All Insights Articles
Firms with a Well-Paid Chief Human Resources Officer Build More Effective Workforces
A new study co-authored by Prof. Edward Watts finds that firms that invest in the human capital function through higher pay to its leader have more productive and happier workers.
AI Monopolists Could Be a Disaster for Workers
If artificial intelligence reshapes production across the entire economy, it could drive the cost of goods toward zero. But Yale SOM economist Fiona Scott Morton argues that if AI is captured by a small number of powerful firms, falling wages could coincide with persistently high prices, leaving workers far worse off.
How Do Impact Investors Know If They Are Having an Impact?
We talked with Jake Harris ’19, a principal at the impact investing firm DBL Partners, about the challenges of measuring the social and environmental returns on a financial investment.
How a New Approach to Store Brands Helped Natural and Organic Foods Go Mainstream
As Whole Foods expanded in the 1990s, Denis Ring ’84 took on the challenge of developing the grocery chain’s 365 brand. Wooing shoppers with joyful design and affordable prices, he harnessed the power of private labels to expand the scale of organic and all-natural foods.
How Innovations in Understanding Everyday Data Can Power More Effective Aid
For a project in Bangladesh, Prof. Mushfiq Mobarak and his team used machine-learning models applied to mobile phone records to identify the poorest households—faster and at far lower cost than traditional surveys.
Most Startups Fail. These Founders Thought Making an Impact Was Worth the Risk.
We talked with Nick Callegari ’25, Dianna Liu ’18, and Ariana Yuen ’19 about the unique challenges faced by founders trying to make a difference and the moments that make their work worthwhile.
Case Studies in Innovation
We shared the stories of two alumni entrepreneurs with Professor Jonathan Feinstein, author of Creativity in Large-Scale Contexts, and asked him to apply his framework for creativity and innovation to help elucidate their paths from idea to impact.
Building a For-Profit Health Model That Reaches the Poorest
A wellness app created by Nneka Mobisson ’04 aims to help Nigerians manage chronic health conditions—while showing that for-profit innovation can make a difference for low-income populations.
‘Tough Tech’ Requires a Different Kind of Venture Capital
Engine Ventures, led by Katie Rae ’97, backs science-intensive innovation, including clean energy, quantum computing, and human health—an approach to venture capital defined by long timelines, deep expertise, and the potential for transformative impact.