VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce

Implications for Business Leaders Today

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On August 5, 2021, we spoke with Mark Mizruchi, University of Michigan professor and author of The Fracturing of the American Corporate Elite to explore “Re-thinking Business’ Role in U.S. Polarization and How CPR Can Help Companies Respond”

Business leaders across the U.S. are increasingly alarmed at the destructive effects of political polarization, in their communities, in their interactions with state, local and federal government, and increasingly, among their employees. As these executives consider how to best respond, firms must wrestle with several critical questions:

  • How has business approached civic and political engagement differently over time, and what can companies learn from that today?
  • How might we define CPR (corporate political responsibility)? When should firms step in and when should they step back?
  • How can investing in the common good and practicing CPR help companies navigate the current minefield, especially around polarization?

In this module, we explore:

  • What is needed next, in terms of CPR? What options for investing in the common good might help us navigate the current minefield?
  • What are the barriers and what might help companies overcome them?

The Corporate Political Responsibility Taskforce (CPRT)’s Expert Dialogues are in-depth, recorded conversations with academic experts, stakeholder advocates and business practitioners to provide our members and other CPR champions with the expertise and context they need to develop principled, proactive CPR strategies. We invite those interested in a constructive, non-partisan, principles-based discussion.

Professor Mizruchi's research focuses on the economic and political behavior of large American corporations, among many other topics. His book, The Fracturing of the American Corporate Elite, (Harvard University Press, 2013), received the George R. Terry Book Award from the Academy of Management and the Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Award from the Political Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association. Elizabeth Doty, Director of the CPRT, will moderate the conversation.

KEYWORDS: #CorporatePoliticalResponsibility #ESG #CivicEngagement #CivicInstitutions

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VideoCorporate Political Responsibility Taskforce
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To rebuild election trust among conservative voters, this Johns Hopkins–R Street tool outlines three actionable principles: affirm past election integrity, increase process transparency, and improve election operations. It pairs these with Gallup-backed data to guide civic leaders—including business—on addressing doubts without heightening polarization.

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This article argues that corporate governance need to take account of a company's political responsibility and that the Erb Principles provide a helpful framework for doing so. 

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WebsiteHarvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance

This post summarizes the Center for Political Accountability’s Guide to Corporate Political Spending, which provides best practices for implementing the CPA-Zicklin Model Code. The Model Code identifies a company’s broader societal and democracy obligations and responsibilities that should govern its political spending decisions. This new Guide spells out what concrete steps and actions management should follow as it makes spending decisions and evaluates the accompanying risks. 

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This guide provides a good overview of how the current environment developed for companies and some tips that business leaders can use to navigate through the conflicting pressures.

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This report argues free enterprise supports both individual prosperity and societal well-being, advocating for competitive markets over government intervention to ensure long-term economic growth.

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This essay explores tensions between classical-liberal and national-conservative visions of markets and the common good. Drawing on Catholic social teaching and Wilhelm Röpke’s political economy, Salter argues that free enterprise and moral order must be treated as complements, not substitutes. He calls for dispersed property, subsidiarity, and policies that support economic independence, civic virtue, and human flourishing. 

 

 

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Free Enterprise Competitive Markets (A) – Central theme: explores how markets serve the common good when balanced by moral and civic considerations rather than pure efficiency. 

Healthy, Stable Systems (A) – Advocates dispersed property and subsidiarity to sustain freedom and prevent concentration of power—key CPR system-stability goals. 

Corporate Citizenship (B) – Frames enterprise as a moral actor embedded in community life, with duties to uphold shared well-being beyond profit. 

Responsibility (B) – Highlights the moral obligations of firms and policymakers to design markets that sustain families, workers, and civic order. 

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This report outlines how corporate greenwashing tactics have become more sophisticated, shifting from exaggerated claims to subtler misrepresentations and legal obfuscation. It highlights emerging regulatory gaps, critiques industry self-regulation, and calls for more robust public accountability frameworks to ensure environmental claims align with actual business practices. 
 

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