Universal Childcare Boosts Mothers’ Careers, Firms’ Bottom Lines
Universal childcare reform implemented in Quebec, Canada, in the late 1990s boosted the careers and earnings of new mothers and produced positive outcomes for some companies as well.
bias
Fairness in Machine Learning: An Alternative Approach
Research from UNC Kenan-Flagler Finance Professor Eric Ghysels attaches explicit costs to a model’s classification errors, in this case concerning pretrial detention decisions, avoiding the one-size-fits-all symmetrical cost function of traditional machine learning.
Strategies for Diversifying Corporate Leadership
Firms continue to strive for greater representation on corporate boards. One California law, attempting to mandate such greater representation, has encountered a recent setback. Two experts discuss obstacles to more diverse corporate leadership and offer approaches for surmounting them.
Trend Watch: What’s Next for Entrepreneurship
Does the quality of startups increase when the quantity drops? Does entrepreneurial experience help or hurt a corporate job candidate? Do diverse teams make for better startups? The 2022 Trends in Entrepreneurship report brings together our global network of affiliated experts to address these questions and more – with key findings highlighted in this week’s insight.
Fixing the Leaky Gender Equality Pipeline
Much has been written about the disproportionate number of women who have suffered pandemic-related job losses during COVID-19, but a related consequence has not been as well explored: the serious disruption of women’s careers, particularly in fields in which “path dependence” matters for success. In this Kenan Insight, we examine this more subtle asymmetry in the pandemic’s impact as indicative of far broader issues for women’s advancement in the workplace.
May 24, 2026
Webinar: Rethinc. Labs — Fairness in Justice: Use of Machine Learning in Pre-trial Detention
Join our panel of experts who will share their technological, legal and social expertise to answer the questions raised by the real-world performance of risk assessment instruments.
Organizational Equity: Your Missing Metric for Success
Most organizational leaders have come to recognize that hiring and retaining a diverse workforce is a business imperative. But many struggle to achieve their diversity goals. In this Kenan Insight, we explore how organizations can measure their “organizational equity” — that is, their internal distribution of power and resources — and build a diverse workforce that leads to greater organizational success.
Jim Johnson and Jeanne Milliken Bonds Offer Insights on Reputational Equity in Triangle Business Journal Article
In a recent Triangle Business Journal article, Urban Investment Strategies Center Director Jim Johnson and UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Professor Jeanne Milliken Bonds discuss why Americans are increasingly turning to companies with purpose and ethics, and provide a corporate reputational equity checklist to help organizations move toward greater diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices.
Dean’s Speaker Series — Harvey Gantt
On Thursday, Oct. 29, architect, politician and former mayor of Charlotte Harvey Gantt joined UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Dean Doug Shackelford for an exclusive fireside chat. Gantt discussed his career, the current political climate and the social justice movement in the U.S. This virtual experience was part of the Dean’s Speaker Series.
The Seven “What Matters” In a System Not Designed for Us
For African Americans and individuals from other historically underrepresented groups, work cultures can be difficult to navigate. In a new white paper, The Seven "What Matters" In a System Not Designed for Us, Urban Investment Strategies Center Director Jim Johnson draws upon his 40 years of experience in academia to offer strategies for individuals in these groups to thrive within work cultures that do not fully embrace and may even be antagonistic to diversity and inclusion.
The Upending of Education and Childcare
In our previous Kenan Insight, we outlined the major findings in our recent report, Seven Forces Reshaping the Economy. This week, we explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has upended education and childcare, ushering in changes to both that will last far beyond the current crisis.
The Risk of Digital Discrimination: Exploring AI Bias
AI applications are ubiquitous – and so is their potential to exhibit unintended bias. Algorithmic and automation biases and algorithm aversion all plague the human-AI partnership, eroding trust between people and machines that learn. But can bias be eradicated from AI? Dr, Fay Cobb Payton, Professor of Information Systems & Technology at NC State’s Poole College of Management and a Program Director at the National Science Foundation in the Division of Computer and Network Systems moderates a discussion between Timnit Gebru, research scientist and the co-lead of the Ethical AI Team at Google and the co-founder of Black in AI; Brenda Leong, senior counsel and director of artificial intelligence and ethics at the Future of Privacy Forum; Professor Mohammad Jarrahi, associate professor at UNC’s School of Information and Library Science; and Chris Wicher, Rethinc. Labs AI Research Fellow, former director of AI Research at KPMG’s AI Center of Excellence and Vice President of Watson Engineering at IBM.
May 24, 2026
Webinar: Rethinc. Labs — The Risk of Digital Discrimination: Exploring AI Bias
Join our panel of industry and academic leaders, who will share their technological, legal, organizational and social expertise to answer the questions raised by emerging artificial intelligence capabilities.
The Land of Opportunity (Zones)
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) allowed for the creation of Opportunity Zones (OZs) — specially designated census tracts encompassing low-income neighborhoods meant to stimulate investment through large tax incentives. But critics say the program has not spurred additional investment as much as rewarded politically connected investors. In this Kenan Insight, we investigate what role, if any, bias and political party affiliation plays in the selection of OZs.
May 24, 2026
Press Briefing: Driving Equitable Solutions for Racial Justice Amid COVID-19
A panel of experts convened by UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, its affiliated Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and the Institute of African American Research will offer a press briefing via webinar on the intersection of the COVID-19 crisis and the Black Lives Matter movement—providing a framework for developing solutions to achieve equitable public health and economic outcomes for the short- and long-term.
May 24, 2026
Webinar: UNC Entrepreneurship Center — Office & Work Culture: Is It Truly Inclusive & Equitable
When it comes to companies and organizations, many talk a good game of diversity, especially around hiring, but truly lack the inclusion and equity part. COVID-19 has once again called out a sore eye to American society's racial inequities, class disparities and employment needs. We must address the water cooler talk that many employers do not understand and impacts their hiring process. This discussion will offer insight and solutions on how to build a truly equitable and inclusive workplace.
Why America Needs High-Skilled Immigrants
In recent months, mechanisms that have allowed for high-skilled foreign nationals to study and work in the U.S. have been put on the policy chopping block. In this Kenan Insight, we discuss why high-skilled foreign workers are critical to America's economic health, and why policies must continue to support their entry into the U.S.
May 24, 2026
Webinar: Black Communities — Black Life Amid Anti-Black Violence
This week, co-hosts Mark Little and Karla Slocum will discuss the events surrounding the horrific killing of George Floyd and protests across the country against persistent anti-Black violence and police brutality. Our discussion will cover community building amid racial trauma, ongoing legacies of racial violence and how it all relates to our work and lives.
Business of Healthcare Conference 2019: The Future of Healthcare
The conference, hosted by the Center for the Business of Health, the Kenan-Flagler Healthcare Club, and the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, attracted students, faculty and practitioners from all sectors of the healthcare system.