Publications

February 2015
Article

On the Ethnic Origins of African Development: Traditional Chiefs and Pre-Colonial Political Centralization

By: Stelios Michalopoulos and Elias Papaioannou

We report on recent findings of a fruitful research agenda that explores the importance of ethnic-specific traits in shaping African development. First, using recent surveys from Sub-Saharan African countries, we document that individuals identify with their ethnic... View Details

Keywords: Ethnicity; Development Economics; Government and Politics; Africa

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05 Nov 2014
What Do You Think?

Are We Entering an Era of Neuromanagement?

contribute to decision theory and management. Their work most applicable to business, however, was often overshadowed by that of economists. But as the assumptions of rational behavior and "perfect... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

1977
Chapter

The Internationalization of Firms from Developing Countries

By: L. T. Wells Jr.

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Globalized Firms and Management; Globalized Economies and Regions

2007
Working Paper

The Price of Capital: Evidence from Trade Data

By: Laura Alfaro and Faisal Ahmed

We use highly disaggregated data on trade in capital goods to study differences in the price of capital across countries. This strategy is motivated by the fact that most countries import the bulk of machinery equipment from a small number of industrialized countries.... View Details

Keywords: Price; Goods and Commodities; Trade

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27 Jan 2011
Working Paper Summaries

A Brief Postwar History of US Consumer Finance

Keywords: by Andrea Ryan, Gunnar Trumbull & Peter Tufano; Banking

1993
Chapter

Bearings: The Visible Hand of Global Firms

By: David J. Collis

Keywords: Globalized Firms and Management; Trade

2017
Book

Democracy: A Case Study

By: David Moss

Democracy: A Case Study invites readers to experience American history anew and come away with a deeper understanding of the greatest strengths and vulnerabilities of the nation’s democracy as well as its resilience over time. The book adapts the case method to... View Details

Keywords: Democracy; Political Economy; Constitution; Productive Tension; Culture Of Democracy; E Pluribus Unum; United States; History; Government and Politics; Governance; Economic Systems; United States

2008
Working Paper

Accountability and Inequality in Single-Party Regimes: A Comparative Analysis of Vietnam and China

Over the past two decades, no two economies have averaged more rapid economic growth than China and Vietnam. But while China's income inequality has risen rapidly over that same time frame, Vietnam's has only grown moderately. Structural and socio-cultural determinants... View Details

Keywords: Income Characteristics; Economic Growth; Policy; Government and Politics; Equality and Inequality; China; Viet Nam

18 Mar 2014
News

The Oz of Data Opens the Curtain

Scott Howe Nineteenth-century Philadelphia retailer John Wanamaker famously said, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half." Nearly 150 years later, Scott Howe (MBA 1994), president and CEO View Details

Keywords: Robert S. Benchley; Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services; Information

March 1998
Article

On the Sequencing of Privatization in Transition Economies

By: Gautam Ahuja and Sumit K. Majumdar

This paper presents an empirical criterion for establishing privatization priorities for state-owned enteiprises. The approach uses firm performance, defined as productive efficiency, as the basis for deciding the sequence in which firms are privatized. Sequencing is... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Performance Efficiency; Privatization; Developing Countries and Economies; Planning; Service Industry; India

01 Sep 2009
News

Make the Most of HBS Alumni Resources

www.alumni.hbs.edu/volunteers/boards/. In June, I had the pleasure of attending my 10th Reunion. I heard several faculty presentations on topics that are particularly relevant to these challenging economic... View Details

Keywords: Educational Support Services; Educational Services

November 2013 (Revised January 2016)
Course Overview Note

The Role of Government in Market Economies (RoGME)

By: Matthew C. Weinzierl and Matthew Weinzierl

This course is about one question: What is the proper role of the government in the market economy? We study the role of government as it plays out in the real world, using vivid case studies from many countries, decades, and policy angles. At the same time, we align... View Details

Keywords: Policy; Economy; Government and Politics

06 Aug 2009
Working Paper Summaries

Buy Local? The Geography of Successful and Unsuccessful Venture Capital Expansion

Keywords: by Henry Chen, Paul A. Gompers, Anna Kovner & Josh Lerner

Article

Thin Political Markets: The Soft Underbelly of Capitalism

By: Karthik Ramanna

"Thin political markets" are the processes through which some of the most complex and critical institutions of our capitalist system are determined—e.g., our accounting-standards infrastructure. In thin political markets, corporate managers are largely... View Details

Keywords: Business And Society; Lobbying; Sustainability; Leadership; Economic Systems; Accounting; Business and Community Relations; Financial Institutions; Business and Government Relations

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27 May 2022
Blog Post

Q&A with the HBS Armed Forces Alumni Association, MBA Class of 2023

interact with and learn from veterans. The case method certainly facilitates this, and you shouldn't count yourself out. Ken Sullivan (MBA 2023) Hometown: Evanston, IL Undergraduate university and major: University of Illinois at... View Details

April 1979 (Revised October 1980)
Case

Japan (E2): The End of ""Miracle"" Growth?

By: Bruce R. Scott and Audrey T. Sproat

Keywords: Economic Growth; Japan

12 Feb 2014
Working Paper Summaries

Management Practices, Relational Contracts, and the Decline of General Motors

Keywords: by Susan Helper & Rebecca Henderson; Auto

April 1989 (Revised September 1989)
Case

CIBA-GEIGY AG: Impact of Inflation and Currency Fluctuations

By: Hugo Uyterhoeven

The chairman of the second-largest Swiss multinational company is preparing for a board discussion on the impact of a constantly strengthening Swiss franc. The case raises strategic issues in terms of international competitiveness, financial reporting issues of how to... View Details

Keywords: Inflation and Deflation; Currency; Financial Management; Multinational Firms and Management; Problems and Challenges; Risk and Uncertainty; Competitive Strategy; Switzerland

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