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All Insights Articles

  • COVID Outcomes in Two States Show That Leadership Matters

    Yale SOM’s Anjani Jain and Jeffrey Sonnenfeld on how the rhetoric and policies of Governors Ron DeSantis of Florida and Ned Lamont of Connecticut have shaped their states’ responses to the resurgence of COVID-19—with profound implications for their constituents.

    A silhouette of a speaker at a podium in front of an American flag
  • In a First, Randomized Study Shows That Masks Reduce COVID-19 Infections

    A large study co-authored by Yale SOM’s Jason Abaluck and Mushfiq Mobarak found that a mask-promotion program in Bangladesh significantly lowered symptomatic infections, especially among older people and when surgical masks are used.

    A staff member handing a mask to a vegetable seller in Bangladesh
  • When Should CEOs Speak Out?

    Many corporate leaders are overcoming their hesitancy about wading into divisive social issues. Prof. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld offers some guidelines for when and how business leaders should weigh in.

    A black megaphone labeled "CEO" in gold
  • What Went Wrong in Afghanistan?

    We asked Prof. Paul Bracken, an expert in business and military strategy, how the U.S. could have avoided a chaotic exit from Afghanistan, and what comes next for the region.

    Afghans outside the Kabul airport on August 20, 2021.
  • How to Distribute Scarce Medical Supplies in a Pandemic—and Do It Fairly

    Early in the pandemic, states waited in frustration for medical equipment from the Strategic National Stockpile. New research outlines a better way to efficiently and equitably allot emergency supplies.

    Shelves of boxes of supplies.
  • A Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar: How Gender Changes the Perception of a Bad Joke

    Yale SOM’s Taly Reich has found one situation in which women, rather than men, are more likely to get the benefit of the doubt: when they tell jokes that fall flat.

    An illustration of a woman wearing novelty glasses telling a joke while her male companion looks at his watch
  • We Need to Acknowledge the Problem of Senior Poverty

    Joe Seldner ’84, founder of the Senior Poverty Prevention Project, calls for problem solvers to take on an issue getting little attention.

    A drawing of an older woman
  • Leadership Lessons for Biden after the Afghanistan Withdrawal

    Yale SOM's Jeffrey Sonnenfeld offers advice for the president on recovering from his missteps, drawn from Sonnenfeld's decades of studies of business and political leadership.

    President Joe Biden leaving the podium after speaking at the White House about the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
  • Better Data Is Letting Companies and Investors See Trillions in Climate Risk

    A growing pool of ESG data enumerates companies’ exposure to climate risk. Yale SOM’s Todd Cort explains how the data helps investors target capital toward the companies that are responding.

    ESG data is exposing climate risk
  • Can Social Entrepreneurship Complement Public Health Systems?

    While social entrepreneurs are often criticized for building parallel systems alongside public institutions, writes Yale SOM’s Teresa Chahine, in the case of public health they can serve as a pathway to strengthen and complement the existing public health system, especially in low-resource settings.

    Khushi Baby staff