Centers & Institutes

Exciting things are happening within our centers, institutes, and special program initiatives. Here’s a collection of recent stories and updates.

Female professor with students
Johnson School

Could learning about happiness improve economics education?

Integrating happiness research into courses ranging from macroeconomics to electives can benefit students, according to Johnson School professor.

Pera Malinda Sihite '26

Factories, finance and human capital: Lessons from Southeast Asia

A Cornell MBA student travels through Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines to explore sustainability in emerging markets

Raising a vessel off the seabed and onto a barge for transport.

At the helm: Johnson grad navigates a new era for Resolve Marine

Blending family legacy, innovation, and Cornell talent, Joseph Farrell III, MBA ’16, is tackling global maritime crises.

The Bolivian flag with its national coat of arms overlaid by a graph of plummeting natural gas production

The rise and fall of Bolivia’s state-led growth model

Once a “socialist miracle,” Bolivia now faces historic inflation and gas shortages, exposing the risks of state-led growth.

Two MBA students standing in front of their project poster with the founder of Via’s Cookies

Cookies that do more than satisfy a sweet tooth

Big Red Microenterprise students reflect on helping strengthen Via’s Cookies’ local market presence

Inventors and engineers working in an office.
Dyson School

The talent spark: How inventors fire up startup ecosystems

New research from SC Johnson College examined how the arrival of inventors in U.S. counties influenced the growth of startups from 2000-2016.

A person inserts a green Visa debit card into a black point-of-sale terminal on a granite countertop.

Why fintechs are winning in Nigeria while telcos dominate elsewhere

African telecom companies have built thriving fintechs in East Africa. But they are struggling to grow in more competitive markets like Nigeria

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How the state-owned electrical utility in Mexico won over global capital markets

Fibra E established a benchmark for how state-owned enterprises (SOEs) can mobilize global capital toward national development objectives.

Four women dressed in business professional attire in front of an “MBA Women in Investing Conference” banner. From networking to knowledge at the MBA Women in Investing Conference

From networking to knowledge at the MBA Women in Investing Conference

Rebecca Liu MBA ’27 reflects on her experience attending and presenting at the 2025 MBA Women in Investing Conference