Harvard Business School Working Paper
Working Paper No. 25-064
Date of Publication:
December 2025
This paper studies how firms and individuals publicly signal political alignment and the economic consequences of such displays. Using detailed firm- and individual-level evidence, the authors analyze how public expressions of alignment affect behavior within organizations and interactions with external stakeholders. The results shed light on the incentives driving political conformity and the role of signaling in environments where political affiliation carries economic consequences.
Citations
Kang, Zi Yang, Joris Mueller, Jaya Y. Wen, and Cheryl Wu. 2025. Public Displays of Alignment. Harvard Business School (HBS Working Paper No. 25-064) (December). (Previously circulated as The Party and the Firm.)