Joseph R. Blasi

Joseph R. Blasi is the J. Robert Beyster Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University's School of Management and Labor Relations, holding appointments in both the Department of Human Resource Management and the Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations. He serves as Director Emeritus of the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing, a leading research center in this field. Blasi is also a Visiting Associate at the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study and a Senior Fellow of The Aspen Institute.

His educational background includes an Ed.D. from Harvard University, where he also served as a Lecturer in Social Studies. Blasi's career spans academia, policy, and government service, having previously worked as a Legislative Assistant in the United States House of Representatives.

Blasi is a renowned expert in employee ownership, profit sharing, and broad-based stock options, with research focusing on how these practices affect corporate governance, economic inequality, and workforce stability. His work bridges economic sociology, corporate history, and public policy, examining how capital sharing mechanisms can create more equitable economic outcomes. He has conducted extensive research on Silicon Valley companies, historical American economic periods, and cross-national comparisons of employee ownership models.

His publications reveal a consistent focus on how employee ownership and profit sharing can reduce wealth inequality, improve corporate performance, and create more stable employment. The trend across his work shows increasing attention to the policy implications of shared capitalism, particularly how it can address racial and gender wealth gaps while strengthening the middle class.

• Lady Davis Fellowship from Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Haifa
• 2010 Noteworthy Book in Industrial Relations and Labor Economics
• 2003 Noteworthy Book in Industrial Relations and Labor Economics

Blasi has advised numerous organizations and policymakers, with his research frequently cited in major media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Financial Times, and 60 Minutes. His work with the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing has influenced legislative proposals and corporate practices nationwide. He has collaborated extensively with Douglas Kruse and Richard Freeman, producing influential research that has shaped the field of employee ownership studies. Blasi's current work focuses on how employee ownership can address contemporary economic challenges, including wealth inequality and workforce instability.