Publications

Article

Considering Concessions: A Survey Experiment on the Colombian Peace Process

By: Aila M. Matanock and Natalia Garbiras-Díaz

Designing peace agreements that can be signed and sustained can be difficult in civil conflict. Many recent cases of successful settlements include electoral provisions, often for rebel groups to participate as political parties. Engaging the electoral process,... View Details

Keywords: Peace Process; Political Parties; Politics; Government; Agreements; Political Backlash; Political Discourse; Civil Unrest; Civil War; Political Issues; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Government and Politics; Policy; Conflict and Resolution; Latin America; Colombia

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July 1, 2024
Article

Research: Speed Matters When Companies Respond to Social Issues

By: Alison Wood Brooks, Jimin Nam, Maya Balakrishnan and Julian De Freitas

Companies and their leaders face new pressures to make public statements about controversial and sometimes divisive social and political issues. New research shows that timing matters: consumers perceive a relationship between speed and authenticity, and discount... View Details

Keywords: Perception; Social Issues; Public Opinion; Communication Strategy

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June 2017 (Revised August 2018)
Supplement

Making Target the Target: Boycotts and Corporate Political Activity (B)

By: Nien-hê Hsieh and Victor Wu

Supplements the (A) Case. View Details

30 Sep 2015
Research & Ideas

Political Polarization: Why We All Just Can't Get Along

observationally result in the same thing—‘I don’t trust them’—but has very different policy implications and takeaways for practitioners.” IN BELIEF WE TRUST Minor says the overarching issue is what leads people to trust one group over... View Details

Keywords: by Roberta Holland; Banking; Financial Services

November 1988 (Revised January 1989)
Background Note

Note on Tax and Accounting Issues in Mergers and Acquisitions

Presents a simplified introduction to tax and accounting issues relevant to mergers and acquisitions. Mergers, asset purchase, and stock acquisition are dealt with in the context of taxable vs. non-taxable transactions. Accounting treatment of the transactions is... View Details

Keywords: Taxation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Accounting

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October 2012 (Revised August 2013)
Case

Russia and China: Energy Relations and International Politics

By: Rawi Abdelal and Sogomon Tarontsi

Russia and China are neighbors with complementary needs: Russia has an abundance of energy resources, which China needs to fuel its industry. The case analyzes the evolution of the China-Russia energy relations in the post-Cold War period, with an emphasis on the... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; International Relations; Energy; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Globalized Markets and Industries; Business and Government Relations; Energy Industry; China; Russia

1978
Chapter

Issues and Policies Related to Mining Tax Reform

By: Malcolm Gillis, Louis T. Wells and Ulrich Petersen

Keywords: Mining; Taxation; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Mining Industry

2010
Chapter

The Paranoid Style in the Study of American Politics

By: David Moss and Mary Oey

What drives policy making in a democracy? The conventional view is that political actors, like economic actors, pursue their self interest, and that special interest groups dominate the policy making process by satisfying policy makers' need for money and other forms... View Details

Keywords: Policy; Government Legislation; Media; Interests; Power and Influence; Public Opinion; United States

2008
Other Unpublished Work

The Paranoid Style in the Study of American Politics

By: David Moss and Mary Oey

The conventional view is that political actors, like economic actors, pursue their self interest, and that special interest groups dominate the policy making process by satisfying policy makers' need for money and other forms of political support. Indeed, many... View Details

Keywords: Policy; Government Legislation; Media; Interests; Power and Influence; Public Opinion; United States

15 Sep 2016
Research & Ideas

Political Dysfunction Makes America Less Competitive

The American economy is a mess, and our broken political system is largely to blame, according to a Harvard Business School US Competitiveness Project report released today. Harvard’s Michael E. Porter, Jan W. Rivkin, and Mihir A. Desai... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

September 2024 (Revised October 2024)
Background Note

Brief Note on How America Votes and U.S. Election Structural Issues (2024)

By: Robert F. White

This note describes how American votes, and explores several structural issues to U.S. elections. View Details

Keywords: Political Elections; Voting; Public Administration Industry; United States

26 Apr 2011
Op-Ed

HBS Faculty Comment on Environmental Issues for Earth Day

Earth Day focuses the world's attention on the both the dangers and opportunities facing the planet. But sustainability and the intersection between business and the environment are issues that need to be addressed all the time, as cities grow, resources diminish, and... View Details

Keywords: by Staff; Energy; Utilities

20 Sep 2022
Research & Ideas

How Partisan Politics Play Out in American Boardrooms

inequities, such as conducting internal company climate surveys and anti-bias trainings. Finally, she says, companies need to be aware that taking a strong stance on controversial political issues may end up... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

February 2016
Case

Banking and Politics in Antebellum New York

By: David Moss and Colin Donovan

After a long period of solid Democratic control, Whigs secured a majority of seats in the New York State Assembly in 1837, the same year that a major financial panic had crippled the banking system and shaken public confidence in the state's governance. The next year,... View Details

Keywords: Governance; Central Banking; Ethics; Laws and Statutes; Business and Government Relations; Government and Politics; History; New York (state, US)

20 Mar 2018
Working Paper Summaries

Countering Political Risk in Colonial India: German Multinationals and the Challenge of Internment (1914–1947)

Keywords: by Christina Lubinski, Valeria Giacomin, and Klara Schnitzer

2012
Working Paper

Clear and Present Danger: Planning and New Venture Survival Amid Political and Civil Violence

By: Shon Hiatt and Wesley Sine

Although entrepreneurs constitute a key economic driving force for many emerging economies, they often face unstable environments due to the failure of governments to maintain civil and political order. Yet, we know very little about how environments characterized by... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Developing Countries and Economies; Government and Politics; Crime and Corruption; Balance and Stability; Strategic Planning

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March 2022
Background Note

Climate Challenges for Cities: Introduction to Issues and Actions in the United States

By: Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Catarina Mia Martinez

This background Note introduces the implications of climate change (global warming) for American cities. In the U.S., partisan political divides and unaddressed economic and racial disparities in climate vulnerabilities can inhibit action. The two main fronts for... View Details