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Steen Vallentin

Public and Private Accountability in the Green Transition – A Paradox of Responsibilization?

11 April 2024
By Steen Vallentin

Government plays crucial roles in addressing and acting on the green transition and grand societal challenges more broadly. One of these roles is to make private businesses responsible and accountable for sustainable development through public policy. But what about government’s ability to make itself and the public sector responsible and accountable for green actions and outcomes? Based on the case of Denmark, this blog post argues that the self-responsibililization of government and the public sector calls for closer scrutiny as it tends to be characterized by decoupling and lack of clearly defined ownership and accountability regarding the green transition.

Centre Session on 20 Years CBS Sustainability Centre

15 December 2022
By Steen Vallentin

In this episode, you can listen to the opening speech by centre director Steen Vallentin on the occasion of the 20th centre anniversary.

Making the case for and against and beyond Friedman in 2020

30 September 2020
By Steen Vallentin

September 13th marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Milton Friedman’s famous New York Time Magazine essay entitled “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits”. This has occasioned a slew of testimonials and opinion pieces on Friedman’s legacy in general and the legacy of this free market manifesto in particular.

Making the case for and against and beyond Friedman in 2020: On the anniversary of Friedman’s “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits”

30 September 2020
By Steen Vallentin

September 13th marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Milton Friedman’s famous New York Time Magazine essay entitled “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits”. This has occasioned a slew of testimonials and opinion pieces on Friedman’s legacy in general and the legacy of this free market manifesto in particular.  Not surprisingly, […]

Sustainable Development, Interrupted?

9 April 2020
By Steen Vallentin

The coronavirus and responses to the pandemic are right now defining human existence inside and outside of organizations. All societal attention and communication are centred on the virus, its day-to-day consequences and possible future repercussions for the people, the economy – and the planet. Indeed, we are living through a gargantuan social experiment, and these […]

Adventures in Materiality. Notes from the first CBS Sustainability Seminar

20 November 2017
By Steen Vallentin

All we need is materiality? Materiality is arguably gaining significance in corporate approaches to CSR and sustainability. While strong narratives remain important, they do not suffice in a world filled with increasing amounts of data calling for transparency and factual assessment of corporate accomplishments, progress or decline. There can, however, be a price to pay […]

How is Ayn Rand Still a Thing? From Ridicule to Serious Concern

18 April 2017
By Steen Vallentin

A recent article in The Washington Post informs us that Donald Trump is affectionate about the works of Ayn Rand (1905-1982), often referred to as the ‘high priestess of selfishness’. He shares this affection with several of his members of cabinet. These include Rex Tillerson, Secretary of State, Andy Puzder, Secretary of Labor, and Mike Pompeo, Director […]

The decline of neoliberalism – implications for CSR?

28 September 2016
By Steen Vallentin

“May you live in interesting times” – so the apocryphal English-language expression goes that people often refer to as ‘the Chinese curse’. Times are certainly interesting. Taken for granted notions of what is up and down and left and right in politics are, if not turned on their head then knocked about in confusing and […]

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