What’s Holding Back Social Enterprises
Socially minded entrepreneurs face some particular obstacles.
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Biography
Robert H. Gertner has been on the Chicago Booth faculty since 1986. His research interests include strategic decision-making, corporate finance, organization structure, theory of the firm, and social enterprises. He has published papers in numerous scholarly journals including the Quarterly Journal of Economics, Review of Economic Studies, and the Yale Law Journal. He is co-author, with colleagues Douglas Baird and Randy Picker, of Game Theory and the Law. Gertner teaches Perspectives on Capitalism and New Social Ventures.
Gertner is also the John Edwardson Faculty Director of the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation.
Gertner is chair of the Board of Trustees of NORC at the University of Chicago, a national organization devoted to large-scale social research in public interest. He was a deputy dean at Chicago Booth from 2012-2017.
Gertner received a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in economics from Princeton University in 1981 and a PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1986. He worked as a consultant for AT&T prior to attending MIT.
Research Interests
Industrial organization; resource allocation and decision-making in organizations; corporate investment; law and economics; theory of the firm; strategic pricing.
Academic Areas
- Entrepreneurship
- Microeconomics
- Strategy and Leadership
Selected Publications
With Eric Powers and David Scharfstein, "Learning About Internal Capital Markets From Corporate Spinoffs," Journal of Finance (2002).
With Robert Stillman, "Vertical Integration and Internet Strategies in the Apparel Industry," Journal of Industrial Economics (2001).
With Geoffrey Miller, "Settlement Escrows," Journal of Legal Studies (1995).
With D. Baird and R. Picker, Game Theory and the Law (1994).
"Game Shows and Economic Behavior: Risk Taking on 'Card Sharks'," Quarterly Journal of Economics (1993).
For a listing of research publications, please visit the university library listing page.
Working Papers
2025 - 2026 Course Schedule
Get Insights from Robert H. Gertner in Chicago Booth Review
Why Nonprofits Should Be More Like Corporations
Chicago Booth’s Robert H. Gertner talks about his research into social enterprises.
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Trumponomics: Will DOGE Fail?
Chicago Booth’s Robert H. Gertner explains why a focus on incentives, funding, and management may be the key to a more effective federal government.
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