Publications

April 2009
Case

The First Global Financial Crisis of the 21st Century

By: Laura Alfaro and Renee Kim

The global economy was expected to suffer from negative growth for the full year in 2009, a phenomenon not seen since World War II. While the U.S. subprime mortgage disaster was blamed as the original instigator, it was noted that the "global imbalances" of the U.S.... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Mortgages; Globalized Economies and Regions; Policy; International Relations; Business and Government Relations; Conflict and Resolution

05 Jun 2012
First Look

First Look: June 5

agendas, whose strategies to build viable business models proved crucially dependent on two exogenous factors: the prices of alternative conventional fuels and public policy. Supportive public policies in various geographies facilitated... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Aug 2007
Research & Ideas

HBS Cases: Using Investor Relations Proactively

example, both companies know that their investors are very concerned about the large amount of cash generated in oil and gas, but each has committed to explaining its use in a different way. While BP is very willing to state they will have an ongoing View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace; Energy; Utilities

10 Oct 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, October 10, 2017

Enterprise Foreign Direct Investment, Finance and Economic Development By: Alfaro, Laura, and Jasmina Chauvin Abstract—Research has sought to understand how foreign direct investment affects host economies. This paper reviews the... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November 2001
Case

Tobacco and the Future of Rural Kentucky

By: Ray A. Goldberg and James M Beagle

Governor Patton decides how to use settlement funds to develop a long-term plan for Kentucky's tobacco producers and rural communities. View Details

Keywords: Financial Instruments; Social Issues; Laws and Statutes; Rural Scope; Policy; Business and Community Relations; Government and Politics; Kentucky

April 1999
Case

French Pension System, The: On The Verge Of Retirement? (Abridged)

By: David A. Moss

Surveys the French pension system, its particular institutional characteristics, and some of the critical challenges and opportunities facing French reformers. Like almost every other industrialized country, France has a large pay-as-you-go public pension system that... View Details

Keywords: Retirement; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Economic Growth; Economics; Capital Markets; Wages; Public Administration Industry; France

09 Mar 2020
Research & Ideas

Warring Algorithms Could Be Driving Up Consumer Prices

prevalent, and their use will likely receive greater scrutiny as policymakers try to understand the implications for competition. In their paper, MacKay and Brown suggest that one potential policy solution would be restricting the use of... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Retail

29 Jan 2019
First Look

New Research and Ideas, January 29, 2019

parameter is calibrated to local interest rates. A quantitative exercise finds welfare gains of the optimal fiscal policy to be economically substantial and the optimal rule to not entail a countercyclical fiscal policy. A simple debt... View Details

Keywords: Dina Gerdeman

04 Apr 2022
Research & Ideas

Tech Hubs: How Software Brought Talent and Prosperity to New Cities

Pretium who previously worked as a research analyst at HBS. “Astoundingly, five of the six most valuable public companies in the world in 2020 were tech companies headquartered in San Francisco or Seattle. In response, local policy... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

July 2024 (Revised January 2025)
Case

Dynamic Pricing at Wendy’s: Where’s the Beef?

By: Elie Ofek, Alicia Dadlani and Martha Hostetter

In early 2024, Wendy’s new CEO announced on an earnings call that the company would install digital menus in its US locations so it could begin testing dynamic pricing—changing prices up or down in response to shifts in supply and demand – as well as allow engaging in... View Details

Keywords: Dynamic Pricing; Marketing Strategy; Price; Technology Adoption; Consumer Behavior; AI and Machine Learning; Customer Focus and Relationships; Policy; Food and Beverage Industry

January 2001
Background Note

Country Analysis in a "Global Village"

By: Bruce R. Scott

Substantially rewritten to establish the relevance of countries in the global context. It does so in terms of their differing economic performance in recent decades, and also by contrasting those that have "converged" toward the rich country norm (as theory would... View Details

Keywords: Globalized Economies and Regions; Macroeconomics; Trade; Business Strategy; Performance Evaluation; Industry Growth; Currency; Policy; Development Economics

24 Oct 2012
Research & Ideas

Want People to Save More? Send a Text

safety net for emergencies, but also would reduce financial stress and improve their quality of life. "In the private sector, a lot of startups fail, and the market provides a signal about whether the product is viable," says Pomeranz, whose research focuses... View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard

24 Apr 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, April 24, 2018

handle the legal and political queries regarding its governance and finances in an era of increasing scrutiny of big businesses? How would changing Chinese government policies regarding Chinese investments... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

22 Dec 2009
First Look

First Look: Dec. 22

potential impact of policies to manage systemic risk. Unravelling in Two-Sided Matching Markets and Similarity of Preferences Author:Hanna W. Halaburda Publication:Games and Economic Behavior (forthcoming) Abstract This paper investigates... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

November 2009 (Revised June 2012)
Supplement

Crisis and Reform in Japan's Banking System (B)

By: Thierry Porte, Rawi E. Abdelal, Laura Alfaro and Jonathan Schlefer

In 1997, amidst Japan's ongoing financial problems, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto sought to restructure the financial sector to make it more transparent and globally competitive. He hoped that this effort, dubbed the "Big Bang" after the British financial... View Details

Keywords: History; Adaptation; Policy; Globalized Markets and Industries; Financial Crisis; Business and Government Relations; Macroeconomics; Restructuring; Global Strategy; Banks and Banking; Banking Industry; Japan

29 Jun 2007
First Look

First Look: June 29, 2007

under severe economic conditions. We show that many structured finance instruments can be characterized as economic catastrophe bonds, but offer far less compensation than alternatives with comparable payoff profiles. We argue that this... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

April 2022 (Revised August 2022)
Case

Conflicts of Interest at Uptown Bank

By: Jonas Heese

In 2013, two employees debated whether to blow the whistle on their employer, Bell Bank, after completing an internal review that revealed undisclosed conflicts of interest. Bell Bank’s Asset Management business disproportionately invested clients’ money in Bell Bank’s... View Details