Hear about the latest business insights, research and events from the Wheeler Institute for Business Development.
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Drawing on our extended community we will understand, illuminate and offer solutions to the challenges created by COVID-19. Our differentiating factor is the role of business in addressing these challenges, with a focus on the implications and actions for those in developing countries.
COVID-19 has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities in South Africa
Nick Binedell, Professor and former Dean of the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria, shares a brief history of South Africa and his views on the government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, and discussed barriers to equality and the role of education more generally.
→ Read the article here
Turkey's economy... the last two decades
Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan – Neil Moskowitz Professor of Economics and Finance University of Maryland – shares her views on the Turkish government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis over the past year, and her hopes for EU-Turkey cooperation in future.
Read the article here
Russia: a brief history and the prolonged impact of COVID-19
Sergei Guriev, Professor of Economics at Sciences Po, shares his views on the state of the economy, politics and business in Russia and discusses the government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis over the past year and the impact of the pandemic on emerging markets.
Read the article here
Smarter testing for Coronavirus
Rajesh Chandy, Professor of Marketing in conversation with Kamalini Ramdas, Professor of Management Science and Operations at London Business School to discuss the forthcoming Nature Medicine article on smarter testing for Coronavirus.
Read the transcript
COVID-19 and the opportunity for change
Professor Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate and Founder of Grameen Bank, joins Kamalini Ramdas, Professor of Management Science and Operations at London Business School, in conversation to discuss social business and the opportunity we have to rebuild the world post COVID-19.
Read the transcript
Consumption in the time of COVID-19: evidence from UK transaction data
How can we quickly and accurately measure the macroeconomic shock brought about by COVID-19? Elias Papaioannou was joined in conversation with Paolo Surico, Professor of Economics at London Business School, to discuss the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the transcript and find the paper here.
Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit
Rather than maximising profits through reducing any value distributed to other stakeholders, can companies take an approach that grows the overall value of the enterprise, for the gain of all? Elias Papaioannou, Professor of Economics at London Business School was joined in conversation with Alex Edmans, Professor of Finance at London Business School and author of ‘Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit’ to discuss how corporate responsibility is fundamental to the success of a business.
The impact of COVID-19 in West Africa
How is Coronavirus impacting countries across Africa? Elias Papaioannou, Professor of Economics at London Business School, in conversation with Leonard Wantchekon, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the African continent, and consider the steps policymakers need to take as a result of the pandemic. Read the transcript
Responding to COVID-19 in developing countries
How do optimal Coronavirus policies differ for countries across the world? Elias Papaioannou, Professor of Economics at London Business School and Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development was joined in conversation with Mushfiq Mobarak, Professor of Economics at Yale University, to discuss how different factors mean that countries have to adapt the policy measures they are taking to limit the impact of the pandemic. Read the transcript
Coronavirus will shape political institutions, businesses and leaders across the globe
How much of an impact is COVID-19 going to have on the world? Elias Papaioannou in conversation with Moisés Naím, internationally-syndicated columnist and best-selling author to discuss how the Coronavirus pandemic is going to impact the geopolitical landscape. Read the transcript
Economic theory to help to prioritise testing and understand the cost of actions during the pandemic
How countries can establish testing regimes that minimise the spread of COVID-19 and allows economic activity to return. Elias Papaioannou, Professor of Economics in conversation with Andrea Galeotti, Professor of Economics at London Business School discuss the optimal testing strategy for countries across the world.
Read the transcript
Funding a vaccine, basic economy for extraordinary times
How can funding be structured to incentivise the rapid production of a vaccine for Coronavirus? Elias Papaioannou in conversation with Christopher Snyder, Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College, to discuss how an advanced market commitment could help speed the development of a vaccine for COVID-19. Read the transcript
The impact of COVID-19 in South Africa
Business leaders are part of the solution to the coronavirus crisis in South Africa. Nick Binedell, Professor of Economics at Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) in South Africa joins Rajesh Chandy in conversation on how corporate South Africa has stepped up to the mark in support of the country’s economy. Read the transcript
The gender implications of COVID-19
What is the impact of Covid-19 on women’s participation in the workforce? Elias Papaioannou, Professor of Economics at London Business School was joined in conversation with Matthias Doepke, Professor of Economics at Northwestern, to discuss how the pandemic is affecting family economics. Read the transcript
Hunger could kill more people than COVID-19
How will COVID-19 impact frontier and low-income countries? Elias Papaioannou in conversation with Oriana Bandiera, Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics to discuss how her research in Bangladesh relating to the Ebola outbreak might have lessons for other developing economies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the transcript
Information sharing can lead to behavioural change in the prevention of COVID-19: Lessons from the Zika outbreak in Brazil
Elias Papaioannou in conversation with Imran Rasul, Professor of Economics at University College London, to discuss the role of public health authorities in effectively relaying information during the Coronavirus pandemic. Read the transcript
Could fear caused by COVID-19 affect voting behaviour?
