How Taxes Influence Innovation

What’s one of the most powerful forces behind technological breakthroughs, business strategy, and job creation? The tax code.

Rebecca Lester, an associate professor of accounting and one of three inaugural Botha-Chan Faculty Scholars at Stanford Graduate School of Business, studies how subtle tax incentives can trigger monumental business decisions, determining how companies invest, grow, and innovate.

These incentives don’t just shape corporate strategy — they ripple across industries, economies, and markets. From advancing clean energy to catalyzing global competition, you might think of tax policy as a blueprint for the future. The big question: how to do it right.  

Have tax incentives led you to make a personal or professional decision? Tell us more at [e-mail].

This conversation was recorded on November 5, 2024.

Related Content:

• Rebecca Lester faculty profile
• American Innovation Got Slammed by the “Temporary” End of a Key Tax Incentive
• Why Some Countries Want Companies to Think Inside the “Innovation Box”
• Tax Cuts in the UK Gave an Unexpected Boost to African Economies

If/Then is a podcast from Stanford Graduate School of Business that examines research findings that can help us navigate the complex issues we face in business, leadership, and society. Each episode features an interview with a Stanford GSB faculty member.

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