Business and Government

Catalog description

Business and Government Business and governments come into contact in many ways. This course will examine the intersection of Business and Government from the perspective of Economics and Politics. First, government impinges on business activity through taxation and regulation. The course will examine the pros and cons of different types of business taxation. The course will also look at regulatory policy such as anti-trust legislation and particular types of regulation that are deemed in the public interest (e.g. food, drugs, financial sector). Second, as a consequence of the intersections of business and government, business has a particular interest in influencing government action. The course will examine business lobbying and campaign finance. It will address the effects of business activities on the strength of democracy. Third, globalization has increased the role of government in business activity and the efforts of business enterprises to influence government policy. The course will examine whether or not this has been beneficial to economies. Similalry, the global economy has increased the number of issues where government and business roles might conflict such as the environmental impact of business activity and climate change. The course will examine the role of businesses in determining the nature of government responses to contemporary problems.