Publications

2007
Working Paper

Accountability in Complex Organizations: World Bank Responses to Civil Society

By: Alnoor Ebrahim and Steve Herz

Civil society actors have been pushing for greater accountability of the World Bank for at least three decades. This paper outlines the range of accountability mechanisms currently in place at the World Bank along four basic levels: (1) staff, (2) project, (3) policy,... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Accountability; Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Compensation and Benefits; Business and Community Relations; Social Enterprise; Motivation and Incentives

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March 2002
Article

Does Civil Society Stop the Downward Spiral of Bad Government or Speed it Up?

By: Arthur C. Brooks

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March 22, 2016
Article

The Globalization of Corporate Environmental Disclosure: Accountability or Greenwashing?

By: Christopher Marquis, Michael W. Toffel and Yanhua Zhou

This article is a layman summary of "Scrutiny, Norms, and Selective Disclosure: A Global Study of Greenwashing," published in Organization Science 27, no. 2 (March–April 2016): 483–504. View Details

Keywords: Reporting; Environmental Performance; Civil Society; Corporate Disclosure; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Civil Society or Community; Environmental Sustainability

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2011
Chapter

The World Bank and Democratic Accountability: The Role of Civil Society

By: Alnoor Ebrahim and Steve Herz

Keywords: International Finance; Banks and Banking; Civil Society or Community; Governance Compliance; Banking Industry

Article

Private and Civil Society Governors of Mercury Pollution from Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining: A Network Analytic Approach

By: Kristin Sippl

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is both a subsistence livelihood for millions of people and the leading source of mercury pollution globally. The United Nation’s 2013 Minamata Convention on Mercury aims to address this challenge, but such public regulatory... View Details

Keywords: Artisanal And Small-scale Mining (ASM); Private Governance; Gold; Mercury; Mining; Governance; Networks; Pollutants; Research

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April 2025
Case

Techint: Strategic Choices for Community Impact

By: Lauren Cohen, Virak Prum, Kenneth Charman, Pedro Levindo and Mariana Cal

In early 2024 Erika Bienek, Chief Community Relations Officer at Techint, had to decide whether to invest in a new company-owned and operated technical school in Veracruz, Mexico, or invest instead in strengthening the city’s public education system. Techint, a global... View Details

Keywords: Technical Institutes; Community Relations; Social Impact; Argentina; Mexico; Brazil; Conglomerate; Stakeholder Management; Government And Business; Community Impact; Philanthropy; Business Conglomerates; Business Subsidiaries; Business Headquarters; Family Business; Decision Making; Private Sector; Public Sector; Education; Curriculum and Courses; Middle School Education; Secondary Education; Teaching; Training; Learning; Energy; Engineering; Construction; Values and Beliefs; Geography; Global Range; Local Range; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Globalized Firms and Management; Government Legislation; Recruitment; Innovation and Invention; Disruptive Innovation; Knowledge; Resource Allocation; Industry Clusters; Infrastructure; Family Ownership; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Business and Community Relations; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Business and Government Relations; Creativity; Reputation; Social and Collaborative Networks; Civil Society or Community; Social Issues; Poverty; Strategy; Construction Industry; Education Industry; Energy Industry; Industrial Products Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Steel Industry; Europe; Italy; Latin America; North and Central America; Mexico; North America; United States; South America; Argentina; Buenos Aires; Brazil

01 Nov 2018
News

The Power of Civility

It's a very self-centered world these days, and that does worry me about our future as a civilization. “One of the things that my parents taught me when I was a kid was that we need to take responsibility for our own actions, and we can't blame others for what happens... View Details

24 Apr 2014
News

Taking a broad view of the impact of business on society and community

Masoud Sanai (PLDA 3, 2007) talks about how attending Harvard Business School helped him expand his view of business to include considering ways to also benefit society. (Published April 2014) View Details

09 Apr 2016
Blog Post

Meet The HBS Sound Society

Sound Society has had a busy first year. 2015-2016 saw the club established with the goal of establishing more of a music presence on campus. What started out as simply having music playing at TGIFs or... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment / Media / Sports

November 2012
Case

Building a Community at Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation

By: Christopher Marquis, Zucheng Zhou, Mo Chen and Heng Fan

Over the past decade, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) had developed a unique set of benefits and cultural amenities for its employees, including a beautiful residential campus, known as the Living Quarters (LQ), and an award winning... View Details

Keywords: Culture And Community; Cost vs Benefits; Civil Society or Community; Organizational Culture; Profit; Culture; Compensation and Benefits; Semiconductor Industry

November 2000 (Revised December 2000)
Case

Abuzz: Community Building Community

By: Rosabeth M. Kanter, Katherine Chen and Michelle Heskett

Keywords: Civil Society or Community; Urban Development

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06 Aug 2007
Research & Ideas

High Hills, Deep Poverty: Explaining Civil War in Nepal

diversity (can people communicate or not?) and caste diversity (how much do some people want to keep away from other people?). About 90 percent of the population in Nepal is Hindu, but within Hindu View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

February 2024 (Revised June 2024)
Case

Asian Community Development Corporation: Building Housing and Community

By: Michael Chu and Alexis Lefort

Based in Boston’s Chinatown, the Asian Community Development Corporation’s mission was to build affordable homes, empower families, and strengthen communities. The case examines whether ACDC should continue pursuing all three goals or focus on affordable housing. View Details

Keywords: Housing; Mission and Purpose; Nonprofit Organizations; Urban Development; Boston

Web

Donor Societies - Alumni

Circle $100,000+ (Member) $250,000+ (Partner) $1,000,000+ (Champion) Above offerings Invitations to special engagements with HBS leadership Learn About the HBS Fund Questions? Contact Liz George , Senior Associate Director, HBS Fund, at lgeorge@hbs.edu View Details

September 2021 (Revised November 2022)
Case

Community Solutions

By: Brian Trelstad and Tom Quinn

Community Solutions was an anti-homelessness nonprofit founded in 2011 after protagonist Rosanne Haggerty grew frustrated with the limited impact of traditional housing and outreach strategies. It set an ambitious goal, reached in some partner communities, of ending... View Details

Keywords: Change; Change Management; Disruption; Transformation; Communication; Communication Strategy; Decision Making; Cost vs Benefits; Decision Choices and Conditions; Decisions; Forecasting and Prediction; Social Entrepreneurship; Ethics; Values and Beliefs; Capital Budgeting; Capital Markets; Country; Government Administration; Government Legislation; Housing; Disruptive Innovation; Innovation and Invention; Innovation Strategy; Knowledge Sharing; Leading Change; Resource Allocation; Mission and Purpose; Performance Evaluation; Performance Improvement; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Opportunities; Social Enterprise; Nonprofit Organizations; Human Needs; Public Opinion; Social Issues; Societal Protocols; Poverty; Welfare; Well-being; System; Equality and Inequality; Consulting Industry; Real Estate Industry; United States; New York (city, NY); Florida; Texas

July 2011
Teaching Note

MindTree: A Community of Communities (TN)

By: David A. Garvin

Teaching Note for 311049. View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Management; Management Practices and Processes; Civil Society or Community; Goals and Objectives; Leadership Style; Innovation and Invention; Business or Company Management; Organizational Culture; Information Technology Industry