Publications

Article

Optimal Taxation in Theory and Practice

By: N. Gregory Mankiw, Matthew C. Weinzierl and Danny Yagan

We highlight and explain eight lessons from optimal tax theory and compare them to the last few decades of OECD tax policy. As recommended by theory, top marginal income tax rates have declined, marginal income tax schedules have flattened, redistribution has risen... View Details

Keywords: Taxation; Theory; Practice; Policy

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February 2019 (Revised March 2021)
Case

India: State Capacity and Unity in Diversity

By: Alberto Cavallo, Matthew Weinzierl and Robert Scherf

As 2018 drew to a close, India prepared to once again carry out the largest democratic exercise in human history, as in less than six months more than 850 million eligible voters would have the chance to choose their representatives to the Lok Sabha—the country’s lower... View Details

Keywords: Political Elections; Government and Politics; Leadership; Public Opinion; India

January 2009 (Revised October 2011)
Case

Barack Obama and the Bush Tax Cuts (A)

By: Matthew C. Weinzierl and Eric D. Werker

As his inauguration approached, President-elect Obama faced a financial sector meltdown, a costly bailout, and massive government deficits. With the economy in recession, interest rates near zero, and joblessness on the rise, Obama needed to decide whether, and how... View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Financial Crisis; Borrowing and Debt; Financial Management; Policy; Government Administration; Taxation; United States

29 Jan 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, January 29, 2019

customer multi-homing is a significant factor that can moderate platforms’ competitive strategies. Understanding Different Approaches to Benefit-Based Taxation By: Scherf, Robert, and Matthew View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

March 2022 (Revised June 2022)
Case

The United States National Security Apparatus, Multipolarity, and the Rise of Commercial Space

By: Matthew C. Weinzierl and Brendan L. Rosseau

In 2019, the U.S. national security community crossed a Rubicon by declaring that space was “a war-fighting domain” and undergoing a major reorganization, including the creation of the U.S. Space Force, the first new military branch in over 70 years. Military and... View Details

Keywords: War; National Security; International Relations; Power and Influence

March 2011 (Revised June 2016)
Case

Hungary: Economic Crisis and a Shift to the Right

By: Rafael M. Di Tella, Matthew C. Weinzierl and Jacob Kuipers

Instructors may also obtain a Teaching Note, written by this case's author, that provides suggestions for using this case effectively in the classroom. View Details

Keywords: Economics; Financial Crisis; Hungary

01 Sep 2014
News

Faculty Q&A: Cents and Sensibilities

forecast for revenue by an enormous amount and that requires some adjustment. We’ll have to either raise taxes or cut spending. People don’t always understand the technical details of these policies, but... View Details

Keywords: April White; faculty research; writing

09 Apr 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, April 9, 2019

research on institutional leadership, strategic contradiction, and industry evolution. Understanding Different Approaches to Benefit-Based Taxation By: Scherf, Robert, and View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

06 Mar 2018
First Look

First Look at Research and Ideas, March 6, 2018

Cavallo, Alberto, W. Erwin Diewert, Robert C. Feenstra, Robert Inklaar, and Marcel P. Timmer Abstract—We show that online prices can be used to... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2018
Technical Note

The First Fundamental Theorem of Welfare Economics and Market Failures

By: Matthew C. Weinzierl and Robert Scherf

June 2021 (Revised December 2021)
Case

The Lunar Gateway, Moon vs. Mars, and the Political Governance of Space Activities

By: Matthew C. Weinzierl and Mehak Sarang

In 2017, the Trump Administration made a bold claim—that they would return the next man and the first woman to the lunar surface by 2024, this time to establish a sustainable presence to enable further exploration in the solar system. With the Artemis Program, NASA has... View Details

Keywords: Space; Space Economy; Aerospace; Nasa; Governance; Policy; International Relations; Infrastructure

10 Aug 2011
Research & Ideas

HBS Faculty Views on Debt Crisis

investors. We view crises as opportunities. We, the non-politicians, need to accept responsibility for fixing the country and get on with it. matthew C. Weinzierl, Assistant... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

01 Apr 2001
News

New Ventures New Gains

played a crucial role in shaping the career paths of many HBS students. Class Project to Religious Quest Like the businesses that have sprung up from the contest, origins of the HBS Business Plan Contest can be traced to a classroom exercise. In 1996, Alison J. Berkley... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna and Susan Young; Martin Dubilier (MBA 1952); Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Educational Services

November 2013 (Revised January 2015)
Case

Obamacare

By: Matthew Weinzierl and Katrina Flanagan

One vote in June, 2012, decided the fate of President Barack Obama's crowning first-term achievement: universal health insurance. Chief Justice John Roberts of the U.S. Supreme Court cast the deciding vote to uphold the keystone of the reform: the mandate to purchase... View Details

Keywords: Universal Health Insurance; Adverse Selection; Leviathan; Courts and Trials; Judgments; Insurance; Health Care and Treatment; Government and Politics; Insurance Industry; Public Administration Industry; Health Industry; United States