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Instructor: Andrew Hoffman, Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise (ajhoff@umich.edu) Location Ross School of Business, R1210 BUS Business in Democracy: Advocacy, Lobbying, and the Public Interest --- What is the role of the government in the market? What is the role of business in policy-making? These questions form the core of this class. As the quote above from Paul Volker makes clear, we are living a time when the role and stature of government has been greatly diminished. We are also living in a time when the lines between business and government are becoming increasingly blurred and public opinion increasingly polarized. Many Americans today believe that government has no role to play within the market; that the political and the economic domains are mutually exclusive and; at its most extreme, that government can do nothing right. The objective of this course is to offer another view; to explore a proper and needed balance by which government and business to work in the 21st century. It is not intended to teach people how to become a lobbyist or advocate, per se. But it is designed to foster discussion and understanding of the kinds of constructive engagement that can and do take place between business, government and non-profits in today's rapidly evolving economy. |