Rustandy Center NewsLetter

Chicago Booth - Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation

THE RUSTANDY MONTHLY
ISSUE 10: SEPTEMBER 2020

ROB’S PICK

I’m always on the lookout for papers exploring ways to improve government policy, including this one from economists at Harvard, et al., studying the effectiveness of affordable housing programs. Using a randomized control trial, researchers offered housing vouchers to low-income families living in neighborhoods with “limited upward mobility” to understand the barriers preventing moves to other areas. About 53 percent of families who received individualized interventions—from emotional support to brokering with landlords to customized financial assistance—ended up moving, compared to 15 percent of families in the control group of standardized policy.

Robert Gertner is the John Edwardson Faculty Director at the Rustandy Center and the Joel F. Gemunder Professor of Strategy and Finance

CAROLINE’S PICK

I’ve been reading Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire by Harvard professor Rebecca Henderson, a look at the consequences of capitalism and opportunities to leverage it for positive impact on humanity. It’s an interesting time to pick up the book examining the role business plays in society—some 50 years after Nobel Prize-winning Booth economist Milton Friedman famously prioritized maximizing profits above all else. It's also just over a year since the Business Roundtable committed business to generating social and financial returns. If the topic sparks your interest, you might be interested in reading related to this Booth corporate social responsibility event.

Caroline Grossman, ’03, is the executive director of the Rustandy Center and adjunct assistant professor of strategy

Washington Post: Article Cites Rustandy Faculty Director as Leading COVID-19 Expert
New York Times: Rustandy Center COVID-19 Research Cited in Story on Unemployment
Washington Post: SNVC Alum Named First Black President of an NFL Team
Business Insider: Professor Bertrand Talks About Value of Real-Time Data During Crisis
Chicago, Online: 9/29: Innovating for Social Equity: New Approaches in Philanthropy

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