Practice
Our twice-annual publication, Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets, synthesizes academic research on emerging markets to provide actionable recommendations for managers, policymakers, and global leaders.
CEM organizes four region-specific speaker series to disseminate cutting-edge research on India, China, and Africa to the business community. For several years, CEM organized annual symposia on timely topics related to emerging markets.
Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets
Cutting-edge ideas and advice for global leaders about emerging markets

Insights Issue #3 – June 2023
Explore Our Latest Briefs
A Cascading Approach to Sustainability in Emerging Market Supply Chains
Global brands increasingly set sustainability standards for their first-tier suppliers in emerging market countries and expect them to ensure that similar standards are met by their lower-tier suppliers. This cascading approach encourages sustainability practices to be adopted throughout the supply chain.
Unlocking Sustainable Business in China: Leveraging Cross-Sector Collaborations in Global Supply Chains Between Multinationals and NGOs
In China, NGOs often collaborate with multinational companies to promote sustainability among their suppliers. This “two-step influence model” allows NGOs to indirectly influence local firms. The success of these collaborations depends on alignment with government priorities, with stronger impacts where the environment is a lower priority. Multinationals benefit from local knowledge and networks through these partnerships but must carefully manage trust and expectations. Moreover, collaboration with NGOs can help achieve sustainability goals but also invites scrutiny.
How to Manage Supplier Sustainability in Emerging Markets
Multinational corporations (MNCs) often have less power over their emerging market suppliers than is commonly believed. New research suggests that MNCs can use various strategies to influence their suppliers' behavior, but these strategies have complex and paradoxical effects on their performance and reputation. MNCs should consider the goals and interests of their suppliers when creating sustainability strategies for their global value chains.
Region-focused Series
Lectures and talks focused on key regions of the developing world
India Lecture Series
The India Lecture Series brings thought leaders to Northeastern University for free and public lectures on critical issues impacting the world's second most populous country. It is now endowed and known as the Vivek and Vandana Sharma India Lecture Series.
China Lecture Series
China is one of the world's most important and least understood economies. The China Lecture Series brings together academics and business practitioners to discuss China and its role in the world.
China Insights Series
The China Insights Series brings business people, analysts, academics, and students together to hear D'Amore-McKim's world-class faculty provide practical insights into the present and future of China's economy.
Africa Speaker Series
The Africa Speaker Series explores business, social, and developmental issues in this diverse continent with the youngest and fastest-growing population. From time to time, events in this series are co-organized with Northeastern University's Africa Global Initiative.
