Michael Porter is an economist, researcher, author, advisor, speaker and teacher. Throughout his career at Harvard Business School, he has brought economic theory and strategy concepts to bear on many of the most challenging problems facing corporations, economies and societies, including market competition and company strategy, economic development, political competition, the environment, and health care. His approach is based on understanding the overall economics and structure of complex systems, in contrast to particular elements or parts. His extensive research is widely recognized in governments, corporations, NGOs, and academic circles around the globe. His research has received numerous awards, and he is the most cited scholar today in economics and business. While Dr Porter is at the core a scholar, his work has achieved remarkable acceptance by practitioners across multiple fields.
Dr Porter’s ideas have changed the way companies approach philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. His 2011 paper with Mark Kramer introduced the concept of creating shared value that shows how capitalism itself can be the best route to real solutions to many social problems. Michael Porter also led the development of the conceptual framework underlying the Social Progress Index, the most comprehensive effort ever to measure social progress. First released in 2014 and now covering 133 countries, the Index rigorously measures each country’s social progress across multiple dimensions to complement traditional measurement focused solely on economic performance and GDP per capita.