Reviews a wide range of real-world deliberation experiments—including on energy and climate—that achieved policy progress by integrating representative citizen groups, expert input, and structured facilitation, and outlines the design conditions for those breakthroughs.
This article outlines a new approach to corporate political engagement that builds on human rights frameworks to help combat corporate short-termism and enable companies to align their political engagement with longer-term priorities. The article outlines specific action steps that companies can use to align their political engagement with longer-term environmental, institutional stability, and human rights considerations.
This playbook offers HR professionals guidance on managing political discussions at work, providing strategies to ensure civil dialogue, resolve conflicts, and maintain a respectful, productive environment. It includes practical tips and real-world examples for handling political topics in diverse workplaces.
Patricia McLagan is an author, consultant, and business owner with fifty years’ experience supporting large scale change processes in business and governments globally. From 1983 through 2004, Pat consulted with major South African businesses, government entities, universities, and parastatals, and chaired the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation after returning to the US. This article draws on her personal experience with South African businesses and government entities from 1983 into the 2010s, focusing on what some white South African business leaders did in a time of polarization and potential civil war.
Comments from business leaders, academics, civil society organizations and others commenting how the Erb Principles for Corporate Political Responsibility can help with managing risk, sustaining market economies, strengthening civic institutions and enabling long-term value for business and society.
This paper examines how the intersection of corporate governance and political engagement is reshaping business strategies and societal impact. It explores how factors like ESG investing, corporate activism, and political changes are pushing businesses into social issues, complicating the roles of shareholders vs. stakeholders, and blurring the lines between private and public power. The author offers new models for businesses and policymakers to navigate these evolving dynamics.
This guide offers companies a research-backed climate communication strategy that emphasizes materiality over morality—framing climate action as a business necessity, not just ethical responsibility. Drawing on extensive surveys and focus groups from the US and abroad, it outlines how to connect with skeptical audiences by stressing the concrete, economic benefits of climate initiatives.
This toolkit helps companies adopt practical transformational governance steps aligned with SDG 16 principles of peace, justice, and strong institutions. It includes a self-assessment tool to identify governance gaps, offers actionable recommendations, and focuses on board leadership, responsible lobbying, and sustainable investment strategies, enabling companies to improve transparency, reduce risks, and drive long-term societal impact.
This executive presentation supports business leaders:
This collection of testimonials from business leaders, academics, investors, and advocates highlights the growing recognition of corporate political responsibility (CPR) as a business imperative. The Erb Principles for CPR are endorsed as a practical, nonpartisan framework to help companies align political activity with purpose, values, and democratic institutions. Testimonials emphasize CPR's role in managing reputational risk, supporting market stability, and safeguarding democracy—making it relevant for firms across sectors and political contexts.
This research paper provides data that shows the costs to companies of deciding not to speak up on certain issues and the negative stakeholder response to such decisions. The researchers theorize whether and when consumers will negatively respond to corporate silence on a social issue based on the visibility of silence.
The report reframes ESG and social purpose from optional extras to strategic essentials—rooted in fiduciary duty, risk oversight, and long-term resilience. It gives boards a practical path to lead on systemic challenges by aligning incentives, embedding preparedness into planning, and focusing capital on future-facing risks.
This policy brief outlines the challenges of AI implementation and dissemination through various sectors of society, and provides policy recommendations for how to protect privacy, safety and ethics as AI adoption grows.
This report addresses the impact of increased political polarization and decreased trust in government, which has resulted in policy differences that affect long-term business planning. To take initiative, companies should rethink their approach to PAC giving and lobbying to support bipartisanship, systemic change, and a positive social impact.
This note acknowledges the increased pressure on business to engage in politics and counsels corporate restraint.