The Kenan Institute’s Distinguished Fellows comprise an exemplary set of global scholars committed to leveraging their individual expertise, thought leadership, research and networks to further the institute’s efforts to examine – and drive solutions to – the most complex and timely issues facing business and the economy today.
Each of the 2023 Distinguished Fellows has written a paper as part of their work to support the Kenan Institute’s exploration of workforce disruption. Below you’ll find an introduction to our fellows and link to their papers, along with key takeaways from each.
Key Takeaways
John Haltiwanger is the Dudley and Louisa Dillard Professor of Economics and a Distinguished University Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland. Haltiwanger leverages U.S. longitudinal firm-level data to create new statistical measures and analyze the determinants of job creation, job destruction and economic performance. His work examines these firm dynamics and their implications for U.S. productivity growth and the U.S. labor market. His essay explores the ups and downs of innovation and productivity growth in the U.S., discussing these trends and their interplay with dynamism and entrepreneurship.
Key Takeaways
Angelica Leigh is an assistant professor of management and organizations at Duke University Fuqua School of Business. Employing a dynamic approach to studying race, Leigh explores the behaviors in which racial minority employees engage that go against norms of identity suppression at work, and the actions that these employees take to combat racism in organizations. This essay discusses her recent work, which examines the spillover effects of “mega-threats” – large-scale societal events – on organizations and their employees.
Key Takeaways
Arvind Malhotra is the H. Allen Andrew Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. His research examines how to craft innovation problems, open innovation approaches, crowd creativity, crowdsourcing for innovation, using crowds to solve complex societal problems, and the future of work. Malhotra’s essay discusses approaches to human learning and development and their relative merits amid the rapid ascent of AI and robotics.
Key Takeaways
Ricardo Perez-Truglia is an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business. His research focuses on income inequality, the gender pay gap, pay transparency, tax compliance and other topics in economics. In this essay, Perez-Truglia reviews recent studies of pay transparency policies and their effects, including both desired and unintended consequences.
Key Takeaways
Thomas Stith is CEO of The Michael Thomas Group Inc. and former president of North Carolina’s Community College System. With a career working in numerous industries, including state and local government, higher education, technology, nonprofits, health care, transportation and the energy sector, he is widely recognized as a thought leader on economic and community development, education, small business, investment, non-profit operations and public policy.
Key Takeaways
Tara Watson is a professor of economics at Williams College, a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and a co-editor of the Journal of Human Resources. Her work focuses on U.S. social policy, with interests in the safety net, health and immigration. Watson’s essay discusses the mishmash of U.S. immigration policy and proposes pathways for reform.