If/Then How Taxes Influence Innovation
Mar 5, 2025
In this conversation, Rebecca Lester, an associate professor of accounting at Stanford Graduate School of Business, dives into how tax incentives shape innovation and business strategy. She highlights how subtle policy changes can drive monumental decisions in R&D and investment. From clean energy advancements to the impacts of tariffs, the discussion reveals the ripple effects of tax policy on global competition and economic growth. Lester emphasizes the importance of crafting effective tax strategies that align with future innovation needs.
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Oat Milk Default
- LinkedIn's San Francisco office switched their coffee bar's default milk to oat milk.
- This change reduced dairy milk consumption from 70% to 18%, cutting dairy's carbon footprint by 50%.
Plant-Based Defaults
- Harvard and UCLA made plant-based meals the default at events, allowing attendees to opt-in for meat.
- This resulted in a nearly 50% increase in plant-based meal choices, demonstrating the power of defaults.
Tax Code Influence
- Governments use tools like the tax code to influence behavior without direct persuasion.
- Understanding these influences helps in crafting effective policies, as explained by Becky Lester, a tax expert at Stanford GSB.