Publications

20 Oct 2010
Op-Ed

Export Competitiveness: Reversing the Logic

exports instead of adding to global trade (Atkinson, 2009). There is some evidence of this tension emerging in recent years, for example in Europe as German wage restraint improved its relative cost position on export markets. In importing countries there might be a... View Details

Keywords: by Christian Ketels

11 Oct 2006
What Do You Think?

How Do We Respond to the “Dependency Ratio” Dilemma?

reducing the significance of the ratio, what effect will this have on intermediate-term national economic performance, especially in an economy driven by consumption? Would retention of the elderly in the work force have a net negative... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

14 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World

As economies reopen after forced shutdowns caused by COVID-19, managers around the world are faced with a dual challenge: keep the workforce safe while preserving business viability in an evolving and volatile market. How should... View Details

Keywords: by Raffaella Sadun, Andrea Bertoni, Alexia Delfino, Giovanni Fassio, and Mariapaola Testa

February 2011 (Revised August 2011)
Case

Brazil: Leading the BRICs?

By: Arthur A. Daemmrich and Aldo Musacchio

Brazil's new president, Dilma Rousseff, had announced plans to sustain GDP growth above 5% annually and continue the country's leadership role among emerging economies. Between 2003 and 2010, Brazil benefited from strong economic growth and stable policies under the... View Details

Keywords: Developing Countries and Economies; Intellectual Property; Infrastructure; Economic Growth; Trade; International Relations; Economic Systems; Globalization; Corporate Strategy; Brazil; Russia; India; China; United States

08 Feb 2010
HBS Case

Looking Behind Google’s Stand in China

defense of human rights of citizens in host countries in which our multinationals operate. Q: What do you make of China's assertiveness of late, not only in the business sphere but in the political world as... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Technology

28 Nov 2005
Research & Ideas

Unilever: Transformation and Tradition

from a fast-growing "miracle" economy into one afflicted by recession and inflation. Unilever found itself burdened by low-margin businesses. The growing strength of European retailers and private labels undermined the... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones; Consumer Products

18 Oct 2017
Research & Ideas

How Economic Clusters Drive Globalization

developing economies and globalization at large. “The cluster concept is often used to consider local factors,” Giacomin says, “but there’s a growing awareness that many clusters are also driven by external forces, such as foreign direct... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Agriculture & Agribusiness

06 Jun 2005
What Do You Think?

Is a “Level Playing Field” a Good Thing?

common is how one's use of that information leads to prosperity. This is where the second kind of level playing field comes into play. This would include mechanisms such as ease of starting, running, and folding a business; enforcement of contracts; View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

01 Dec 2014
Research & Ideas

The Big Influence of Small Countries in the United Nations Secretariat

associate professor in the Business, Government and the International Economy unit at Harvard Business School, asks in a new working paper, Who Runs the International System? Power and Staffing at the United Nations Secretariat. He... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

January 2016
Case

Haiti Hope: Innovating the Mango Value Chain

By: Amy C. Edmondson and Jean-François Harvey

This case study examines a market-based approach to economic development through the eyes of NGO TechnoServe's project manager, implementing a US$9.5 million five-year public-private partnership between Coca-Cola, IDB, and USAID. The case ends at the beginning of the... View Details

10 Jan 2022
Research & Ideas

How to Get Companies to Make Investments That Benefit Everyone

Nagle says the software industry’s reliance on free and open source software is the clearest example of how this “virtuous cycle” can work. The digital economy runs on FOSS, with 75 percent of corporate code reliant on the shared system.... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

06 Feb 2013
What Do You Think?

Is ‘Conscious Capitalism’ an Antidote to Income Inequality?

times the average for all. Is this an important answer to the inequality now thought to be burdening economies from the US to India and even China? Or is it an exercise in self-indulgence associated with a retailing strategy that would... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

28 May 2019
Research & Ideas

Investor Lawsuits Against Auditors Are Falling, and That's Bad News for Capital Markets

Why did you follow up on Tellabs and Janus? Srinivasan: When there are big changes like Supreme Court decisions it becomes important to assess whether they have changed the landscape or not. These two lawsuits are important for their implications for our View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services; Accounting

September 2010
Case

Angola and the Resource Curse

By: Aldo Musacchio, Eric D. Werker and Jonathan Schlefer

Since emerging from decades of conflict in 2002, Angola has been growing at a scorching double-digit rate, led by its oil industry. But the nation remains beset with seemingly intractable problems: immense inequality, low life expectancy, a non-diversified economy, and... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Developing Countries and Economies; Financial Crisis; Borrowing and Debt; Financial Institutions; Globalized Economies and Regions; Policy; Government Administration; Emerging Markets; Natural Environment; Angola

November 2023
Case

Gabon Special Economic Zone

By: John Macomber and Wale Lawal

Tropical rain forest covers about 80% of the West African nation of Gabon, part of the Congo Basin and the "lungs of the world." Gabon is one of the first nations to earn revenue from carbon sequestration...as long as the rain forest remains intact. There are... View Details

Keywords: Economic Development; Forestry; Wood; Carbon Credits; Supply Chain; Economic Growth; Developing Countries and Economies; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Government Administration; Business and Government Relations; Strategy; Forest Products Industry; Africa; Gabon