Publications

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September 2013
Article

Combining Banking with Private Equity Investing

By: Lily H. Fang, Victoria Ivashina and Josh Lerner

Bank-affiliated private equity groups account for 30% of all private equity investments. Their market share is highest during peaks of the private equity market, when the parent banks arrange more debt financing for in-house transactions yet have the lowest exposure to... View Details

Keywords: Regulation; Private Equity; Leveraged Buyouts; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry

SSRN

28 Apr 2022
Blog Post

Harvard Team Wins Second Place in MIINT Impact Investing Competition

Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School joined together in teams of 5-6 students, sourced investments in high-impact startups, and conducted due diligence on the... View Details

October 2018
Supplement

African Bank Investments Limited (B)

By: Lynn S. Paine and Will Hurwitz

Less than a year after joining the board of African Bank Investments Limited (ABIL), the newest director finds himself in difficult discussions with other directors about removing the struggling company’s CEO. The case is set in South Africa in mid-2014 as shares in... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Personal Finance; Corporate Accountability; Governing and Advisory Boards; Corporate Governance; Crisis Management; Insurance; Leadership; Management; Risk Management; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; Financial Services Industry; Africa; South Africa

03 Jun 2021
Blog Post

HBS Pilots First Impact Investing Fund

advisors Emily McComb and Henry McGee—quickly began a rigorous diligence process. This process included elements such as interviews with the owner, discussion with other local bodega owners, research on the... View Details

29 Sep 2008
Research & Ideas

Financial Crisis Caution Urged by Faculty Panel

Liquidity vanished. Similar to mortgage-backed securities, highly leveraged loans and other transactions were characterized by a lack of transparency. "When one looked at... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Financial Services

2014
Chapter

Promoting Corporate Sustainability through Integrated Reporting: The Role of Investment Fiduciaries and the Responsibilities of the Corporate Board

By: Robert G. Eccles, J. Herron and George Serafeim

This book is a comprehensive reference work exploring recent changes and future trends in the principles that govern institutional investors and fiduciaries. A wide range of contributors offer new perspectives on dynamics that drive the current emphasis on short-term... View Details

Keywords: Governance; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Institutional Investing; Financial Services Industry

Research Summary

FDI and Economic Growth: The Role of the Local Financial Markets (joint with Areendam Chanda, Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan, Selin Sayek)

By: Laura Alfaro

In this paper, we examine the various links among foreign direct investment (FDI), financial markets, and economic growth. We explore whether countries with better financial systems can exploit FDI more efficiently. Empirical analysis, using cross-country data between... View Details

August 2017
Article

Should Governments Invest More in Nudging?

By: Shlomo Benartzi, John Beshears, Katherine L. Milkman, Cass R. Sunstein, Richard H. Thaler, Maya Shankar, Will Tucker-Ray, William J. Congdon and Steven Galing

Governments are increasingly adopting behavioral science techniques for changing individual behavior in pursuit of policy objectives. The types of “nudge” interventions that governments are now adopting alter people’s decisions without coercion or significant changes... View Details

Read Now

21 Jul 2010
Research & Ideas

HBS Faculty Debate Financial Reform Legislation

from other productive uses? Will the consumer "protections" and other limitations on bank fees ultimately reduce the availability of credit? Will capital requirements... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

10 Nov 2003
Research & Ideas

The Hard Numbers on Social Investments

commercial solutions to social and environmental problems." The goal of the study was to help IC, whose members collectively invested $80 million from 1992 to 2001, the time horizon of the study,... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

June 2014 (Revised July 2014)
Background Note

An Overview of Project Finance and Infrastructure Finance—2014 Update

By: Benjamin C. Esty, Carla Chavich and Aldo Sesia

Provides an introduction to the fields of project finance and infrastructure finance, and gives a statistical overview of project-financed investments over the years from 2009 to 2013. Examples of project-financed investments include the Kashagan oil field development... View Details

Keywords: Globalization; Capital Expenditures; International Finance; Data; Financial History; Economic Development; Corporate Governance; Contracts; Industry Analysis; Banking; Capital Investments; Municipal Finance; Project Finance; Infrastructure; Investment; Projects; Trends

Educators

22 Apr 2024
Research & Ideas

When Does Impact Investing Make the Biggest Impact?

disadvantaged geographies and nascent industries, and they exhibit more risk tolerance and patience. However, the authors also find employee satisfaction tends to decline once... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

19 Mar 2006
Research & Ideas

Unlocking Your Investment Capital

prudent manner. On the matter of the connection with the "scary news" about hedge funds, it is certainly correct that they use derivatives. However, so does almost every other type of financial... View Details

Keywords: by Ann Cullen; Financial Services

2009
Other Unpublished Work

The Pecora Hearings

By: David Moss, Cole Bolton and Eugene Kintgen

In 1932, in the depths of the Great Depression, the Senate Banking Committee began a much-publicized investigation of the nation's financial sector. The hearings, which came to be known as the Pecora hearings after the Banking Committee's lead counsel Ferdinand... View Details

Keywords: Financial History; Financial Crisis; Financial Markets; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Government Legislation; Laws and Statutes; Business and Government Relations; Financial Services Industry

23 Jan 2008
Op-Ed

A House Divided: Investment or Shelter?

expectations of profit. The standard usage definition will hark back to the older one: an anchor in a community where a family can live, work, and play. Future generations may wonder why Americans for a brief stint redefined home into an... View Details

Keywords: by Nicolas P. Retsinas; Banking; Construction; Real Estate

January 2008
Article

Venture Capital Investment Cycles: The Impact of Public Markets

By: Paul Gompers, Anna Kovner, Josh Lerner and David Scharfstein

It is well documented that the venture capital industry is highly volatile and that much of this volatility is associated with shifting valuations and activity in public equity markets. This paper examines how changes in public market signals affected venture capital... View Details

Keywords: Market Cycles; Venture Capital; Investment; Experience and Expertise; Public Equity; Volatility; Financial Services Industry

Read Now

06 Aug 2020
Blog Post

WHY WE STARTED THE HBS BLACK INVESTMENT CLUB

just for us. A community where we can: Network directly with other Black MBA students, alumni, and investment professionals Get the technical training View Details

Keywords: All Industries

22 Jul 2020
Blog Post

Why We Started the HBS Black Investment Club

for us. A community where we can: Network directly with other Black MBA students, alumni, and investment professionals Get the technical training View Details

2013
Chapter

The Welfare State as an Investment Strategy: Denmark’s Flexicurity Policies

By: Arthur Daemmrich and Thomas Bredgaard

This chapter examines how the welfare state can serve as a national strategy to invest in economic competitiveness and sustainable national prosperity, as well as the significant challenges associated with operating an open economy in a period of increased labor... View Details

Keywords: Open Economy; Welfare; Competitive Advantage; Economic Growth; Human Capital; Government and Politics; Denmark