Max Kagan

Postdoctoral Research Scholar | Management | Columbia Business School

I recently completed by Ph.D. in political science at the University of California, Berkeley. I will begin at  Columbia Business School in September 2024, where I will be a postdoc working with Vanessa Burbano and associated with LEAP, an National Science Foundation (NSF) Science and Technology Center (STC).

My research relies upon quantitative empirical work using big data, field experiments, and survey experiments to find causal evidence on when and why companies take public stances on controversial political and social issues and how important stakeholder groups (e.g., employees, customers, regulators, and investors) view these actions. I'm also interested in studying political polarization in the workplace.

Prior to my graduate studies, I worked for several years at McKinsey & Company, where I was based in Dubai and in New York. I also worked as an investor for an early-stage private equity firm focused on business services and financial technology, and for the the Good Jobs Institute, a nonprofit that partners with companies in retail, elder care, and other service industries to create good jobs that enrich the lives of workers while also working towards improving business operations.