Faculty of Economics and Business

How can multinational enterprises (MNEs) succeed abroad without making major foreign investments? This is a question central to Assistant Professor Rishiraj Kashyap’s research in which he studies MNE strategies in emerging markets. In a recent paper published in Journal of International Business Studies, FEB researcher Kashyap and his co-authors study Indian multinational enterprises operating in emerging markets and show how many use a “high involvement, low investment” model.

Recently, FEB researchers Taco van der Vaart and Huib Cense received funding from Stichting Kwaliteitsgelden Medisch Specialisten (SKMS, Foundation for Quality Funds for Medical Specialists) for a large four-year research project titled ‘Datadriven Insights into Healthcare Quality and Affordability’. The research team will examine whether and how healthcare claims data can be used to generate meaningful insights into the outcomes and quality

Menstrual health is a significant global health challenge, especially in low-income and crisis-affected settings. Poor menstrual hygiene management (MHM) increases the risk of infections, reinforces stigma, and negatively impacts women’s education, labor participation, and well-being. Professor Kristina Czura’s research identifies key barriers to hygienic MHM – such as lack of information, product availability, and cultural taboos – and demonstrates how evidence-based interventions can drive meaningful change.

Each month, the open access team of the University of Groningen Library (UB) puts a recent open access article by UG authors in the spotlight. The current article in the spotlight is titled 'The impact of mining-induced earthquakes on mental health: Evidence from the Dutch Lifelines Cohort Study and Biobank’, by FEB researchers Ailun Shui, Gerard van den Berg and Laura Viluma. Jochen Mierau (formerly professor at FEB, now UMCG) is also a co-author.

Recently, FEB researchers Björn Mitzinneck and Florian Noseleit published a report that maps potential pathways for Community-based enterprises (CBEs) in the energy transition across Dutch municipalities.

Jutta Bolt recently received a Consolidator Grant of two million euros from the European Research Council (ERC). The Professor of Global Economic History was awarded the grant for her research on the transformation of employment in Africa between 1920 and 2020. In her project Africa@Work, Bolt aims to examine how work and livelihoods in SubSaharan Africa have evolved. She talked to FEB Research about her research plans.

Last month, PhD student Sanne Wolf received a Rudolf Agricola PhD Grant for her research on nudging customers toward more sustainable delivery choices in e-commerce. The grant will support additional experiments, a workshop with logistics partners, and conference presentations.

Transparante en eerlijke lotingen zijn essentieel in veel verschillende contexten, denk aan woningtoewijzing, subsidieverlening en onderwijsselectie. Het project Kansrijk wil het mogelijk maken om schaarse middelen eerlijk te verdelen via een transparant en betrouwbaar lotingssysteem bij de notaris. Het project is een samenwerking tussen OTech B.V., IT Continuity Services B.V. (Software Borg), PlasBossinade Notarissen N.V. en de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. De RUG biedt wetenschappelijke validatie aan het project. Het initiatief wordt gesteund door subsidies van de Europese Unie en het ministerie van Economische Zaken via het Just Transition Fund.

At the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), researchers Chiara Rathnow, Sarosh Asad, Philip Steinberg, and Björn Mitzinneck study the dynamics of C-suite decisions relating to climate policy. They reason that CEO climate activism is not merely a reflection of individual values, but also of the broader legitimacy of sustainability agendas and governance-related factors, such as ownership structures and board composition. These complicated dynamics are increasingly relevant, especially in the exemplary context of the US’ second exit (after re-entry) from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Claire Stein has received an acceleration grant to organize a dissemination workshop in Hanoi, presenting results from an interdisciplinary research initiative on women’s empowerment in Vietnam. Recognizing that pathways to goal achievement may vary across cultures, the PhD candidate co-developed a training with local partners that explores two distinct, culturally responsive models of agency. On the one hand independent agency, which emphasizes autonomy, and on the other hand interdependent agency, which prioritizes collaboration. Early results indicate promising outcomes, with participants in both groups reporting a 10% increase in monthly income.