Communities as Valued Stakeholders in a Reimagined Economic System

The pandemic and intersecting crises of the past year brought conversations around the need to transition from shareholder to stakeholder capitalism squarely into the mainstream. As public and private sector actors alike consider how to authentically incorporate the voices of stakeholders such as employees and consumers into their decision-making, there is a need to consider how to better center communities, especially those that have historically been excluded, in those discussions. And as we applaud major corporations for making sizeable commitments to local economic development and racial equity, we must be vigilant in holding them accountable for their follow-through and impacts. In this session, panelists will explore how impact investors, corporations, policymakers and others can shift the paradigm to more authentically engage and uplift community perspectives, and ultimately shift systemic power imbalances.