In a September 2025 article for the journal Politics and Society, Isabella Mariani argues that enhancing competition may not be sufficient for regulating the attention economy — and may even exacerbate its harms.
Aaron Welch is the communications specialist for BESI, where he leads the team’s media outreach and digital communications efforts. His mission is to drive engagement with BESI’s research and other activities and to maximize the dissemination of BESI’s usable knowledge.
In 2025, he led the redesign of BESI’s website to refocus on the initiative’s publications and encourage stronger connections with researchers, policymakers, journalists, and members of the public.
Aaron’s background is in public relations, marketing, and advertising. Prior to BESI, he worked as a public relations account executive, content marketer, and copywriter. His clients have included Fortune 500 companies, local businesses, nonprofit organizations, and public sector entities.
A proud graduate of UC Berkeley (English, ’16), Aaron is a champion of public higher education. He is enthusiastic about translating academic knowledge for mass media, policymaker, grant maker, and public audiences.
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A new working paper co-authored by BESI climate lead Jonas Meckling explores how ownership structure shapes business attitudes to decarbonization policy.