How the pandemic may change political messaging and voter intention. Elias Papaioannou in conversation with Ruben Durante, ICREA Research Professor at Pompeu Fabra University on the impact of COVID-19 on how voters may support candidates across the political spectrum. Read the transcript
→ Read the article
How the pandemic has accelerated changes to consumption patterns and employment in China
Rajesh Chandy in conversation with Juliet Zhu, Professor of Marketing at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB), on the Chinese economy restarting and the long-term shifts in consumer behaviour and employment patterns. Read the transcript
How lessons from the Ebola Crisis can be used to improve outcomes during COVID-19?
The role of trust in health care systems has never been more important than during the current outbreak of COVID-19. Elias Papaioannou was joined in conversation with Oeindrilla Dube, discussing how her research in Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak has clear messages for national policymakers and the private sector now, when it comes to coping with the impact of the Coronavirus.
Read the transcript
Affordable healthcare in developing countries during COVID-19
Thulasiraj Ravillla, Executive Director of LAICO, Aravind Eye Care System joins Kamalini Ramdas in conversation to discuss his experience of delivering high-quality, low-cost healthcare at Avarind Eye Hospital in India and how this approach can improve healthcare accessibility in developing countries during COVID-19. Read the transcript.
The economic implications of COVID-19
What are the economic implication of COVID-19 for low-income countries and emerging markets? Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, Professor of Economics at Berkeley joins Elias Papaioannou in conversation to discuss a proposal by him and his colleagues to the G20 to implement a debt standstill for COVID-19 in low - and middle - income countries. Read the transcript
The impact of Covid-19 in Russia and Eastern Europe
How has the Russian Government performed during the COVID-19 crisis and what steps do they need to take to support people and the economy? Elias Papaioannou in conversation with Sergei Guriev, Professor of Economics at Science Po and Former Chief Economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) discuss how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting Russia. Read the transcript
The impact of COVID-19 in capital flows and emerging markets
"This can be the biggest emerging markets crisis ever" Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan, Neil Moskowitz Endowed Professor of Economics at University of Maryland joins Elias Papaioannou in conversation to discuss the implications of monetary policy on emerging markets and more specifically, in Turkey. Read the transcript
Role of Business in Society
Could the Coronavirus crisis be a reckoning for the corporate world? Jagdish Sheth, Charles H. Kellstadt Chair in Marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School joins Rajesh Chandy to discuss how companies will have to adapt to prevail in a post-COVID-19 world. Read the transcript
Good leadership when growth slows
COVID-19 is a test of an organisation's purpose, resilience and the values of its leaders, this is even more profound and challenging for firms operating in emerging markets. Amit Mehra, Managing Director of Growth, Strategy, Innovation at Accenture joins Rajesh Chandy in conversation to discuss a systematic approach to growth, the advantage of digital tools and opportunity for developing countries. Read the transcript
Moving from CSR to Responsible Business
How can businesses become more responsible and serve the society they exist in? Elias Papaioannou, Professor of Economics at London Business School joins in conversation with Alex Edmans, Professor of Finance at London Business School, Academic Director of the Centre for Corporate Governance and author of Grow the pie - how great companies deliver both purpose & profit at the Same Time’ to discuss corporate social responsibility during COVID-19.
How can mobile payments help hard to reach individuals and communities in times of crisis?
Digital solutions are already providing access to liquidity and commerce in emerging markets during COVID-19. Dr Nick Hughes OBE, Executive Fellow at the Wheeler Institute joins Rajesh Chandy in conversation to discuss the impact of digital payment solutions for developing countries. Read the transcript
Economics Observatory
The Wheeler Institute and LBS Economics have joined the Economics Observatory, a collective and cross-institutional initiative by the major UK research institutions to answer questions from policy-makers and the public about the economics of the COVID-19 crisis and the recovery. It is our great pleasure to be part of this initiative and contribute with relevant content on the COVID-19 crisis and recovery.
