Publications

April 2006 (Revised April 2012)
Case

Ghana: National Economic Strategy

By: Michael E. Porter and Kjell Ke-Li Carlsson

Set in the year 2001, as President John Kufuor contemplates a national economic strategy following his election in the first democratic transfer of power in Ghana's history. Focuses on Ghana's long history of poor economic performance and intractable poverty,... View Details

Keywords: History; Economic Growth; Government Administration; Developing Countries and Economies; Growth and Development Strategy; Ghana

October 1998 (Revised September 1999)
Case

Brazil Confronts an Interdependent World

By: George C. Lodge and Cate Reavis

Discusses the politics of change and how Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, elected in 1994, has fought to promote systemic change in Brazil. While his Real Plan has stabilized inflation and attracted foreign investment, the nation's deficit continues to... View Details

Keywords: Development Economics; Government and Politics; Inflation and Deflation; Foreign Direct Investment; Equality and Inequality; Change; Social Issues; Public Administration Industry; Brazil

16 Mar 2021
Blog Post

2+2 Where Are They Now Spotlight: Smitha Das (MBA 2018)

question: what is the most effective way for me to make a difference in the world? Is it through public service, impact investing, social entrepreneurship or even academia? The 2+2 program gave me the runway to actively investigate this question and explore a couple... View Details

21 Feb 2019
Research & Ideas

Voter ID Laws Don't Work (But They Don't Hurt Anything, Either)

The North Carolina State Board of Elections began a hearing this week into alleged ballot tampering in last year’s 9th District congressional race, which ended in a razor-thin, 905-vote win for Republican Mark Harris. Since the 2016... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

February 1995 (Revised April 1996)
Case

Russia 1994

Describes Russia's transition from a centrally planned economy under Communist rule to an increasingly market-oriented economy under a more democratic political regime. Can be used to discuss the complementarity of elements of an economic strategy, and the optimal... View Details

Keywords: Transition; Economic Systems; Russia; Soviet Union

08 Jul 2014
News

Reframing infrastructure: It's really mobility

09 Nov 2016
Op-Ed

6 Lessons from Donald Trump's Winning Marketing Manual

marketers, says HBS professor John Quelch. Credit: Gage Skidmore Show the past as prologue. Offering consumers the adventure of voting for an uncertain future never works with the majority, especially if your brand is new to the game. Trump, the View Details

Keywords: by John A. Quelch

15 Sep 2017
News

Harvard professor has a novel way to fix Washington before 2018

27 Nov 2023
Research & Ideas

Voting Democrat or Republican? The Critical Childhood Influence That's Tough to Shake

The political bent of the neighborhood where they grew up—and especially where they spent their teen years. Beyond just parental influence, environmental factors such as friends, teachers, and media environment play a statistically... View Details

Keywords: by Ben Rand

11 Feb 2008
Research & Ideas

Does Democracy Need a Marketing Manager?

of politics is higher than it has been in the last couple of decades. Also, one way of viewing local elections and political primaries is as a product development process for... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

April 1992 (Revised September 1993)
Case

Poland--1989

By: Debora L. Spar

Describes the political and economic situation in Poland in 1989, following the country's first democratic elections and the subsequent establishment of a Solidarity-led government. After examining the legacies left by 40 years of Communist rule, the case lays out the... View Details

Keywords: Sovereign Finance; Economic Systems; Government and Politics; Poland

Find at Harvard

February 2016 (Revised July 2017)
Case

A Nation Divided: The United States and the Challenge of Secession

By: David Moss and Marc Campasano

Americans elected Abraham Lincoln as the nation's first Republican president in November of 1860. Northern political leaders had formed the Republican Party only a few years before, in large measure to combat the spread of slavery. Southerners had long been wary of... View Details

Keywords: Governance; War; Government and Politics; History; United States

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT VINCENT PONS, CONSULT HIS WEBSITE.

Vincent Pons is... View Details

February 2016 (Revised February 2018)
Case

The Battle over the Initiative and Referendum in Massachusetts (1918)

By: David Moss and Dean Grodzins

On Election Day in 1918, Massachusetts voters would have to decide not only on their preferred candidates for governor and U.S. Senator, but also whether or not to approve 19 proposed amendments to the state constitution. By far the most controversial of these would... View Details

Keywords: Political Elections; Government Legislation; Power and Influence; History; Massachusetts

18 Nov 2016
News

Creating diversity in the innovation economy

November 9, 2012
Guest Column

For Obama, Where Has Lincoln Gone?

By: Nancy F. Koehn

The 2012 presidential race was not only the most expensive in history, it was also one of the most closely contested elections the country has known. President Barack Obama inherits the very serious challenge of trying to reunite a divided nation in which political... View Details

Keywords: Leadership

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February 2016 (Revised July 2017)
Case

An Australian Ballot for California?

By: David Moss, Marc Campasano and Dean Grodzins

In early 1891, California lawmakers were considering a plan to reform the state's elections through the introduction of an “Australian” ballot. Under this new system, candidates from all qualifying parties would appear on official ballots, which would be printed by... View Details

Keywords: Voting; Ethics; Political Elections; Laws and Statutes; Change; California