Publications

June 2011
Article

Elder Abuse: How the Moderns Mistreat Classical Realism

By: Joseph M. Parent and Josh Baron

Neorealists narrate their origins by explaining that classical realists committed a multitude of sins and were therefore displaced. The classics unscientifically explained world politics primarily through individual-level characteristics, typically a will to power that... View Details

Keywords: International Relations; History

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September 2002 (Revised November 2002)
Case

Transformation at the IRS

By: Amy C. Edmondson, Frances X. Frei and Corey B. Hajim

Describes the service transformation occurring at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Plagued by a history of poor service, enormous complexity, and an insular employee base, the 100,000-person organization grapples with a turnaround process that attempts to change... View Details

Keywords: Service Delivery; Service Operations; Organizational Structure; Taxation; Organizational Culture; Transformation; Public Administration Industry; United States

06 Dec 2016
First Look

December 6, 2016

2016 Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press Slavery's Capitalism: A New History of American Economic Development By: Beckert, Sven, and Seth Rockman, eds. Abstract—During the nineteenth century, the United States entered the ranks... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

27 Feb 2013
Working Paper Summaries

In Strange Company: The Puzzle of Private Investment in State-Controlled Firms

Keywords: by Mariana Pargendler, Aldo Musacchio & Sergio G. Lazzarini; Banking; Financial Services

September 2020
Case

Uber at a Crossroads (2017)

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell and Karen Elterman

This case describes the history of Uber, its business model—including the ways it differed from that of the traditional taxi industry—and its competition with Lyft. The case is set in 2017, a year in which Uber was plagued by even more scandals than usual, though its... View Details

October 2014
Article

Industrial Policy and the Creation of New Industries: Evidence from Brazil's Bioethanol Industry

By: Santiago Mingo and Tarun Khanna

Industrial policy programs are frequently used by governments to stimulate economic activity in particular sectors of the economy. This study explores how an industrial policy program can affect the creation and evolution of an industry and, ultimately, the long-term... View Details

Keywords: Economic Sectors; Policy; Economic Growth; Government and Politics; Energy Sources; Green Technology Industry; Energy Industry; Brazil

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15 Oct 2013
First Look

First Look: October 15

Publications August 2013 Economic Development and Cultural Change The Costs of Favoritism: Is Politically-Driven Aid Less Effective?" By: Dreher, Axel, Stephan Klasen, James Raymond Vreeland, and Eric Werker Abstract—As is now well documented, aid is given for... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

12 Apr 2022
Book

Racism, Colonialism, and Britain's Legacy of Violence

History of the British Empire. Elkins, who has conducted extensive research in Africa and the former British Empire, marshals a decade of research across four continents to illustrate how Britain grew a Victorian-era idea about punishing... View Details

Keywords: by Avery Forman

2022
Book

Making Meritocracy: Lessons from China and India, from Antiquity to the Present

By: Tarun Khanna and Michael Szonyi

How do societies identify and promote merit? Enabling all people to fulfill their potential, and ensuring the selection of competent and capable leaders are central challenges for any society. These are not new concerns. Scholars, educators, and political and economic... View Details

Keywords: Merit; Meritocracy; Society; Government and Politics; History; Power and Influence; Leadership; Competency and Skills; China; India

31 Oct 2017
First Look

New Research and Ideas, October 31, 2017

forthcoming Journal of Political Economy The Market for Financial Adviser Misconduct By: Egan, Mark, Gregor Matvos, and Amit Seru Abstract—We construct a novel database containing the universe of financial advisers in the United States... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

20 Nov 2007
First Look

First Look: November 20, 2007

Working PapersNone this week PublicationsFinancial Development, Bank Ownership, and Growth. Or, Does Quantity Imply Quality? Author:Shawn Cole Periodical:Review of Economics and Statistics (forthcoming) Abstract In 1980, India nationalized its large private banks.... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

March 2007 (Revised April 2011)
Case

Madam C.J. Walker: Entrepreneur, Leader, and Philanthropist

By: Nancy F. Koehn, Anne Dwojeski, William Grundy, Erica Helms and Katherine Miller

Madam C. J. Walker, who has been credited as the first self-made African-American woman millionaire, created a hair-care empire after years spent as a laundress in St. Louis, Missouri. Decades before the Civil Rights movement, her company gave employment to thousands... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Business History; Race; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career; Gender; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Saint Louis

April 2012 (Revised June 2012)
Case

HP Labs in Singapore

By: Willy Shih, Pankaj Agarwal and Christine Chi

When HP established a branch of its corporate research lab in Singapore, the government played a key role through its Economic Development Board (EDB). Chris Whitney, the lab's director, sought to generate revenue from the lab's innovations, making it financially... View Details

Keywords: Research and Development; Factories, Labs, and Plants; Development Economics; Government and Politics; Motivation and Incentives; Innovation and Invention; Revenue; Technology Industry; Singapore

September 1993 (Revised September 1997)
Case

China (A): The Great Awakening

By: Debora L. Spar

As the third largest economy after the United States and Japan, China's startling economic growth has spurred increasing interest in the economic, social, and political factors that catapulted the country to sudden prominence. This case starts with an overview of the... View Details

Keywords: History; Government and Politics; Society; Macroeconomics; China

09 Aug 2010
Research & Ideas

How to Speed Up Energy Innovation

Is there a special sauce for stimulating innovation in the energy sector, a concoction to spur cost-effective developments toward solving the climate change problem? HBS professor Rebecca Henderson doesn't claim to know all the ingredients for that special sauce. But... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Energy; Utilities

June 2002
Case

"One Country, Two Systems"? Italy and the Mezzogiorno (B)

By: Bruce R. Scott and Jamie Matthews

In 1992, a corruption investigation and two assassinations created a crisis that prompted the Italian government to dispatch 7,000 troops to Sicily to "retake the island" from the Mafia. This case examines the crisis and the efforts of both the Italian state and the... View Details

Keywords: History; National Security; Crime and Corruption; Economic Slowdown and Stagnation; Italy