Publications

27 Apr 2021
Research & Ideas

New Research: Surviving Bankruptcy, Useful Economics, and Retirement

of dollars every year. I estimate that liquidation is frequently chosen when a reorganization would have maximized total creditor recovery. I estimate that courts could dramatically improve creditor recovery by assigning liquidations... View Details

2008
Working Paper

Media versus Special Interests

By: Alexander Dyck, David A. Moss and Luigi Zingales

We argue that profit-maximizing media helps overcome the problem of "rational ignorance" highlighted by Downs (1957) and in so doing makes elected representatives more sensitive to the interests of general voters. By collecting news and combining it with entertainment,... View Details

Keywords: Voting; Government Legislation; Media; Interests; Power and Influence; United States

01 Dec 2023
News

Alumni and Faculty Books and Podcasts

story about managing government agencies that—in submarine parlance—are deep underwater, then provides solutions to help them and the overall government surface. Talent Disruption: People Are the Brands By View Details

Keywords: podcasts

Web

Finance Awards & Honors - Faculty & Research

Best Paper Prize in Asset Management from the Midwest Finance Association for "The Market for Sharing Interest Rate Risk: Quantities and Asset Prices" with Umang Khetan, Jane Li, and Ioana Neamtu. 2024 Elisabeth Kempf : Winner of the 2024 Second Place Jensen Prize for... View Details

Portrait Project

Navroz D. Udwadia

with drinking water and electricity in every village. Millions of people exploring life, expressing talents and living in peaceful prosperity. An India governed by upright leaders capable of shepherding the country to its rightful place... View Details

Article

Media versus Special Interests

By: Alexander Dyck, David Moss and Luigi Zingales

We argue that profit-maximizing media help to overcome the rational ignorance problem highlighted by Anthony Downs. By collecting news and combining it with entertainment, media are able to inform passive voters about regulation and other public policy issues, acting... View Details

Keywords: Media; Profit; Government and Politics

August 2008 (Revised July 2009)
Supplement

Gazprom (C): The Ukrainian Crisis and Its Aftermath

By: Rawi E. Abdelal, Sogomon Tarontsi and Alexander Jorov

The case describes the resolution to the January 2006 gas crisis, precipitated by the decision of Gazprom, the largest natural gas producer in the world, to cut off gas supply to Ukraine because of disagreement on the terms of future trade. The case also narrates the... View Details

Keywords: Trade; Non-Renewable Energy; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Conflict Management; Reputation; Energy Industry; Russia; Ukraine

April 2020
Article

Designs for Estimating the Treatment Effect in Networks with Interference

By: Ravi Jagadeesan, Natesh S. Pillai and Alexander Volfovsky

In this paper, we introduce new, easily implementable designs for drawing causal inference from randomized experiments on networks with interference. Inspired by the idea of matching in observational studies, we introduce the notion of considering a treatment... View Details

Keywords: Experimental Design; Network Inference; Neyman Estimator; Symmetric Interference Model; Homophily

Find at Harvard

Article

Recovering Investor Expectations from Demand for Index Funds

By: Mark Egan, Alexander J. MacKay and Hanbin Yang

We use a revealed-preference approach to estimate investor expectations of stock market returns. Using data on demand for index funds that follow the S&P 500, we develop and estimate a model of investor choice to flexibly recover the time-varying distribution of... View Details

Keywords: Stock Market Expectations; Demand Estimation; Exchange-traded Funds (ETFs); Demand and Consumers; Investment

Find at Harvard

2021
Working Paper

Recovering Investor Expectations from Demand for Index Funds

By: Mark Egan, Alexander J. MacKay and Hanbin Yang

We use a revealed-preference approach to estimate investor expectations of stock market returns. Using data on demand for index funds that follow the S&P 500, we develop and estimate a model of investor choice to flexibly recover the time-varying distribution of... View Details

Keywords: Stock Market Expectations; Demand Estimation; Exchange-traded Funds (ETFs); Demand and Consumers; Investment; United States

SSRN

14 Aug 2012
First Look

First Look: August 14

relationship, it remains difficult to determine which firms any given piece of legislation will affect, and how it will affect them. By observing the actions of legislators whose constituents are the affected firms, we can gather insights... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

May 2005 (Revised September 2015)
Case

Hans Wilsdorf and Rolex

By: Geoffrey Jones and Alexander Atzberger

Explores the creation of the Rolex watch by Hans Wilsdorf. Provides a case study of how one of the world's leading luxury brands was created and, more generally, provides a vehicle for exploring the competitive advantage of Switzerland in watchmaking (and other... View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurship; Geographic Location; Brands and Branding; Luxury; Competitive Advantage; Consumer Products Industry; Switzerland

Educators

August 2022
Article

Contract Duration and the Costs of Market Transactions

By: Alexander MacKay

The optimal duration of a supply contract balances the costs of reselecting a supplier against the costs of being matched to an inefficient supplier when the contract lasts too long. I develop a structural model of contract duration that captures this tradeoff and... View Details

Keywords: Supply Contracts; Intermediate Goods; Switching Costs; Vertical Relationships; Transaction Costs; Contract Duration; Identification; Supply Chain; Cost; Contracts; Auctions; Mathematical Methods

Web

Business, Government & the International Economy Awards & Honors - Faculty & Research

was selected for the 2022 Books of the Year by History Today . Caroline M. Elkins : Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire (Alfred A. Knopf, 2022) was selected for the 2022 Books of the Year by... View Details

December 2024
Article

Proximate (Co-)Working: Knowledge Spillovers and Social Interactions

By: Maria P. Roche, Alexander Oettl and Christian Catalini

We examine the influence of physical proximity on between-start-up knowledge spillovers at one of the largest technology coworking hubs in the United States. Relying on the exogenous assignment of office space to the hub’s 251 start-ups, we find that proximity... View Details

Keywords: Knowledge Integration; Coworking; Microgeography; Business Startups; Technology Adoption; Diversity; Interpersonal Communication; Knowledge Sharing; Geographic Location

Find at Harvard

Register to Read

August 2008 (Revised July 2009)
Supplement

Gazprom (B): Energy and Strategy in a New Era

By: Rawi E. Abdelal, Sogomon Tarontsi and Alexander Jorov

President Putin publicly stated that Gazprom, the largest natural gas producer in the world, was a powerful political lever of the Russian state in the world and a keystone in the foundation of the country's energy security. Thus the top leadership of Russia has... View Details

Keywords: Non-Renewable Energy; Growth and Development Strategy; State Ownership; Business and Government Relations; Expansion; Energy Industry; Russia; Ukraine

May 2018 (Revised June 2018)
Case

Ashar Group: Brokers and Co-opetition in the Life Settlement Industry

By: Alexander Braun, Lauren H. Cohen, Christopher J. Malloy and Jiahua Xu

Connecting life insurance policyholders with potential investors (called Life Settlement Providers), Ashar Group plays a pivotal role in the industry. Its current position is, however, increasingly being challenged by consumer-direct models, led by major providers... View Details

Keywords: Insurance; Investment; Markets; Competitive Strategy; Cooperation; Financial Services Industry

Educators

2020
Working Paper

Contract Duration and the Costs of Market Transactions

By: Alexander MacKay

The optimal duration of a supply contract balances the costs of reselecting a supplier against the costs of being matched to an inefficient supplier when the contract lasts too long. I develop a structural model of contract duration that captures this tradeoff and... View Details

Keywords: Vertical Relationships; Transaction Costs; Contract Duration; Identification; Supply Chain; Cost; Contracts; Auctions; Mathematical Methods

SSRN