Independent research and observatories

Business contribution to public goods

Systemically important companies affect infrastructure, employment, information and resilience, and their public contribution is poorly measured.

A regulator assessing whether a firm is systemically important for a public good has no standard comparable to the one a banking supervisor uses for financial stability. Disclosure exists, but it is voluntary in most sectors, framed by the firm, and not written to be compared with anything.

This is the module where the honest answer is that the evidence base does not yet support strong conclusions. Naming that, and specifying what disclosure would have to exist for the question to be answerable, is more useful than a ranking built on data that cannot bear it.

Public good at risk

Varies by sector — most often public infrastructure, information integrity or economic security

Prevention gap

Evidence to decision, at the regulatory level

Regulators and the public lack a consistent way to compare corporate public-goods exposure across sectors, which is what the Contributions to Public Goods framework is built to supply.

Contributions to Public Goods

Possible intervention

Sector-level public-value assessments
Corporate resilience and transparency indicators
Public–private risk dialogues
Local value-creation studies
Independent comparison of corporate commitments and outcomes

These name what further research, consultation, piloting or investment would need to happen. They do not commit the Lab or any partner to a course of action.

Potential partners

Regulators · Industry associations willing to engage independent research · Academic centres on corporate governance · Responsible corporate foundations