Publications
Publications
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- All HBS Web
(585)
- Faculty Publications (224)
- 2023
- Working Paper
The Complexity of Economic Decisions
By: Xavier Gabaix and Thomas Graeber
We propose a theory of the complexity of economic decisions. Leveraging a macroeconomic framework of production functions, we conceptualize the mind as a cognitive economy, where a task’s complexity is determined by its composition of cognitive operations. Complexity... View Details
- June 2023
- Case
Block: Creating an Ecosystem of Ecosystems
By: Lauren Cohen, Richard Ryffel, Grace Headinger and Ruoshi Qi
At Investor Day 2022, Block announced a new vision for its businesses: creating an ecosystem of ecosystems. Outside the norm for many public growth companies, Block had recently acquired a variety of new business streams in the creator economy and Bitcoin despite a... View Details
Keywords: Business Growth; Fintech; Company Management; Growth Strategy; Innovation And Strategy; Acquisition; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Change; Finance; Growth Management; Growth and Development Strategy; Innovation Strategy; Technological Innovation; Communication Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Business Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Technology Industry; United States; California; San Francisco
- 2023
- Other Unpublished Work
Urgent: The IMF Must Reform
By: Laura Alfaro, Guillermo Calvo, José de Gregorio, Augusto de la Torre, Roque Fernandez, Pablo Guidotti, Enrique Mendoza, Ernesto Talvi, Liliana Rojas-Suarez and Andrés Velasco
- 2023
- Chapter
Economic Globalization and Populism in Latin America and Beyond
By: Paula Rettl
Both populism and economic globalization have been on the rise in the last decades, motivating increasing scholarly attention to the phenomena and their relationship (see Rodrik 2021 for a recent review). However, the relationship between populism and economic... View Details
- May 2023 (Revised November 2023)
- Case
Arcos Dorados: Decarbonizing McDonald's in Latin America
By: George Serafeim, Michael W. Toffel, Jenyfeer Martinez Buitrago and Mariana Cal
This case describes the decarbonization strategy of Arcos Dorados—McDonald’s largest independent franchisee, operating in 20 countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean—and how the company measured its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including those... View Details
Keywords: Environmental Accounting; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Change Management; Forecasting and Prediction; Environmental Sustainability; Food; Growth Management; Supply Chain; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Strategy; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Green Technology Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Latin America; North and Central America; South America
- May 2023
- Case
Uruguay: South America's Singapore?
By: Richard Vietor
Uruguay, the richest country in Latin America and the only one that has not turned to the left, suffers from slow growth, high inflation and a weak education system. President Lacrolle Pou has two more years in office to reform these problems. View Details
- May 2023
- Technical Note
Venture Capital at a Crossroads
By: Jo Tango and Alys Ferragamo
Venture capital is a cyclical, ever-changing industry, as seen in recent years. The late 2010s and early 2020s witnessed record amounts of capital flowing into the sector, high valuations, and new types of investors entering the market. Innovations in the seed stage,... View Details
Keywords: Venture Capital
- April 2023
- Case
Drive Capital: A New Road for Venture
By: Paul A. Gompers and Alicia Dadlani
Founded by two former Sequoia Capital partners, Columbus-Ohio-based Drive Capital’s mission was to build a world-class venture capital firm in the middle of the U.S., an area historically overlooked by VCs. Drive faced early challenges of attracting investors, sourcing... View Details
- February 2023 (Revised June 2023)
- Case
Doing Business in São Paulo, Brazil
By: Hise O. Gibson, Leonard A. Schlesinger, Ruth Costas and Pedro Levindo
The case uses the example of a large investment made by French retail group Carrefour in Brazil to discuss the opportunities and challenges of doing business in the country. It gives readers an overview of Brazil’s economic transformation since its colonial years until... View Details
- February 2023 (Revised June 2023)
- Case
Doing Business in Santiago, Chile
By: Willis Emmons, Leonard A. Schlesinger and Ruth Costas
The case uses the example of the opening of the first IKEA furniture store in Chile – which is operated by Chilean group Falabella – to discuss the opportunities and challenges of doing business in the country. It gives readers an overview of Chile’s economic... View Details
- February 2023 (Revised February 2025)
- Case
Doing Business in New Delhi, India
By: Vikram S Gandhi and Radhika Kak
The case uses the example of Tata Motors to discuss the opportunities and challenges of doing business in India. View Details
- November 10, 2022
- Article
5 Ways Startups Can Prepare for a Recession
By: Lou Shipley
Startups face unique challenges during economic downturns. They typically aren’t yet profitable and so are reliant on outside funding—and therefore are especially exposed when macroeconomic conditions change. To make it through a recession, startup CEOs should hit the... View Details
- 2022
- Chapter
The Origins of the Developmental State: The European Experience
Book Abstract: There has been a major revival of interest in State Capitalism: what it is, where it is found, and why it is seemingly becoming more ubiquitous. As a concept, it has evolved from radical critiques of the Soviet Union, to being deployed by neo-liberals to... View Details
- 2022
- Working Paper
Overreaction and Diagnostic Expectations in Macroeconomics
By: Pedro Bordalo, Nicola Gennaioli and Andrei Shleifer
We present the case for the centrality of overreaction in expectations for addressing important challenges in finance and macroeconomics. First, non-rational expectations by market participants can be measured and modeled in ways that address some of the key challenges... View Details
- March 2022 (Revised February 2024)
- Case
El Salvador: Launching Bitcoin as Legal Tender
By: Laura Alfaro, Carla Larangeira and Ruth Costas
In June 2021, Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s president, surprised the world with the announcement that the country would adopt bitcoin as legal tender, becoming the first nation to do so. Bitcoin was mostly used for trading and had one of the most volatile track records... View Details
- March 2022
- Background Note
The Labor Market as COVID Recedes: A Great Resignation or a Great Realization?
By: Joseph B. Fuller, William R. Kerr and Ria Mazumdar
- March 2022
- Module Note
International Macroeconomics with Global Crises
By: Alberto Cavallo
This note introduces a module of cases used at Harvard Business School (HBS) to teach fundamental concepts of international macroeconomics through the discussion of global crises. First, to provide context, it gives a brief overview of the module. Then, it describes... View Details
- March 2022
- Teaching Note
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic and the Global Economy (A) and (B)
By: Alberto Cavallo
Teaching Note for HBS Case Nos. 720-031 and 721-434. View Details
- January 2022
- Technical Note
BGIE Macro Data Repository
By: Alberto Cavallo
This technical note describes an up-to-date data repository containing balance of payment, exchange rate, and aggregate macroeconomic data in a standard format used by case studies written by members of the Business, Government & the International Economy (BGIE) group... View Details
Keywords: Macroeconomics
- 2021
- Article
Venture Capital Booms and Startup Financing
By: William Janeway, Ramana Nanda and Matthew Rhodes-Kropf
We review the growing literature on the relationship between venture capital booms and startup financing, focusing on three broad areas: First, we discuss the drivers of large inflows into the venture capital asset class, particularly in recent years—which are related... View Details