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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(13,755)
- People (17)
- News (2,922)
- Research (8,469)
- Events (190)
- Multimedia (232)
- Faculty Publications (6,742)
- 15 Nov 2023
- Video
The Science of Failing Well
- March 2021
- Supplement
Applied: Using Behavioral Science to Debias Hiring (B)
By: Ashley Whillans and Jeff Polzer
At the end of 2018, Applied faced questions of stakeholder management and scale. Glazebrook wanted clients to get rid of CVs altogether. To do this, they would have to help hiring managers and recruiters easily build task-based assessments of the skills that their... View Details
Keywords: Hiring; Bias; Behavioral Science; Selection and Staffing; Prejudice and Bias; Information Technology; Competency and Skills
Whillans, Ashley, and Jeff Polzer. "Applied: Using Behavioral Science to Debias Hiring (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 921-047, March 2021.
- May 2020
- Article
Ancient Origins of the Global Variation in Economic Preferences
By: Anke Becker, Benjamin Enke and Armin Falk
This paper shows that contemporary population-level heterogeneity in risk aversion, time preference, altruism, positive reciprocity, negative reciprocity, and trust partly traces back to the structure of the migration patterns of our very early ancestors. To document... View Details
Keywords: Migration Patterns; Behavioral Economics; Preferences; Microeconomics; Demography; Decision Making; Risk and Uncertainty; History; Global Range
Becker, Anke, Benjamin Enke, and Armin Falk. "Ancient Origins of the Global Variation in Economic Preferences." AEA Papers and Proceedings 110 (May 2020): 319–323.
- Research Summary
The Economics of Search
Utilizing data on web searches, we characterize the economics of search and estimate the path of diffusion for information, allowing us to specify how choice sets are actually formed among consumers and examine the impact of cybergeography vs. spatial geography. Joint... View Details
- 28 Apr 2020
- News
Vaccine Push Has Bill Gates, Science and Economics Going for It
- Research Summary
The Economics of Digitization
What is the value of digital platforms that build on user-generated content? How well do existing frameworks explain the value of these businesses? While drawing on prior work, this research stream examines new issues in parts of the economy that previously were... View Details
- February 2018 (Revised October 2019)
- Technical Note
The Art and Science of Brand Valuation
By: Jill Avery
Brand valuation, the art and science of calculating the economic value accruing to a firm from its use of an intangible brand asset, yields frustratingly inconsistent, discrepant, and, therefore, controversial results. While it is widely accepted that brands are... View Details
Keywords: Brand Valuation; Brand Value; Brand; Brand Management; Marketing ROI; Brand Equity; Analytics; Return On Investment; Brands and Branding; Valuation; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Investment Return; Consumer Behavior; Advertising Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Auto Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Electronics Industry; Fashion Industry; Food and Beverage Industry
Avery, Jill. "The Art and Science of Brand Valuation." Harvard Business School Technical Note 518-086, February 2018. (Revised October 2019.)
- October 2020 (Revised March 2022)
- Supplement
The What Works Centre: Using Behavioral Science to Improve Social Worker Well-being (B)
By: Ashley V. Whillans and Shibeal O'Flaherty
This case describes the experiences of Michael Sanders—the Chief Executive of the What Works Center for Children’s Social Care—as he led the design and implementation of a program of research aimed at improving the social care system in the United Kingdom (UK) at the... View Details
Keywords: Non-cash Compensation; Behavioral Science; Employees; Well-being; Compensation and Benefits; United Kingdom
Whillans, Ashley V., and Shibeal O'Flaherty. "The What Works Centre: Using Behavioral Science to Improve Social Worker Well-being (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 921-022, October 2020. (Revised March 2022.)
- October 2020 (Revised March 2022)
- Case
The What Works Centre: Using Behavioral Science to Improve Social Worker Well-being (A)
By: Ashley V. Whillans and Shibeal O'Flaherty
This case describes the experiences of Michael Sanders—the Chief Executive of the What Works Center for Children’s Social Care—as he led the design and implementation of a program of research aimed at improving the social care system in the United Kingdom (UK) at the... View Details
Keywords: Non-cash Compensation; Behavioral Science; Employees; Welfare; Compensation and Benefits; Well-being; United Kingdom
Whillans, Ashley V., and Shibeal O'Flaherty. "The What Works Centre: Using Behavioral Science to Improve Social Worker Well-being (A)." Harvard Business School Case 921-020, October 2020. (Revised March 2022.)
