This course focuses on the firm's strategic interactions with nonmarket players, like politicians, regulators and bureaucrats. These players work within the public institutions that determine the "rules of the game" for market activity. Their interventions, like passing a new piece of legislation or writing new regulatory standards, shape market competition and the opportunities available to firms. The goal of the course is to build a deeper understanding of and appreciation for what goes on beyond the market, and to develop tools and frameworks with which to analyze it. We will focus on building integrated strategies for optimal firm performance that combine elements from within and beyond markets. The course is case-based, drawing on case studies from a variety of countries and institutional environments. Note that POLECON POLECON 230 is a condensed version (2 unit) of this course, which covers roughly the same material as we do in POLECON POLECON 231, but at a relatively more surface or abbreviated level.
3 units · GSB Letter Graded
This course focuses on the firm's strategic interactions with nonmarket players, like politicians, regulators and bureaucrats. These players work within the public institutions that determine the "rules of the game" for market activity. Their interventions, like passing a new piece of legislation or writing new regulatory standards, shape market competition and the opportunities available to firms. The goal of the course is to build a deeper understanding of and appreciation for what goes on beyond the market, and to develop tools and frameworks with which to analyze it. We will focus on building integrated strategies for optimal firm performance that combine elements from within and beyond markets. The course is case-based, drawing on case studies from a variety of countries and institutional environments. Note that POLECON 230 is a condensed version (2 unit) of this course, which covers roughly the same material as we do in POLECON 231, but at a relatively more surface or abbreviated level.
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.