Has Work Grown More Transactional? It’s Complicated.
What is commonly referred to as “loyalty” between employers and employees has eroded for decades. Does the weakening of implied contracts mean that work has become more transactional?
Insights
The Kenan Institute is closely affiliated with UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and connects a community of business scholars and researchers dedicated to advancing market-based solutions to vital economic issues. The Institute is home to thought leaders in research fields ranging from business strategy to marketing and finance to healthcare.
How Access Helps Define Wealth Inequality
As we prepare for the Conference on Market-Based Solutions for Reducing Wealth Inequality, an emphasis on access (and the lack thereof) provides a constructive framing of inequality’s principal factor.
Housing Affordability in North Carolina
The Kenan Institute has developed a housing affordability index for North Carolina counties. The index and accompanying interactive map allow users to compare current county-level affordability metrics and see how these measures have changed over time.
The Fed’s New Test
Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise
Economic Briefings
Experts from the institute appear on the briefing each month and offer commentary in their areas of specialization. Briefings generally occur on the morning that the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its employment report.
2026 Grand Challenge
Renegotiating Work
Balancing Workplace Demands in Uncertain Times
The expectations of mutual commitment that once anchored work have frayed, as employers offer less long-term stability and employees change jobs more often. Flexibility is key to both sides: Workers want more control over when, where and how they work, while companies seek the best ways to weather volatile markets, rapid technology changes and soaring benefit costs. Our exploration asks what happens when both sides are redefining how work fits their needs — and defines pathways for organizations based on models that work. How are employers restructuring work to add value to the bottom line as well as attract and retain talent, from recent graduates to seasoned executives?
Kenan Institute
In the News
You’ll find our experts on our monthly briefings and in print, broadcast and digital outlets throughout North Carolina, across the country and around the world. See what they’ve been saying recently.
Riding the Seesaw: Economic Briefing FRIDAY
Join Kenan Institute Research Fellow Greg Brown as he discusses the up-and-down year for job growth and the fresh employment report during the institute’s monthly briefing at 9 AM EDT Friday, May 8.
The Fed’s New Test: Press April Briefing
Beneath the headlines about Iran and oil, a quieter story is building. Join Kenan Institute Research Fellow Christian Lundblad as he discusses the situation and takes your questions during the institute’s monthly briefing at 9 AM EDT Friday, April 3.
Connecting Research and Insights to Carolina
Leaders and programs at the Kenan Institute that connect the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to partners in North Carolina and beyond.