This chapter investigates the pricing of key contract provisions of Puerto Rican debt. In doing so, the chapter contributes to a body of research that asks the questions: do investors price contract provisions? Does the pricing of contract provisions vary with credit risk? To our knowledge, this is the first study to address these questions for the case of Puerto Rico or any municipal issuer. Puerto Rico’s unique status as a U.S. territory implies that its subsidiaries, such as municipalities, cannot file for bankruptcy under Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in many supply chains, none more so than the healthcare supply chain. What factors have contributed to the alarming lack of readily available healthcare resources in the wake of overwhelming need? And what can be done to prevent such a disconnect from happening again? Professor Brad Staats, faculty director of the UNC Center for the Business of Health, and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Professor Jay Swaminathan present the findings of their most recent supply chain research in this week’s Kenan Insight.
Business incubators are taking on a greater role in the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems, but debate continues over whether, how and in what situations they work. In this Kenan Insight, we explore what makes incubators successful and how communities can determine if one is right for them.
Greater focus on social justice has brought systemic inequities in the corporate sector to light, leading companies to step up their efforts in attracting and retaining a diverse workforce – but many challenges remain in implementing those goals. Following a joint report between the Kenan Institute and EY, this week’s Kenan Insight breaks down some challenges companies may face while trying to reach their diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
2020 has been a year unlike any other. With a global pandemic, political turmoil and calls for a more just, diverse and inclusive space for all impacting our day-to-day lives, Kenan Institute Executive Director Greg Brown gives an update on the institute's work in these challenging times.
Last month, Patrick Hartley, a distinguished member of the Kenan-Flagler community, joined the Kenan Institute as a Fellow. He has been a Professor of the Practice of Finance at Kenan-Flagler for nearly twelve years. Currently, he also serves as President of the board of directors of the Kenan-Flagler Business School Foundation.
A growing body of rigorous academic literature empirically demonstrates that high-skilled immigrants provide a range of long-lasting and material benefits to the U.S. economy through entrepreneurship and innovation. Recent research has quantified the impact of foreign-born founders on key economic indicators such as firm creation, job creation and overall business innovation. Likewise, a growing body of literature documents how skilled immigrants have more broadly facilitated technological innovation. Kenan Institute Executive Director Greg Brown discusses the findings of he and his colleagues in this Institute Insights.
For someone so young, Nick Black (Kenan-Flagler MBA ’13) has racked up more accolades than many people twice his age: Kenan Institute Leadership Fellow (precursor to the current Kenan Scholars program), Rollie Tillman Leadership Award, and Presidential Leadership Scholar, not to mention the numerous medals he won as a member of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.
During the institute's monthly press briefing Jan. 5, institute Chief Economist Gerald Cohen analyzed another healthy job growth number and discussed his five economic trends to watch for this year.
On Thursday, December 14, leaders in public finance, private equity, venture capital, hedge funds and investment management convened at the Kenan Center in Chapel Hill to discuss 2018 investment challenges and opportunities. The 2018 Investment Outlook forum was sponsored by the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise.
On January 18-19, 2018, the Frank H. Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise convened its second-ever Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Conference, bringing together academic researchers, policymakers and industry leaders to share their experiences, insights and ideas for improving the entrepreneurial climate in the United States and beyond.
Throughout 2022, the Kenan Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill explored how ESG factors enter into and play a role in the decisions of corporate managers and investors. We have framed this analysis within the broader notion of “stakeholder capitalism,” a model in which business decisions reflect explicit consideration of their expected impact on a broader set of corporate stakeholders.
The COVID-19 market disruption has massive implications, specifically on small business employment. Kenan Institute experts project an 11.5 percentage point addition to the overall U.S. unemployment rate by small business layoffs. Our panelists also examined the role relief legislation can and should play in mitigating the economic effects of the pandemic. This briefing features Kenan Institute Research Director and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Professor Christian Lundblad, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Professor Paige Ouimet and Grant Thornton Chief Public Policy Officer Mary Moore Hamrick.
What’s best for a local economy—recruiting big, established companies, or nurturing home-grown startups? It’s a question economic developers and researchers have grappled with for decades. In a new white paper and Economic Development Quarterly article, Kenan Institute Senior Faculty Fellow Maryann Feldman and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor Nichola Lowe offer a new tack: Try both.
Often the story of successful places is predicated on the story of an individual who was instrumental in creating institutions and making connections that were transformative for a local economy. Certainly this is the case for Silicon Valley in California and Fred Terman, the Dean of Engineering at Stanford University, USA, who offered his garage to his students, Hewlett and Packard, and encouraged other start-ups. Or George Kozmetsky, the founder of Teledyne, who created the Institute for Innovation, Creativity and Capital (IC2) and mentored over 260 local computer companies in Austin, Texas. Any reading of the lives of these individuals highlights their connection to community and motivations beyond making profits.
Real Estate investments continue to rise in importance in the alternative asset space. The Institute for Private Capital will host this event which will present innovative and leading research on real estate investments.
Join leaders from the Kenan Institute and its affiliated centers for two virtual information sessions. UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School undergraduate and MBA students will have the opportunity to connect with center leadership and learn about ways to get involved with the institute's work.
Participants include Jim Goldman, Assistant Professor of Financial Economics, University of Toronto; Eva Steiner, Associate Professor of Real Estate, Penn State University; Jay R. Ritter, Joseph B. Cordell Eminent Scholar, Warrington College of Business, University of Florida; Allyson Tucker, Chief Investment Officer, Washington State Investment Board; Michael Elio, Partner, StepStone; Christian Lundblad, Richard Levin Distinguished Professor of Finance, Director of Research, Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise; Matt Harvey, Managing Director, Head of Direct Lending, PGIM Private Capital; and David Sambur, Apollo Global Management, Inc.
Kenan Institute Executive Director and Institute for Private Capital Research Director Greg Brown breaks down a recent white paper by Antii Ilmanen, Swati Chandra, and Nicholas McQuinn of AQR, which examines expected returns for Private Equity (PE). The paper’s authors claim that, when properly risk-adjusted, the returns on private equity are not attractive relative to public market stocks. The conclusion on lower returns is surprising to many because it’s at odds with what is now the well-documented outperformance of PE over the last few decades.