# Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government ![Dozens of people in suits seated around a circular conference table at an IMF meeting.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/2025-08/cluster-business-and-government-flickr.jpg?itok=9Vp1M2nL) *Credit:* [*International Monetary Fund*](https://www.flickr.com/photos/imfphoto/albums/72157643325232674/) *(*[*CC BY-NC-ND 2.0*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/)*), image was cropped*## The Political Economy of Firms and States in a Changing World Business interests are powerful players in all political systems, and an improved understanding of state-business relations is essential to addressing many of the most significant challenges of our time, from the weakening of democratic institutions to the reversal of global economic integration. What strategies do firms use to secure their interests? Why do these strategies vary across contexts and over time? How do divisions within business shape politics and policy? When do state-business relations lead to capture and corruption? Under what conditions is business influence instead a force for responsive government and broadly shared prosperity? When business is not part of the solution, it is frequently part of the problem. By better understanding the political economy of business-government relations in the contemporary world, we hope to provide new insights into how business influence can be a positive force for democracy and development. Our work thus focuses on several broad problems: strategies of business influence; firm responses to deglobalization; the politics of deindustrialization; and concentration, regulation, and technology. We aim to address these themes by bringing together a multidisciplinary group of scholars at all career stages to reexamine and revitalize the study of business and politics. If you are a current Harvard affiliate and would like to get involved, please [join the mailing list](https://harvard.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b475e3db937b26e57aef1cf69&id=1e4e9fb919). More information about the cluster’s research themes and upcoming agenda is available on [its website](https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/wrc22-business-and-government). home ### Contact **Diana Ocampo Belloso** language [### Cluster Website ](https://wrc22businessandgovernment.hsites.harvard.edu/)Visit the Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government website email [### Mailing List ](https://harvard.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=b475e3db937b26e57aef1cf69&id=1e4e9fb919)Subscribe to the business and government research cluster mailing list account\_balance [### Funding ](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/funding/faculty/weatherhead-research-clusters)Learn more about funding opportunities for Weatherhead Research Clusters ## Administration The Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government is chaired by Professors Alisha Holland, Gautam Nair, Meg Elizabeth Rithmire, and Dani Rodrik. Diana Ocampo Belloso is the cluster coordinator. [### Alisha Holland ](/people/alisha-c-holland) Executive Committee; Faculty Associate; Chair, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. Gates Professor of Developing Societies, Department of Government, Harvard University. **Research interests:** The political determinants and consequences of infrastructure projects in Latin America; migration; crime control; and subnational governance. ![Headshot of Alisha Holland.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/holland-alisha.jpg?h=1d0745b7&itok=wo9GXR27) [### Gautam Nair ](/people/gautam-nair) Faculty Associate; Chair, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School. **Research interests:** Comparative and international political economy; distributive politics; business-government relations; and South Asia. ![Gautam Nair](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/nair_gautam_0.jpg?itok=Yb6EDpJx) [### Meg Elizabeth Rithmire ](/people/meg-elizabeth-rithmire) Faculty Associate; Chair, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration, Business, Government, and the International Economy Unit, Harvard Business School. **Research interests:** Comparative political economy of development and globalization in China and Southeast Asia. ![Headshot of Meg Elizabeth Rithmire.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/rithmire-meg.jpeg?itok=W9kazJFe) [### Dani Rodrik ](/people/dani-rodrik) [dani\_rodrik@harvard.edu](mailto:dani_rodrik@harvard.edu)Faculty Associate; Chair, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy, Harvard Kennedy School. **Research interests:** Globalization; economic growth and development; and political economy. ![Dani Rodrik](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/rodrik_dani_1.jpg?itok=RN9YTm6v) [### Diana Ocampo Belloso ](/people/diana-ocampo) Coordinator, SCANCOR at the Weatherhead Center; Staff Assistant, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. ![Diana Ocampo Belloso.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-06/ocampo_belloso_diana.jpg?h=ebb46372&itok=GMAPEo76) ## Current Affiliates (2025–2026) [### Surbhi Bharadwaj ](/people/surbhi-bharadwaj)Graduate Research Fellow, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. MPA Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School and MBA Candidate, Harvard Business School. **Research interests:** International development; digital and public infrastructure; climate adaptation in the Global South; electoral politics in India; heat resilience; air pollution; and public finance. **Pronouns:** she/her ![bharadwaj_surbhi.