Publications

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2008
Working Paper

Media versus Special Interests

By: Alexander Dyck, David A. Moss and Luigi Zingales

We argue that profit-maximizing media helps overcome the problem of "rational ignorance" highlighted by Downs (1957) and in so doing makes elected representatives more sensitive to the interests of general voters. By collecting news and combining it with entertainment,... View Details

Keywords: Voting; Government Legislation; Media; Interests; Power and Influence; United States

March 2003
Case

Insurer of Last Resort? The Federal Financial Response to September 11

By: David A. Moss and Sarah A. Brennan

Examines the federal financial response to September 11, 2001: the airline bailout, the victim compensation fund, emergency aid to New York and Washington, and terrorism reinsurance. Less than two weeks after the attacks, the government had committed almost $40 billion... View Details

Keywords: Business and Government Relations; Insurance; Risk Management; United States

March 2001
Teaching Note

German Hyperinflation of 1923, The TN

By: David A. Moss and Julio J. Rotemberg

Teaching Note for (1-798-048). View Details

Keywords: Germany

January 1998 (Revised June 1999)
Case

German Hyperinflation of 1923, The

By: David A. Moss and Julio J. Rotemberg

Presents a compilation of primary and secondary sources as well as a set of data exhibits on the German hyperinflation of 1923. The hyperinflation represented a defining moment in German history and certainly one of the two or three most important economic events of... View Details

Keywords: History; Price; Production; Money; Inflation and Deflation; Policy; Economy; Government and Politics; Germany

January 1997 (Revised March 1997)
Background Note

Note on Money and Monetary Policy

By: David A. Moss and Wyatt C. Wells

Offers a brief overview of economic thinking about the nature of money and about how the central bank can affect the economy through monetary policy. View Details

Keywords: Sovereign Finance; Government Administration; Policy; Central Banking; Money; Inflation and Deflation; Financial Crisis

January 1997 (Revised March 1997)
Case

Crisis at the Federal Reserve: Arthur Burns and the Stagflation of 1973-75

By: David A. Moss and Wyatt C. Wells

Briefly examines the history of the Federal Reserve System up through 1970 and then delves into how the central bank, under the leadership of Arthur F. Burns, responded to the "stagflation" of the early 1970s. It culminates with the Federal Reserve's response to the... View Details

Keywords: Central Banking; Inflation and Deflation; Government Administration; Financial Crisis; United States

01 Mar 2012
News

Competitiveness at Risk

of Energy and Environmental Protection and Yale Law School; Robin Greenwood, HBS; Rosabeth Moss Kanter, HBS; Thomas Kochan, MIT Sloan School of Management; Robert Z. Lawrence, Harvard Kennedy School; Josh Lerner, HBS; View Details

Keywords: Roger Thompson; Educational Support Services; Educational Services

September 2002
Case

World Trade Organization, The

By: David A. Moss and Nick Bartlett

Explores the origins and workings of the World Trade Organization (WTO), focusing particular attention on the special challenges of trade liberalization at the dawn of the 21st century. View Details

Keywords: Trade; Business History; Problems and Challenges

2004
Working Paper

Regulation and Reaction: The Other Side of Free Banking in Antebellum New York

By: David A. Moss and Sarah Brennan

Free banking, which first appeared in the United States in the late 1830s, comprised two essential features: general incorporation for banks and rigorous security requirements for note issue. Because the general incorporation feature is what allowed free entry, it has... View Details

Keywords: History; Law; Competition; Financial Liquidity; Money; Market Entry and Exit; Financing and Loans; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry

June 23, 2003
Article

Economic Theory on Media Markets is Flawed

By: David A. Moss and Michael Fein

Keywords: Economics; Theory; Media; Markets

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10 Feb 2014
News

King of His Castle

Renaissance fair world to be pleasure, not business. Instead, he turned his ambition toward a business degree at Harvard. Among his favorite classes were David Moss's Business, Government, and the International Economy (BGIE) unit, and... View Details

Keywords: Jill Radsken; Arts, Entertainment

19 Oct 2015
News

Business Research that Makes for Smarter Public Policy

2013
Other Unpublished Work

'The Only Legitimate Fountain of Power': Initiatives, Courts, and Same-Sex Marriage in California

By: Timothy Lambert, David Moss and Sabeel Rahman

Article

Media versus Special Interests

By: Alexander Dyck, David Moss and Luigi Zingales

We argue that profit-maximizing media help to overcome the rational ignorance problem highlighted by Anthony Downs. By collecting news and combining it with entertainment, media are able to inform passive voters about regulation and other public policy issues, acting... View Details

Keywords: Media; Profit; Government and Politics

Find at Harvard

2008
Working Paper

Rethinking the Role of History in Law & Economics: The Case of the Federal Radio Commission in 1927

By: David A. Moss and Jonathan B. Lackow

In the study of law and economics, there is a danger that historical inferences from theory may infect historical tests of theory. It is imperative, therefore, that historical tests always involve a vigorous search not only for confirming evidence, but for... View Details

Keywords: Economic History; Decision Choices and Conditions; Government Legislation; Law; Media and Broadcasting Industry