Browsing by Author "Laus, Jonathan"

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    Shareholder Activism and Political Mobilization: How Activists Can Utilize the Structures of Modern Shareholder Corporations to Achieve Change
    (University of Oregon, 2022) Laus, Jonathan; Berk, Gerald; Conran, James; Stabile, Carol
    This research is a literature review focusing on the history of corporations, efforts to alter corporations, and a contemporary example of corporations that have altered their mission. The main lenses of analysis for alteration focus on shareholder power, grassroots activists, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government regulation. This work aims to include a discussion of multiple forms of organizing. In the latter half of this research, I turn to an analysis of B-Corps in hopes of demonstrating that reimagining the purpose of corporations to treat profit as means rather than an end benefits revenue and productivity growth. I find that shareholders are imbued with a great deal of power and thus have a significant voice in determining next steps for corporate procedure. Moreover, grassroots activists are able to capitalize on public pressure to force executives to adopt changes they otherwise would ignore. NGOs represent an interesting intersection between grassroots activism and governmental regulation—they can function as an intermediary that supports governmental legitimacy or can work to hold antagonistic governments accountable for failures to follow commitments. Governmental regulation represents a promising, yet frustrating approach to limiting emissions. Governments have more power to enact change and overcome freeriding than activist groups or NGOs, but they suffer from gridlock and political quagmires that prevent enactment of popularly supported initiatives. Finally, through reviewing studies of B-Corps successes in outpacing non-B-Corp businesses, I demonstrate that the corporation is a reformable entity capable of serving more than its shareholders. 
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    The 2008 Financial Crisis and the Breakdown of Democracy in Venezuela
    (University of Oregon, 2020) Laus, Jonathan; Simmer, Garret; Vogel, Matthias
    This project highlights the economic policies adopted by the Venezuelan government during and after the 2008 financial crisis. To gain an understanding of the experience felt in Venezuela, we utilize publications from Venezuela. From newspapers published there to academic reports from an international perspective, our study will illuminate how Venezuelan democracy eroded through the breakdown of institutions following economic collapse. This project’s aims are to identify some of the root causes for the Venezuelan economic crisis and the sustained disparity experienced by the Venezuelan people. We are going to show the connection between economic and political issues and their impact on political efficacy in a democracy. Our results show: as Venezuela's economy experienced greater economic strife, the government was able to take more drastic action threatening its democracy. When considering relevant concepts such as globalization, media’s influence, and regional issues, it becomes clear that Venezuela’s backslide into authoritarianism was inextricably linked to not only the national economy but the global economy’s slide into a recession.