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/bharadwaj_surbhi.jpg?itok=lqH8XoUu) [### Iris Gong Cheng ](/people/iris-gong-cheng)Undergraduate Research Fellow, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. AB Candidate, Harvard College. **Research interests:** Gender/feminism and economics; machine learning; Latin America; criminal justice; religion; human rights; conflict resolution; and race and ethnicity. **Pronouns:** she/her ![cheng_iris.png](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/cheng_iris.png?itok=JucYxPDT) [### Caroline Gao ](/people/caroline-gao)Undergraduate Research Fellow, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. Departments of Economics and of Government, Harvard College. **Research interests:** East Asian cultures, politics, and economics; international law, diplomacy, and trade; business-government relations; globalization; democratic development; global development; US-East Asia relations; modern Korea; and modern China. **Pro**... ![gao_caroline.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/gao_caroline.jpg?itok=Yf8ZXE3X) [### Alisha Holland ](/people/alisha-c-holland) Executive Committee; Faculty Associate; Chair, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. Gates Professor of Developing Societies, Department of Government, Harvard University. **Research interests:** The political determinants and consequences of infrastructure projects in Latin America; migration; crime control; and subnational governance. ![Headshot of Alisha Holland.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/holland-alisha.jpg?h=1d0745b7&itok=wo9GXR27) [### Christina Hu ](/people/christina-hu)Undergraduate Research Fellow, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. Committee on Degrees in Social Studies and Department of Statistics, Harvard College. **Research interests:** Public-policy relations; comparative religion; AAPI history and culture; East and South Asian studies; and data-driven methodology. ![Headshot of Christina Hu](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/hu-christina.jpeg?h=50d4f577&itok=jHXqyslH) [### William Leung ](/people/william-leung)Undergraduate Research Fellow, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. Departments of Neuroscience and of Government, Harvard College. **Research interests:** Inequality in Latin America; Latin American political parties and party systems; and Central America. ![William Leung](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/leung_william.jpg?itok=wfzf7rfx) [### Gautam Nair ](/people/gautam-nair) Faculty Associate; Chair, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School. **Research interests:** Comparative and international political economy; distributive politics; business-government relations; and South Asia. ![Gautam Nair](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/nair_gautam_0.jpg?itok=Yb6EDpJx) [### Diana Ocampo Belloso ](/people/diana-ocampo) Coordinator, SCANCOR at the Weatherhead Center; Staff Assistant, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. ![Diana Ocampo Belloso.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-06/ocampo_belloso_diana.jpg?h=ebb46372&itok=GMAPEo76) [### Ikenna Ogbogu ](/people/ikenna-ogbogu)Undergraduate Research Fellow, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. Departments of Computer Science and of Economics, Harvard College. **Research interests**: US public policy decision making; econometrics; machine learning; international trade and globalization; AI and LLMs; political economy; promoting socioeconomic mobility; and balancing technological innovation and national security. ![Headshot of Ikenna Ogbogu.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/ogbogu-ikenna.jpg?itok=eaknVyKm) [### Prateek Pillai ](/people/prateek-pillai)Graduate Research Fellow, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Business and Government. MPA candidate, Harvard Kennedy School. **Research interests**: International development; international relations; electoral politics in India; demographic transition; energy transition; climate adaptation; and macroeconomics. ![Headshot of Prateek Pillai.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/pillai-prateek.jpg?h=2bce1ba8&itok=xT4Kbokm) [ View All People arrow\_circle\_right ](/people) --- ## All Weatherhead Research Clusters Born out of a need to complement the Center’s traditional focus of supporting individual faculty and student research, our Weatherhead Research Clusters revolve around hefty questions for the social sciences and the world. These research clusters represent core faculty interests, and aim to make a significant contribution by pushing the frontier of knowledge in their respective fields. Open all sections Close all sections ### Business and Government expand\_more When business is not part of the solution, it is frequently part of the problem. By better understanding the political economy of business-government relations in the contemporary world, we hope to provide new insights into how business influence can be a positive force for democracy and development. Our work thus focuses on several broad problems: strategies of business influence; firm responses to deglobalization; the politics of deindustrialization; and concentration, regulation, and technology. We aim to address these themes by bringing together a multidisciplinary group of scholars at all career stages to reexamine and revitalize the study of business and politics. [Learn more about the business and government research cluster >](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/weatherhead-clusters/22-business-and-government) ### Comparative