Publications

29 Jan 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, January 29, 2019

forthcoming Journal of International Economics Corporate Debt, Firm Size and Financial Fragility in Emerging Markets By: Alfaro, Laura, Gonzalo Asis, Anusha Chari, and Ugo Panizza Abstract— The post-Global... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

13 Apr 2020
Research & Ideas

Small Businesses Are Worse Off Than We Thought

Business School. “They need to cut expenses to the bone to ride out this crisis.” Stanton worked with HBS colleagues Michael Luca and Zoe Cullen; Harvard University economics professor Ed Glaeser; and Alex Bartik View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Financial Services

March 1996 (Revised June 1996)
Case

Choices in U.S. Trade Policy

By: Louis T. Wells Jr. and Courtenay Sprague

Describes the moments leading to the conclusion of the Uruguay Round of international trade negotiations and the outcome of those negotiations. Discusses some of the options facing the Clinton Administration with respect to its international trade policy. View Details

Keywords: Trade; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Negotiation; Outcome or Result; United States

Find at Harvard

09 Apr 2014
Research & Ideas

A Playbook for Small-Business Job Creation

As Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), Karen Mills spent four years as part of President Barack Obama's senior View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Banking; Financial Services

Spring 2016
Article

Net Neutrality: A Fast Lane to Understanding the Tradeoffs

By: Shane Greenstein, Martin Peitz and Tommaso Valletti

The last decade has seen a strident public debate about the principle of "net neutrality." The economic literature has focused on two definitions of net neutrality. The most basic definition of net neutrality is to prohibit payments from content providers to internet... View Details

Keywords: Internet and the Web; Policy

Teaching Interest

Senior Executive Leadership Program—Middle East

By: Andy Wu

Change is everywhere in the Middle East today, as many countries seek to diversify their economies and encourage new industries. The region's complex business environment includes distinct political and economic conditions in each country—and... View Details

August 2013 (Revised November 2015)
Case

Prudential Financial - General Motors Pension Risk Transfer: Back to the Future?

By: Luis M. Viceira and Emily A. Chien

In November 2012, Prudential Financial and General Motors closed on a $25.1B pension risk transfer (PRT) transaction, the largest of its kind to date by an order of magnitude both in the U.S. market and globally. In exchange for an in-kind transfer of $25.1B in... View Details

Keywords: Risk Management; Asset Management; Insurance; Retirement; Financial Services Industry; Insurance Industry

2025
Working Paper

Threat and Assimilation: Evidence from Refugees in Germany

By: Philipp Jaschke, Sulin Sardoschau and Marco Tabellini

This paper studies the effects of local threat on the cultural assimilation and economic integration of refugees, exploiting plausibly exogenous variation in their allocation across German regions between 2013 and 2016. We use representative survey data and... View Details

Keywords: Assimilation; Threat Hypothesis; Migration; Cultural Change; Refugees; Culture; Identity; Germany

October 2010 (Revised June 2014)
Case

Volkswagen do Brasil: Driving Strategy with the Balanced Scorecard

By: Robert S. Kaplan and Ricardo Reisen de Pinho

A new management team at VW do Brazil develops and deploys a strategy map and Balanced Scorecard to accomplish a turnaround and cultural change after eight consecutive years of financial losses and market share declines. The team uses the strategy map to align... View Details

Keywords: Business Cycles; Developing Countries and Economies; Management Teams; Leadership; Balanced Scorecard; Strategic Planning; Balance and Stability; Motivation and Incentives; Communication Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Auto Industry; Brazil; Germany

07 Jul 2008
Research & Ideas

Innovation Corrupted: How Managers Can Avoid Another Enron

how to preserve ethical discipline when the legal rules of the game are ambiguous and executives stand to reap enormous rewards by exaggerating or camouflaging a company's true economic performance, I... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Energy; Utilities

2023
Working Paper

The Market for Healthcare in Low Income Countries

By: Abhijit Banerjee, Abhijit Chowdhury, Jishnu Das, Jeffrey Hammer, Reshmaan Hussam and Aakash Mohpal

Patient trust is an important driver of the demand for healthcare. But it may also impact supply: doctors who realize that patients may not trust them may adjust their behavior in response. We assemble a large dataset that assesses clinical performance using... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Quality; Developing Countries and Economies; Trust

Research Summary

Putting Patients First: Marketing Strategies for Treating HIV in Developing Nations

It is more than mere coincidence that the highest rates of HIV occur in the world’s poorest countries. Of the over 40 million people currently living with HIV, 95 percent are in the developing world. The first half of this paper explores the economics of HIV and... View Details

January 2014
Article

China's 'New Regionalism': Subnational Analysis in Chinese Political Economy

By: Meg Rithmire

The study of Chinese political economy has undergone a sea change since the late 1990s; instead of debating the origins and direction of national reform, scholars have turned to examining the origins of local economic variation. This essay reviews recent work in... View Details

Keywords: China; Political Economy; Economy; Government and Politics; China

30 Jun 2020
What Do You Think?

Is a Business School-Industry Collaboration Needed to Attract Black Talent to Campus?

co-op program for potential MBA students? How about greater sharing of teaching or administrative talent, similar to what IBM and other organizations have done in the past—in... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Education

May 2006 (Revised November 2006)
Case

IKEA's Global Sourcing Challenge: Indian Rugs and Child Labor (A)

By: Christopher A. Bartlett, Vincent Marie Dessain and Anders Sjoman

Traces the history of IKEA's response to a TV report that its Indian carpet suppliers were using child labor. Describes IKEA's growth, including the importance of a sourcing strategy based on its close relationships with suppliers in developing countries. Details the... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Moral Sensibility; Policy; Employment; Contracts; Supply Chain Management; Organizational Culture; Natural Environment; Non-Governmental Organizations; Social Issues

December 2023
Teaching Note

India: Will the Giant Emerge?

By: Christian Ketels

This teaching note outlines a plan for conducting a discussion of the case "India: Will the Giant Emrge?". The case provides information on the Indian economy, a key driver of future global growth,. It discusses how India's challenges in defining an effective... View Details

Keywords: Indian Economy; Development; Policy Making; Competitiveness; Policy; Growth and Development; Economic Growth; Government Administration; India

2022
White Paper

The Options Multiplier: Decoding the CareerWise Youth Apprentice Journey

By: Joseph B. Fuller, Rachel Lipson, Farah Mallah, Girish Pendse and Rachel Snyder

As more Americans question the appeal of costly higher education programs, earn-and-learn models, like apprenticeship, are attracting increasing attention from policymakers and employers alike. While apprenticeship is widespread in many parts of Europe,... View Details

Keywords: Apprenticeship; Higher Education; Training; Personal Development and Career; Cost vs Benefits; Success; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms