Publications

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2014
Chapter

Technology Diffusion: Measurement, Causes and Consequences

By: Diego A. Comin and Marti Mestieri

This chapter discusses different approaches pursued to explore three broad questions related to technology diffusion: what general patterns characterize the diffusion of technologies, and how have they changed over time; what are the key drivers of technology, and what... View Details

Keywords: Measurement and Metrics; Technology Adoption

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01 Aug 2016
Working Paper Summaries

The Costs of Sovereign Default: Evidence from Argentina

Keywords: by Jesse Schreger and Benjamin Hebert

June 2002 (Revised November 2004)
Compilation

John Maynard Keynes: His Life, Times, and Writings

By: Huw Pill and Ingrid Vogel

Discusses the life, times, and writings of John Maynard Keynes. Consists of three parts. First, it summarizes Keynes' life by reproducing his 1946 obituary from The Times of London. Second, it recalls the dramatic economic events of the times in which he lived by... View Details

Keywords: History; Personal Development and Career; Economics; Theory; Macroeconomics

August 2002 (Revised December 2003)
Case

Italy: A New Commitment to Growth

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Rebecca Evans

Examines Italy's efforts to comply with the Maastricht Treaty and become integrated with Europe in the European Union. By 2002, Italy has achieved macroeconomic stability, but slow growth threatens the country's future competitiveness. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi... View Details

Keywords: Macroeconomics; Economic Growth; Competitive Strategy; Integration; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Government and Politics; Globalized Economies and Regions; International Relations; Alliances; Italy; European Union

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May 1999 (Revised December 2003)
Case

European Monetary Union

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Sabina M. Ciminero

On January 1, 1999, 11 European countries unified their currencies--48 years after their first integrative efforts. This marks a huge development in the structure of Europe and the world's economy. This case examines the integrative process, the Single Europe Act and... View Details

Keywords: Money; Currency; Globalized Economies and Regions; Markets; International Relations; Alliances; System; Integration; Macroeconomics; Business and Government Relations; European Union

Laura Alfaro is the Warren Alpert Professor of Business Administration. At Harvard since 1999, she served as Minister of National Planning and Economic Policy in Costa Rica from 2010-2012, taking a leave from HBS. She is Co-Editor of the Journal of International... View Details

18 Jan 2012
News

Politics, Tax Code Said to Stymie U.S.

12 PM – 1 PM EDT, 15 Apr 2020
Webinars: Career

Is Your Career Recession-Ready?

Dick Vietor, Baker Foundation Professor, and former Unit Head of Business, Government and the International Economy (BGIE), and Lauren Murphy, Director, HBS Career & Professional Development (CPD), address what's likely ahead in the global economy and how best to... View Details

November 10, 2022
Article

5 Ways Startups Can Prepare for a Recession

By: Lou Shipley

Startups face unique challenges during economic downturns. They typically aren’t yet profitable and so are reliant on outside funding—and therefore are especially exposed when macroeconomic conditions change. To make it through a recession, startup CEOs should hit the... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Organizational Culture; Sales; Customer Focus and Relationships; Decisions; Inflation and Deflation; Financial Crisis; Employee Relationship Management; Business Startups; Credit

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April 2023
Case

Drive Capital: A New Road for Venture

By: Paul A. Gompers and Alicia Dadlani

Founded by two former Sequoia Capital partners, Columbus-Ohio-based Drive Capital’s mission was to build a world-class venture capital firm in the middle of the U.S., an area historically overlooked by VCs. Drive faced early challenges of attracting investors, sourcing... View Details

Keywords: Venture Capital; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Investment; Business Strategy; Financial Services Industry; Biotechnology Industry; United States; Ohio

May 2001 (Revised December 2003)
Case

Mexico: The Unfinished Agenda

By: Richard H.K. Vietor and Rebecca Evans

President Vincente Fox takes over in Mexico on December 1, 2000--a political revolution ending 71 years of PRI rule. In the past five years, Mexico has solved a number of macroeconomic problems and had a good run of economic growth. But a host of microeconomic problems... View Details

Keywords: Economic Growth; Macroeconomics; Microeconomics; Policy; Government and Politics; Strategic Planning; Problems and Challenges; Mexico

2015
Working Paper

Networks and the Macroeconomy: An Empirical Exploration

By: Daron Acemoglu, Ufuk Akcigit and William Kerr

The propagation of macroeconomic shocks through input-output and geographic networks can be a powerful driver of macroeconomic fluctuations. We first exposit that in the presence of Cobb-Douglas production functions and consumer preferences there is a specific pattern... View Details

Keywords: Economic Fluctuations; Geographic Collocation; Input-output Linkages; Propagation; Shocks; Networks; Fluctuation; System Shocks; Macroeconomics

SSRN

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11 Oct 2006
Research & Ideas

U.S. Tops Business Competitiveness Index 2006

attempts to gauge the ingredients necessary for long-term, sustainable growth. Although institutional stability, sound macroeconomic policies, market opening, and privatization are often seen as keystones to success, they are not by... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

December 1998 (Revised January 2003)
Case

R.R. Donnelley: Country and Opportunity Analysis in Eastern Europe

Examines several market entry options for R.R. Donnelley's expansion into Eastern Europe. Used as an introduction to a Harvard Business School course titled "New Opportunities in Emerging Markets." Asks students to consider the following issues: 1) the impact of... View Details

Keywords: Opportunities; Market Entry and Exit; Emerging Markets; Europe

02 Aug 2016
Working Paper Summaries

Financial Regulation in a Quantitative Model of the Modern Banking System

Keywords: by Juliane Begenau and Tim Landvoigt; Banking; Financial Services

March 2001 (Revised February 2004)
Case

Power to the States: "Fiscal Wars" for FDI in Brazil

By: Laura Alfaro, Yasheng Huang and Marios S. Kalochoritis

On January 6, 1999, Itamar Franco, the governor of the state of Minas Gerais, the second-largest state in Brazil, declared a 90-day moratorium on its debt payment to the federal government. The announcement triggered a run on the Brazilian currency, the Real, and... View Details

Keywords: International Relations; Investment; Financial Crisis; Borrowing and Debt; Brazil

14 Dec 2017
Working Paper Summaries

The Real Exchange Rate, Innovation and Productivity

Keywords: by Laura Alfaro, Alejandro Cuñat, Harald Fadinger, and Yanping Liu; Manufacturing

December 2018
Case

Soybean Production in Argentina: The Duhau Group

By: José B. Alvarez and Mariana Cal

Crop-planning was affected by macroeconomic factors including international disputes, commodity prices, local tax, and agricultural policies, etc. Enrique and Alejandro Duhau, co-owners of the Duhau Group, analyzed these factors, as well as technical and financial... View Details

Keywords: Trade Negotiations; Soybeans; Production; Trading; Agribusiness; Decision Making; Plant-Based Agribusiness; Decision Choices and Conditions; Decisions; Economics; Macroeconomics; Goods and Commodities; Government and Politics; International Relations; Trade; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; South America; Argentina

January 1996 (Revised February 1998)
Case

Japan's Automakers Face Endaka

By: Debora L. Spar

In April 1995, the Japanese yen hit a post-World War II high against the U.S. dollar. The yen's relentless ascent affected firms on both sides of the Pacific, but fell particularly hard on Japan's big four automakers. This case explores how endaka--or"high... View Details

Keywords: Currency Exchange Rate; Competitive Strategy; Trade; Foreign Direct Investment; Macroeconomics; Manufacturing Industry; Auto Industry; Japan