Leeds School Research Initiative for Global Business and Citizen Wellbeing

In 2025, Leeds announced a $3.85 million investment to launch the Leeds School Research Initiative for Global Business and Citizen Well-Being. We support research on research on how business and government regulatory systems around the world contribute to solution of universal social problems around: a) consumer financial decision making, & b) sustainability.
The premise of this initiative is that business – and government systems regulating business – can play a key role in solution to these social problems. Approaches are different around the world, and outcomes are different. As an example, countries around the world have very different systems around housing and mortgages and around , with very different outcomes. Countries have different initiatives to mitigate exposure to climate and environmental risks. What can we learn by comparing outcomes from the different approaches taken around the world?
The initiative builds on our existing interdisciplinary strength of faculty in our Center for Research and Consumer Financial Decision Making and our Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility.
Projects
Asaf Bernstein, with Gaudreault, Korevaar, and Koudijs (Erasmus). This project is the first to rigorously examine how homeowners use wealth generated by housing appreciation—do they reinvest gains into higher-quality housing or convert them into current consumption?
Tony Cookson and Michael Gropper, with Daniel Karpati (Erasmus). The project studies how cognitive decline increases vulnerability of older adults to financial fraud how they can be protected by proximity to family networks and local financial institutions.
Danielle Bovenberg, David Drake, and Jeff York, with Claudia Doblinger and Isabel Schöberl (Technical University of Munich). This project investigates the drivers of founder success in creating climate-tech ventures; the consequences of entrepreneurial entry for climate change and CO₂ emissions; and the economic and social impacts of renewable energy adoption.
Emily Gallagher and Nick Reinholtz, with Antonia Krefeld-Schwalb (Erasmus). This project studies whether households accurately perceive differences between them and their neighbors in risk of minor (versus major) flood damage, and how communication strategies can encourage cost-effective protection against substantial financial losses from flooding.
May 27-29, 2026, Leeds School of Business, ֲý, CO: ֲý Summer Conference on Consumer Financial Decision Making
June 7-10, 2026, Nanyang Business School, Singapore:
People
Postdoctoral Fellow:
(August 2026-July 2028), Tilburg University and Leeds School of Business
Key project: How Parental Transfers Shape Housing and Savings. Little is known about how parents step in to help adult children deal with predictable and unpredictable life events. Where do parents tend to pitch in, and how does this affect societal wealth inequality?
Faculty Affiliates:
Quentin Andre
Marketing
Asaf Bernstein
Finance
Steve Billings
Finance
Rodrigo Dias
Marketing
Phil Fernbach
Marketing
Emily Gallagher
Finance
Diego Garcia
Finance
Michael Gropper
Finance
Laura Kornish
Marketing
Ryan Lewis
Finance
Donald Lichtenstein
Marketing
John Lynch
Marketing
Faculty Director
Austin Moss
Accounting
Nick Reinholtz
Marketing
Christophe Spaenjers
Finance
Ed van Wesep
Finance
Postdoctoral Fellow:
Fiori Anglou
(August 2025-December 2026), Leeds School of Business
Key project: Food Waste Bans. Several states have legislated food waste bans to reduce the large carbon impact of food waste. Why are the varying approaches having such different levels of success? Fiori will be taking a faculty position with the Nanyang Business School in January 2027.
Faculty Affiliates:
Simona Abis
Finance
Janet Bercovitz
Strategy
Asaf Bernstein
Finance
Sebastian Villa Betancur
Operations
Danielle Bovenberg
SEO
Matthew Brady
Information Systems
Mukund Chari
Strategy
Shaun Davies
Finance
David Dobolyi
Information Systems
Zach Donohew
Social Responsibility
David Drake
Operations
Emily Gallagher
Finance
Ashton Hawk
Strategy
Tony Kong
Organizational Behavior
Marcia Kwaramba
SRS
Kai Larsen
Information Systems
Ryan Lewis
Finance
Austin Moss
Accounting
Josh Nunziato
Social Responsibility
Ethan Poskanzer
SEO
Sebastian Schuetz
Information Systems
Nikki Skinner
Accounting
Jason Thatcher
Information Systems
Gloria Urrea
SEO
Brian Waters
Finance
Jeff York
Strategy
Jenna Barrett
Tilburg University
Lisa Bruggen
University of Maastricht