- 10 Oct 2023
- News
The Science Of Happiness
- 16 May 2000
- Research & Ideas
The Simple Economics of Open Source
outwardly the situation smells of economic anarchy. Where are the market forces, when thousands of talented programmers—and even many commercial firms—spend inordinate amounts... View Details
- July 2020
- Article
Higher Economic Inequality Intensifies the Financial Hardship of People Living in Poverty by Fraying the Community Buffer
By: Jon M. Jachimowicz, Barnabas Szaszi, Marcel Lukas, David Smerdon, Jaideep Prabhu and Elke U. Weber
The current research investigates whether higher economic inequality disproportionately intensifies the financial hardship of low-income individuals. We propose that higher economic inequality increases financial hardship for low-income individuals by reducing their... View Details
Keywords: Economic Inequalty; Economy; Income; Equality and Inequality; Poverty; Civil Society or Community
Jachimowicz, Jon M., Barnabas Szaszi, Marcel Lukas, David Smerdon, Jaideep Prabhu, and Elke U. Weber. "Higher Economic Inequality Intensifies the Financial Hardship of People Living in Poverty by Fraying the Community Buffer." Special Issue on Racism in Action. Nature Human Behaviour 4, no. 7 (July 2020): 702–712.
- July 2025
- Article
On the Economic Origins of Concerns Over Women’s Chastity
By: Anke Becker
This paper studies the origins and function of customs and norms that intend to keep women from being promiscuous. Using large-scale survey data from more than 100 countries, I test the anthropological theory that a particular form of preindustrial... View Details
Keywords: Infibulation; Female Sexuality; Paternity Uncertainty; Concern About Women's Chastity; Pastoralism; Economic Anthropology; History; Gender; Social Issues; Culture
Becker, Anke. "On the Economic Origins of Concerns Over Women’s Chastity." Review of Economic Studies 92, no. 4 (July 2025): 2303–2329.
- February 2022
- Module Note
Behavioral Economics and Choice Architecture
By: John Beshears
This module note for instructors describes a module on the design of choice architecture solutions to organizational problems. View Details
Keywords: Behavioral Economics; Choice Architecture; Organizations; Problems and Challenges; Decision Choices and Conditions; Economics
Beshears, John. "Behavioral Economics and Choice Architecture." Harvard Business School Module Note 922-029, February 2022.
- September 2024
- Article
Standing on the Shoulders of Science
By: Joshua Lev Krieger, Monika Schnitzer and Martin Watzinger
Today’s innovations rely on scientific discoveries of the past, yet only some corporate
R&D builds directly on scientific output. In this paper, we analyze U.S. patents to
investigate how firms generate value by building on prior art “closer” to science. We
show... View Details
Krieger, Joshua Lev, Monika Schnitzer, and Martin Watzinger. "Standing on the Shoulders of Science." Strategic Management Journal 45, no. 9 (September 2024): 1670–1695.
- 2017
- Chapter
Toward Transparent Reporting of Psychological Science
By: Etienne P. LeBel and Leslie K. John
In this chapter we make a case for increased transparency of the methods used to obtain research findings. Although comprehensive reporting facilitates accurate assessment of a paper’s claims, the current reporting norm is secrecy, not openness. We begin by putting... View Details
LeBel, Etienne P., and Leslie K. John. "Toward Transparent Reporting of Psychological Science." In Psychological Science under Scrutiny: Recent Challenges and Proposed Solutions, edited by S.O. Lilienfeld and I.D. Waldman. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2017.
- Research Summary
Biological Basis of Economic Behavior
Terry Burnham's research focuses on understanding human behavior, and economic behavior in particular, in the context of humans as evolved animals.
This research aims to reconcile two competing views within economics. The mainstream economic view is that economic... View Details
- November 2009
- Article
Telegraphs—Shrinking Economic Distances? A Preliminary Enquiry, 1870s-1912
By: Felipe Tamega Fernandes
This is a very preliminary report on sources and data for my research on telegraphs. Telegraphs are usually analysed in the context of railway expansion and the literature has somewhat neglected the role of telegraphic communication for the development of steamship... View Details
Keywords: Economic History; Communication Technology; Rail Transportation; Ship Transportation; Telecommunications Industry
Fernandes, Felipe Tamega. "Telegraphs—Shrinking Economic Distances? A Preliminary Enquiry, 1870s-1912." Business Archives, no. 99 (November 2009).
- January 2021 (Revised March 2022)
- Teaching Note
The What Works Centre: Using Behavioral Science to Improve Social Worker Well-being (A) and (B)
This case describes the experiences of Michael Sanders—the Chief Executive of the What Works Center for Children’s Social Care—as he led the design and implementation of a program of research aimed at improving the social care system in the United Kingdom (UK) at the... View Details
- September 2022
- Background Note
On CUE: The Quest for Optimal Customer Unit Economics
By: Elie Ofek, Barak Libai and Eitan Muller
Startups are often evaluated by how well they perform on unit economics, defined as the ratio of a customer’s lifetime value (LTV) to acquisition costs (CAC). A common target for unit economics, advocated by many VCs and analysts, is 3:1 (i.e., LTV/CAC=3). While there... View Details
Keywords: Unit Economics; Business Startups; Performance Evaluation; Customer Value and Value Chain; Customer Relationship Management; Analysis
Ofek, Elie, Barak Libai, and Eitan Muller. "On CUE: The Quest for Optimal Customer Unit Economics." Harvard Business School Background Note 523-050, September 2022.