Center for International Business and Public Policy

The Center for International Business and Public Policy serves as a focal point within the school for teaching, applied research and outreach activities that concentrate on the nexus of interests and responsibilities among international business, finance and public policy. The Center was created in response to far reaching global changes that have made it increasingly important for practitioners from both the public and private sectors to deepen their understanding of the issues that are relevant to their counterparts across the public-private divide.

In recent years, governments worldwide have adjusted policies with the aim of encouraging a higher level of private sector activity, both domestic and foreign. Markets have been opened, regulatory frameworks have been liberalized and privatization transactions have become commonplace, all in the name of enhancing the efficiency and competitiveness of companies and countries. One consequence of these far-reaching changes is that practitioners from the worlds of international business, finance and public policy now are compelled to work closely and constructively with one another across a broad spectrum of activities.

Historically, relations between the private and public sectors have often been less than optimal. On any particular issue, both sides have tended to be deeply suspicious of the motives and interests of the other. One explanation for this disconnect has been the linear nature of the education and training that most practitioners receive. Until recently, the study of international relations tended to focus almost exclusively on the public policy concerns of governments. Private sector interests and relations between business and government were only considered germane to policy makers when national interests were directly at stake. Subject matter pertaining to "business" was perceived to be the domain of business schools. Conversely, most graduate business programs downplayed the relevance of public policy issues to private sector performance, particularly in the international arena.

The Center's goal is to break this educational paradigm by conducting a wide range of scholarly and practical activities that explicitly seek to construct bridges between the worlds of international business and government. To this end, the Center's mission is to:

• Promote new courses and conduct applied research focusing on the intersection between the private and public sectors on a range of international business and financial issues;
• Students with the analytical and problem-solving skills needed to compete in the area of international finance, thus enhancing their future job prospects, regardless of whether they are headed for the private or public sector; and
• Serve as an internationally recognized forum where practitioners from the disciplines of international business, finance, public policy and academia can discuss critical issues requiring close public-private cooperation.