New Books in Public Policy Matteo Gatti, "Corporate Power and the Politics of Change" (Cambridge UP, 2025)
Jan 25, 2026
Matteo Gatti, Harvard Law professor who studies business and finance, explores how firms now act like mini-governments. He unpacks corporate governing, from public advocacy to stepping in for failing state services. He discusses internal pressures, investor-driven ESG, conservative backlash, risks to democracy, and when companies choose to speak or stay silent.
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Corporations As Governing Actors
- Corporations increasingly fill roles traditionally held by governments, ranging from climate policy to civil rights and public health.
- Matteo Gatti argues this 'corporate governing' reshapes policymaking and raises democratic concerns.
Two Faces Of Corporate Governing
- Gatti divides corporate governing into socioeconomic advocacy (public stances) and government substitution (delivering services).
- Both talk and action combine to give firms a powerful public megaphone and practical control.
Benefits Before Legal Recognition
- Companies extended benefits to same-sex domestic partners before states recognized them, driven by employee pressures.
- Those corporate practices helped normalize and eventually become law.
