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The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy
Katherine M. Gehl, business leader, political innovation leader, former CEO of Gehl Foods; and Michael E. Porter (MBA 1971, PhDBE 1973), Bishop William Lawrence University Professor
Presented on Wednesday, June 10, 2020

This session provides powerful, practical, and achievable solutions to transform the US political system. Ms. Gehl and Professor Porter utilize classic business school tools (Porter’s Five Forces) to analyze politics as an industry in order to understand how our political system actually works, examine what is driving poor outcomes, and–most importantly–to lay out a comprehensive strategy for actionable steps to recapture our democracy.

Gehl and Porter’s forthcoming book, The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy, has been hailed by US Senator Evan Bayh (D-Indiana) as “a deep and persuasive analysis of our current political dysfunction and practical steps for change. Let us hope the public and our leaders take heed." Former Massachusetts governor and current US Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) describes the work as when "a noted business leader joins America's preeminent business strategist to diagnose what ails our political system and prescribe a cure. Timely indeed."

Related Resources

Report: “Why Competition in the Politics Industry Is Failing”
Book Title: The Politics Industry: How Political Innovation Can Break Partisan Gridlock and Save Our Democracy
"Fixing US Politics” (Harvard Business Review, July–August 2020)
Discussion questions
Executive summary

To learn more about how you can engage with this ongoing work, visit www.political-innovation.org.

To connect with a US state-based reform organization or receive emails with the latest information from Ms. Gehl and Professor Porter about political reform and innovation, visit gehlporter.com/join-us/.

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