in the course will also be applicable to the analysis of other types of firms. Class sessions will be highly interactive and will emphasize the real-world applicability of the frameworks and theories we discuss in class.

Washington DC Fellowship

The Simon DC Fellowship is an annual award given to a Simon Business School student or team to pursue Washington, DC area-based research or a similar project that focuses on the intersection of government and business.

Connect with us

Discover more about the Simon Business Policy Initiative by connecting with our team. Call or email us today. 

Contact Us