Publications

April 2011
Article

Behavioral Economics Perspectives on Public Sector Pension Plans

By: John Beshears, James J. Choi, David Laibson and Brigitte C. Madrian

We describe the pension plan features of the states and the largest cities and counties in the U.S. Unlike in the private sector, defined benefit (DB) pensions are still the norm in the public sector. However, a few jurisdictions have shifted towards defined... View Details

Keywords: Equality and Inequality; Public Sector; Retirement; Private Sector; Compensation and Benefits; United States

30 Nov 2011
Research & Ideas

Only Capitalists Can Save Capitalism

If capitalism was a stock, the market would appear rather bearish on its future. Bank failures, economic crises, and middle-class riots across the globe appear symptomatic of large systemic weaknesses in the market system, highlighted by the 2008 global financial... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish

2016
Working Paper

Explaining the Persistence of Gender Inequality: The Work-Family Narrative as a Social Defense Against the 24/7 Work Culture

By: Irene Padavic, Robin J. Ely and Erin M. Reid

It is widely accepted that the conflict women experience between family obligations and professional jobs’ long hours lies at the heart of their stalled advancement. Yet research suggests that this “work-family narrative” is partial at best: men, too, experience... View Details

Keywords: 24/7 Work Culture; Hegemonic Narrative; Social Defense; Work-family Conflict; Systems Psychodynamic Theory; Work-Life Balance; Personal Development and Career; Gender; Equality and Inequality; Organizational Culture

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11 Feb 2014
First Look

First Look: February 11

Demographic Changes By: Bardhan, Pranab, Michael Luca, Dilip Mookherjee, and Francisco Pino Abstract—This paper studies how land reform and population growth affect land inequality and landlessness, focusing particularly on indirect... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

25 Apr 2018
Research & Ideas

We May Have Taken Too Much Credit for Easing Workplace Segregation

companies, and this is where we’re seeing more segregation. So, we made gains in some companies, but overall have seen a loss in diversity. That’s problematic.” The connection between racial segregation and wage inequality The authors are... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman

October 2024
Article

On Why Women-owned Businesses Take More Time to Secure Microloans

By: Goran Calic, Moren Lévesque and Anton Shevchenko

Examining gender differences in business financing reveals important dimensions on which women- and men-owned businesses differ. Although considerable progress has been made in understanding gender differences in mobilizing resources, the role of time in business... View Details

Keywords: Microfinance; Gender; Financing and Loans; Equality and Inequality; Risk and Uncertainty; Decision Choices and Conditions; Entrepreneurship

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30 Sep 2019
Book

Book Excerpt: Why a Volume on Race, Work, and Leadership

senior leadership positions, the most frequently adopted strategy is to remain silent about race or other issues of inequality or injustice in order to avoid being labeled as an agitator (Cose, 2011). Nearly 40 percent of black employees... View Details

Keywords: Re: Andi Wang

18 Sep 2000
Research & Ideas

Getting It Done: Improving Nonprofit Performance

making sure that these donations actually make a difference in alleviating some of the major ills and inequities of society. What, many ask, are the measures of effectiveness in these operations? Where is the accountability? Would there... View Details

Keywords: by James E. Aisner

December 2008 (Revised October 2009)
Case

Wal-Mart Stores in 2003 (Abridged Version)

By: Frank V. Cespedes

Examines Wal-Mart's development over three decades and provides financial and descriptive detail of its domestic operations. In 2003, Wal-Mart's Supercenter business has surpassed its domestic business as the largest generator of revenues. Its international operation... View Details

Keywords: Equality and Inequality; Business Growth and Maturation; Competitive Advantage; Labor Unions; Operations; Global Strategy; Problems and Challenges; Gender; Retail Industry; United States

June 2008
Supplement

Kit Hinrichs at Pentagram (B)

By: Linda A. Hill and Emily Stecker

This case focuses on Kit Hindrichs, a 65 year-old partner at Pentagram, a privately-owned multidisciplinary design firm. One of the world's most prestigious design firms, Pentagram was founded by five designers from different disciplines in London in the 1970s. By... View Details

Keywords: Business Offices; Design; Managerial Roles; Private Ownership; Business and Shareholder Relations; Partners and Partnerships; Equality and Inequality; London; San Francisco; New York (state, US)

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16 Aug 2016
First Look

August 16, 2016

frictions play a first-order role in determining market prices. Download working paper: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=49425 Popular Acceptance of Inequality Due to Brute Luck and Support for Classical Benefit-Based... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 2021 (Revised January 2022)
Case

SA Taxi: A Vehicle for Empowerment? (A)

By: Nien-he Hsieh, Dilyana Karadzhova Botha and F. Christopher Eaglin

SA Taxi was a vertically integrated business that operated in South Africa’s distinctive taxi industry. Despite being plagued by violence, informal structures, unsafe road practices and lack of government support, the taxi industry had grown to become South Africa’s... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Accountability; Ownership; Ownership Stake; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Equality and Inequality; Race; Situation or Environment; Transportation Industry; South Africa; Africa

May 2025 (Revised June 2025)
Background Note

Social Enterprise in Latin America

By: Brian L. Trelstad and Karina Souza

This research note provides an overview of the social enterprise ecosystem in Latin America, exploring current dynamics across key markets, including country-specific insights on Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Central America. In a region characterized... View Details

22 May 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, May 22, 2018

Murphy, and Jorg L. Spenkuch Abstract—We develop a model of intergenerational resource transmission that emphasizes the link between cross-sectional inequality and intergenerational mobility. By drawing on first principles of human... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

2023
Working Paper

The Limits of Algorithmic Measures of Race in Studies of Outcome Disparities

By: David S. Scharfstein and Sergey Chernenko

We show that the use of algorithms to predict race has significant limitations in measuring and understanding the sources of racial disparities in finance, economics, and other contexts. First, we derive theoretically the direction and magnitude of measurement bias in... View Details

Keywords: Racial Disparity; Paycheck Protection Program; Measurement Error; AI and Machine Learning; Race; Measurement and Metrics; Equality and Inequality; Prejudice and Bias; Forecasting and Prediction; Outcome or Result

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April 2021 (Revised April 2022)
Case

OneTen: One Million Opportunities in Ten Years

By: V. Kasturi Rangan and Courtney Han

In the wake of George Floyd's killing in May 2020, and widespread protests for social justice in the United States, OneTen was formed by a coalition of 40 large companies to provide one million jobs for African-Americans in 10 years. The case describes the background... View Details

Keywords: Labor Market; COVID-19 Pandemic; Diversity; Race; Jobs and Positions; Opportunities; Social Issues; Employment; Equality and Inequality; Equity; United States