Conference on Sustainable Capitalism and the Corporation in Prato, Italy
This cross-disciplinary conference was co-hosted by CLARS, Monash Law, Vanderbilt University, King's College London, Bocconi University and University of Auckland's Centre for Inclusive Capitalism, on 21-22 July 2023.
After co-hosting a major conference on takeovers in Dublin, Monash Law’s Centre for Commercial Law and Regulatory Studies (CLARS) moved to Prato to convene a conference on 'Sustainable Capitalism and the Corporation'.
About the conference
The term, ‘capitalism’ is rarely mentioned today without a preceding qualifier. The use of qualifiers is nothing new – references, for example, to ‘laissez-faire capitalism’ and ‘crony capitalism’ have a long pedigree. However, today’s descriptors include terms such as ‘responsible capitalism’, ‘inclusive capitalism’, ‘stakeholder capitalism’, ‘woke capitalism’ and ‘sustainable capitalism’, which is the subject of this conference. The conference explores the relationship between the corporation and capitalism, as well as the regulatory pressure points and levers that can push capitalism in a more sustainable direction.
Although the modern terms share similarities, they also have different focal points. ‘Sustainable capitalism’ encompasses a distinctive temporal aspect and includes concerns about matters such as climate change and its impact on future generations. This conference is convened jointly by Bocconi University; The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London; Monash Law’s Centre for Commercial Law and Regulatory Studies (CLARS); University of Auckland’s Inclusive Capitalism Centre; and Vanderbilt University Law School. The hosting institutions are also grateful to the Monash University Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI) for its support.
Programs and abstracts
Leading scholars from around the world gathered at Monash University's Prato Centre to discuss some of the key issues of our time, including regulatory techniques to promote sustainability; shareholder engagement, ESG and climate change; and accountability for defective corporate cultures that undermine sustainability.
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Session recordings
Watch the session recordings on the CLARS Video Portal
Speakers
Associate Professor Gaia Balp, Bocconi University
Professor George Barker, University of Auckland, Australian National University and LECA
Professor Roberto Barontini, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa
Dr Tim Bowley, Monash Law, Centre for Commercial Law & Regulatory Studies (CLARS)
Dr Tim Bowley and Professor Jennifer Hill, Monash Law, Centre for Commercial Law & Regulatory Studies (CLARS)
Dr Megan Bowman, The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London
Professor Brian Broughman, Vanderbilt Law School
Professor Geert Van Calster, Leuven Centre for Global Governance
Professor Blanaid Clarke, Trinity College Dublin
Professor Pierre-Henri Conac, Max Planck Institute Luxembourg
Dr Jonathan Hardman, University of Edinburgh Law School
Dr Dionysia Katelouzou, The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London
Dr Anat Keller, The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London
Dr Billie Lythberg and Dr Lynn Buckley, University of Auckland
Professor Morgan Ricks, Vanderbilt Law School
Professor Alexander Sajnovits, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany
Professor Michael Schillig, The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London
Professor Mathias Siems, European University Institute (EUI)
Professor Liam Smith, Monash Sustainable Development Institute (MSDI), Director, BehaviourWorks Australia
Professor Giovanni Strampelli, Bocconi University
Professor Susan Watson, Dean, University of Auckland Business School
Professor Cynthia Williams, Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Special thanks
Thanks go to Randall Thomas, Dionysia Katelouzou, Giovanni Strampelli and Susan Watson for bringing their respective universities on board for this joint conference and to all the scholars, who participated in the event. CLARS is grateful to Sarah Gore, Andrea Tilli and Leonardo Tinti at the Monash University Prato Centre for their great support in running the conference and to the Monash Sustainable Development Institute (with special thanks to Tony Capon, Amy Turton and Liam Smith) for its involvement and for sponsoring a wonderful conference dinner, held on a balmy evening in La Piazza delle Carceri!
Posted 27 July 2023