Inequality and Inclusion expand\_more How do we extend cultural membership to the greatest number in society? Gain a better understanding of the social and cultural processes behind recognition gaps? Determine how social scientists and policy makers can better respond to help make societies more inclusive? By bringing together academics from a variety of disciplines and institutions, the cluster fosters a research community that seeks to build up the systemic theory around inequality and recognition gaps and create sustained opportunities for cross-pollination of ideas. Cluster affiliates have studied a wide range of topics—including racism, xenophobia, homophobia, immigration, destigmatization, incorporation, citizenship, indigeneity, and more—across various national and transnational contexts. [Learn more about the comparative inequality and inclusion research cluster >](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/weatherhead-clusters/comparative-inequality-and-inclusion) ### Global Climate Policy expand\_more Addressing climate change requires global collective action, underpinned by international institutions, frameworks, and policies. However, current climate action is moving too slowly—due to unwieldy policy structures and obstacles presented by multipronged core missions, among other reasons. This research cluster aims to accelerate the pace and scale of climate action by identifying and developing new global policy initiatives that address the challenges at hand. We leverage experts across many fields at Harvard and MIT to generate policy ideas, galvanize action, and engage students and alumni toward a deeper understanding of international climate coordination. [Learn more about the global climate policy research cluster >](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/weatherhead-clusters/25-global-climate-policy) ### Global History expand\_more Global history is one of the leading new approaches in recent years that has helped to transform the study of the past. The contemporary trends summarized under the term “globalization” have lent urgency to research that examines historical processes, networks, identities, and events across the boundaries of the nation-states that traditionally served as the privileged framework for much of the discipline. Historians worldwide have contributed to exciting research on the trends that so many societies have undergone together. In the process, global history has drawn on the expertise of political scientists, sociologists, art historians, economists, anthropologists, and others. This research cluster was designed to build on and focus its faculty leadership in new directions for international study. [Learn more about the global history research cluster >](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/weatherhead_initiative/11_global_history) ### Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights expand\_more The deliberate targeting of LGBTQI+ communities is part of an increasingly coordinated and well-resourced transnational strategy to polarize societies, weaken democratic institutions, and expand illiberal influences. This rising transnational threat is in many respects a reactionary backlash against hard-earned advances won by and for LGBTQI+ people over the last generation. This research cluster examines the interplay of state and nonstate actors as leading drivers of this global backlash against democracy and human rights. We convene leading human rights scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and activists to produce cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, data-informed policy recommendations, and new public engagement and culture change strategies to promote the safety and security—and protect and advance the human rights—of LGBTQI+ people worldwide. [Learn more about the global LGBTQI+ human rights research cluster >](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/weatherhead-clusters/25-global-lgbtqi-human-rights) ### Identity and Conflict expand\_more Ethnic and sectarian conflict are on the rise across the world—or at least show few signs of abatement—making it urgent to understand why some communities develop norms and practices of toleration, achieve reconciliation, or resist the politicization of these identities. When intergroup tensions have ratcheted up, is it possible to mitigate the impact? Can a shared civic identity be (re)constructed in the wake of violence waged in the name of nationalism, ethnicity, or religion? This research cluster explores ways to improve intergroup relations in postconflict countries by bringing together a worldwide network of scholars that will draw on evidence from diverse global regions. [Learn more about the identity and conflict research cluster >](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/weatherhead-clusters/22-identity-politics) --- ## Valuing Accessibility The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs welcomes affiliates with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you are associated with the Weatherhead Center or one of its programs and would like to request accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please get in touch with your program coordinator in advance of your participation. Requests for Sign Language interpreters and/or CART providers should be made at least two weeks in advance, if possible. Please note that the university will make every effort to secure services, but that services are subject to availability. See also:- [ Research Clusters ](/content-types/research-clusters) - [ Current Research Clusters ](/content-types/current-research-clusters)