Is Business Broken?

Where does innovation begin? What are the critical factors driving innovation today and tomorrow? And what happens when federal funding gets shaky, the IPO market stalls, and political uncertainty rattles an entire industry? A century and a half after Boston University Professor Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone, questions around the innovation economy are more urgent than ever. At a li...

Ocean shipping carries close to 90% of global trade, and it accounts for about 3% of global emissions. The International Maritime Organization has set ambitious targets to reduce those by 20% by 2030, by 70% by 2040, and reach net zero by 2050. Ships are expensive and pay for themselves over decades, and the technology for green fuels is still developing. What are you supposed to do if you're a sh...

We are living through a massive migration of wealth. More and more capital is leaving public markets and flowing into private equity. There's even a growing push to let everyday investors put their retirement savings into private markets. But as private equity's footprint expands, so does the debate over who actually benefits. Has private equity made the economy more efficient, innovative, and pro...

Exciting news! Is Business Broken? has been nominated for a Webby Award in the Business category! We couldn't be prouder of all of our listeners who helped make this possible. And with this nomination, we're up for a People's Voice award. We’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to vote for us: https://wbby.co/57452N. The voting period ends this Thursday, April 16th. Thank you so much!  Learn mo...

AI is already making its way into healthcare, from helping doctors write notes to interpreting medical images and managing growing amounts of patient data. As one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S., healthcare is quickly becoming a major testing ground for these tools. As tech giants roll out health-focused chatbots and tools, patients and providers face big questions: Is AI giving doct...

Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving into Hollywood, from visual effects and editing to script development and production workflows. In the realms of creative industries, the question looms large: Is AI a complement to human creativity, or is it a substitute that may eventually replace it? Host Curt Nickisch unpacks this question and more with BU Questrom professor Carey Morewedge, Roma Murph...

Self-driving cars are logging millions of miles in a growing number of U.S. cities. Waymo now wants to test its newest robotaxis on Boston’s narrow streets, rotaries, and snowy roads. But are drivers ready to hand over the wheel to AI? What makes people trust or reject a technology that asks them to give up control? And what kind of future are we really driving toward? Host Curt Nickisch unpacks t...

 In recent years, the Federal Reserve has faced down enormous economic challenges: rising inflation, new trade policies, a pandemic, and a weaker labor market. So how much are tariffs really driving price increases? How should we measure inflation in a modern economy? And how has bank regulation reshaped the Fed’s balance sheet and the role it plays?  At a recent live event, Host Curt Nickisch sit...

Today's episode tackles a challenge facing boardrooms right now: the intersection of geopolitics and corporate governance. For decades, companies followed a playbook built on global integration and efficiency. But now that playbook is being rewritten by trade wars, sanctions, and supply chain disruptions. So how do boards navigate a landscape where geopolitical risk is the new normal, and where ev...

At its core, antitrust is about reining in concentrated power. But in a world where digital platforms shape our choices and markets evolve, the boundaries of competition and fairness seem to be shifting. Who truly gets to compete? What keeps markets open and innovative? And how are new technologies testing the limits of rules written for another era? Today's guests are BU Questrom Professors Dionn...

How might corporate governance shape business decisions, trust, and society at large? In this special student-hosted episode of Is Business Broken?, BU Questrom Undergrad Grant Corbett speaks with BU Questrom Visiting Professor Roy Shapira. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, we're diving into a fascinating corner of self-regulation—one that doesn't rely on formal rules or legal protections, but instead on norms. In industries like fashion and fine dining, there are powerful unspoken rules: don’t copy, don’t steal—even when you legally can. What does it take to sustain trust and collaboration when regulation isn’t there to keep everyone in line? To discuss, host...

Last week's show introduced self-regulation, the practice of businesses, setting their own guardrails without government, but what are the limits to private actors policing themselves? At what point should government intervene in the public interest, and also companies getting together to set their own rules? When does that cross into antitrust territory and become collusion? Host Curt Nickisch sp...

What happens when business regulates itself, without government? Enter self regulation. Host Curt Nickisch speaks to BU Questrom Professors Andy King and Tim Simcoe about when self regulation works, when it doesn't, and what's at stake for society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Exciting news! Is Business Broken? has been nominated for a Signal Award in the Business category! We couldn't be more proud of all of our listeners who helped make this possible. And with this nomination, we're up for a Listener's Choice award. We’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to vote for us: Please vote here. Thank you so much! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com...

AI promises massive gains in productivity and a flourishing of goods and services—but also poses consequences for jobs, corporate power, and society. There will be winners and losers. Today, we're asking: How do we strike the balance between innovation and safety, between competition and concentration, between policy and industry regulation? At a live event as part of the WBUR Festival, host Curt...

One of the goals of the Mehrotra Institute is to educate, not just through research or in the classroom, but by creating real-world learning opportunities. So, for this episode, we're handing the mic to student host Grant Corbett, who chats with JD Chesloff, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Business Round Table about how the current political environment is impacting businesses on the ground....

How should companies balance short-term pressures with long-term interests? Can they do both—and if so, how? That’s the question we posed at a live event that BU Questrom held in April. Host Curt Nickisch spoke to Stuart Hart, Professor in Residence at the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, and the author of Beyond Shareholder Primacy: Remaking Capitalism for...

Last episode introduced the concept of common ownership. That’s where major investors buy significant stakes across competing firms, which can lower competition, raise prices, and affect innovation. But what could be done about that? Is there a way to address these anti-competitive issues? Host Curt Nickisch talks potential solutions with Florian Ederer, Allen and Kelli Questrom Professor in Marke...

When the same big investors buy stakes in multiple competing companies, are those firms still competitors? When they practically have the same owner, do they set their prices differently? Do they lose their drive to innovate? This is not a thought experiment. It’s real and widespread—a phenomenon known as common ownership. Is common ownership just smart investing, or is it reducing competition and...

Innovation is what drives progress—but in healthcare, progress can feel frustratingly slow. New treatments, technologies, and approaches have the potential to save lives and reduce costs, yet systemic barriers often stand in the way. Are financial incentives in this regulated market holding innovation back? If so, how badly? What would it take to realign them? Today, host Curt Nickisch speaks to J...

As we’ve discussed these last few episodes, there’s a lot that goes into how executives get paid—but what about the people working beneath those executives? How do employees feel about executive compensation, and how can companies balance rewarding top leaders while keeping employees engaged and valued? Today, we explore how pay structures shape workplace culture, trust, and motivation—and what ca...

For our next conversation on executive compensation, we’re exploring some of the big questions researchers are tackling today. Like: How much of CEO pay is driven by luck? Have these pay packages gotten too complex? And are CEOs being fairly rewarded — or punished — for the risks they take? Host Curt Nickisch is joined by BU Questrom Professors Ana Albuquerque and Charlie Tharp. Learn more about y...

 Today's episode dives into the voice that shareholders have and how executives are paid, including large institutional shareholders. What does that relationship look like between investors and companies, and how does this affect CEO pay? Host Curt Nickisch chats with Bob McCormick, Executive Director at the Council of Institutional Investors, and Charlie Tharp, Professor of the Practice at Boston...

Why and how did CEO paychecks become so massive and divisive? Who decides what leaders are worth? And what’s the ripple effect on companies, workers, and the economy? Host Curt Nickisch unpacks these issues and more with Charles Tharp, Professor of the Practice at the Questrom School of Business and former CEO and founding member of the Center On Executive Compensation in Washington D.C. Learn mor...