Call for Proposals COVID-19
We are welcoming research proposals from the LBS academic community related to COVID-19 and emerging markets. Please see here to learn more about our research support and visit our blog to to read about our recent awardees.
Introducing the Wheeler Institute COVID-19 series
Rajesh Chandy, Professor of Marketing and Elias Papaioannou, Professor of Economics at London Business School and Co-Academic Directors of the Wheeler Institute introduce COVID-19 series. The series will feature conversations on COVID-19 related issues with influential academics, business leaders, and policymakers. Read the transcript
Confronting the new normal: Intense needs immense possibilities
“Voice of the Village” roundtables bring together Dharma Life’s rural women entrepreneurs and a network of global partners to identify and discuss the challenges faced by rural communities in India.How has Dharma Life supported rural Indians in its response to COVID-19? Rajesh Chandy was joined in conversation with Gaurav Mehta, CEO of Dharma Life, three female Dharma Life Entrepreneurs, Clive Allison from Unilever TRANSFORM, Barbara Müller from BMW Foundation, Andreas R. Kirchschläger from elea Foundation and DR SB Muniraju from NITI Aayog to discuss the founding of Dharma Life Labs and Sangram.
Read the article here
Introducing the Jaya Alliance for women’s livelihoods
While India has made significant progress in educating its population, huge disparity still exists in the labour market between men and women. COVID-19 has exacerbated this issue by further limiting opportunities for women to enter the workforce. Dharma Life Labs - a collaboration between Dharma Life, the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development, and Siriti - has launched the JAYA Alliance to tackle the effects of COVID-19 on women. Leveraging a network of female entrepreneurs, academic capabilities, and digital technology to create pathways for women to upskill and gain economic independence.
Read the article here
Rural health services during COVID-19: Priorities and possibilities
The pandemic has accentuated existing health challenges in rural India. The country has invested heavily in driving behaviour change among its population to reduce transmission of COVID-19, however, communities are often caught between the dual pressures of saving lives while also sustaining livelihoods. Often these communities and their leaders have devised innovative solutions to solve this dilemma. This was the third roundtable of the Voice of the Village Series - a collaboration between Dharma Life, the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development, and Siriti.
Read the article here
COVID-19 in the UK NHS: Why Hospital Management Matters
With Sir Andrew Likierman, Professor of Management Practice and former Dean of London Business School, Nicos Savva, Professor of Management Science and Operations at London Business School and Raffaella Sadun, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Rajesh Chandy, Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute hosted the session.
Behavioural Responses during a Pandemic: Implications for UK Exit Strategies
With Andrea Galeotti, Professor of Economics at London Business School and Flavio Toxvaerd, Professor of Economics at the University of Cambridge and Alum of London Business School. Rajesh Chandy, Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute hosted the session.
→ Read the article and transcript . See the slides here and here.
Financial policy and UK business
With Lord Raj Bagri Professor of Economics, Hélène Rey and Paolo Surico, Professor of Economics at London Business School. Hélène who is actively involved in COVID-19 policy responses in Europe - discussed the macro UK context in view of COVID-19, and Paolo provided insight from firms and the consumer level context, given his recent work on the impact of COVID-19 with the Bank of England. Elias Papaioannou, Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute hosted the session.
→ Read the article and transcript.
UK debt before and after the crisis
With Andrew Scott, Professor of Economics at London Business School and Paolo Surico, Professor of Economics at London Business School. Andrew and Paolo discussed the UK debt before and after the crisis. Andrew has published a series of papers on debt, inflation, and optimal public debt management using data spanning centuries. Paolo has focused extensively on work surrounding UK household debt. Elias Papaioannou, Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute hosted the session.
→ Read the article and find the slides here and here. Read the transcript.
UK firms and COVID-19. Survival, Management and Strategy
To discuss the survival, management and strategy of UK firms during and after the Coronavirus pandemic, Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School was joined by John Van Reenen, Professor Gordon Y Billard Professor in Management and Economics, MIT Sloan. John has undertaken pioneering work on quantifying the impact of better management practices in manufacturing, but also in education and health, including in the NHS. Julian discussed the strategy context for UK firms. Rajesh Chandy, Co-Academic Director of the Wheeler Institute hosted the session.
→ Read the article and find the slides here and here. Read the transcript.
