Working Knowledge
Business Research for Business Leaders
Filter Results: (334) Arrow Down

EconomicsRemove Economics →

New research on economics from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including economic theory, economic slowdown and stagnation, economic growth, and economic sectors.
Page 1 of 334 Results →

Legislators' Response to Changes in the Electorate: The Great Migration and Civil Rights

by Alvaro Calderon, Vasiliki Fouka, and Marco Tabellini

The second Great Migration (1940–1970) brought to the US North and West more than four million African Americans. We show that this unique episode of internal migration contributed to the development and eventual success of civil rights legislation.

Are Overlooked Forces Shielding the US from Severe Economic Downturns?

by James Heskett

Despite fears of an imminent recession, the US economic expansion just hit 122 months. James Heskett asks if the country is recession-proof more than others? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Spatial Agglomeration and Superstar Firms: Firm-level Patterns from Europe and US

by Laura Alfaro, Maggie X. Chen, and Harald Fadinger

Large, productive, or internationalized firms tend to co-locate geographically. This study of the United States and Eurozone shows greater agglomeration around high performance plants, particularly multinationals. For policymakers, then, policies aimed at improving industry performance should pay attention to firm productivity distribution and not only focus on average performance.

Varieties of Outward Chinese Capital: Domestic Politics Status and Globalization of Chinese Firms

by Meg Rithmire

Most popular and scholarly writing about China’s global push overemphasizes the power of the state. This paper explains how three types of domestic Chinese capital—state capital, private capital, and crony capital—differ in political vulnerability and pursue globalization in different ways. All prefer capital openness, but they do so for different reasons.

The Controversial History of United Fruit

Re: Geoffrey G. Jones

Geoffrey Jones discusses the overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala in 1954 in a US-backed coup supporting United Fruit Company and a key landmark in the history of globalization. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Why the US-China Tariff Standoff Hurts American Companies More

by Danielle Kost

US exporters have been slashing the prices of goods they sell to China to offset higher trade costs, but Chinese exporters are passing those costs to American companies, research by Alberto F. Cavallo says. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Gift of Global Talent: Innovation Policy and the Economy

by William R. Kerr

High-skilled workers in today’s knowledge-based economy are arguably the most important resource to the success of businesses, regions, and industries. This chapter pulls from Kerr’s book The Gift of Global Talent to examine the migration dynamics of high-skilled individuals. He argues that improving our knowledge of high-skilled migration can lead to better policy decisions.

If Your Customers Don't Care What You Charge, What Should You Charge?

by Kristen Senz

Consumer inertia is the tendency of some customers to buy a product, even when superior options exist. Alexander J. MacKay discusses how that habit affects competitive strategy and even regulatory oversight. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

US Antitrust Law and Policy in Historical Perspective

by Laura Phillips Sawyer

Since the late 19th century, American antitrust law and policy has responded to multiple changes: technological advances that have transformed business structures, political imperatives that have reformed regulations and informed prosecutorial discretion, and economic theories that have reshaped the boundaries of government interventions into the economy. Today, antitrust remains a contested field.

The Unconventional Capitalism That Shapes Business History

by Geoffrey G. Jones

Geoffrey G. Jones reports on a business history conference studying the many shades of capitalism around the world and through time. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Rehabilitating Corporate Purpose

by Malcolm S. Salter

Shareholder value maximization has become the de facto expression of the institutional purpose guiding many managers’ decision making. The author proposes an alternative, justice-based guideline for corporate purpose based on established moral and organizational principles.

The 'Amazon Effect' Is Changing Online Price Competition—and the Fed Needs to Pay Attention

by Roberta Holland

Amazon's power in the retail sector puts price pressure on what competitors charge, with implications for how federal regulators govern inflation, says Alberto F. Cavallo. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Government Technology Policy, Social Value, and National Competitiveness

by Frank Nagle

This study examines the impact of a French law requiring government agencies to favor open source software (OSS) over proprietary software in technology procurement processes. Results suggest a cost-effective policy lever that countries can use to both create global social value and increase their own national competitiveness.

Does Our Bias Against Federal Deficits Need Rethinking?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP. Readers lined up to comment on James Heskett's question on whether federal deficit spending as supported by Modern Monetary Theory is good or evil. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Secret Life of Supply Chains

by Michael Blanding

While US policymakers and politicians focus on reviving the manufacturing sector, Mercedes Delgado and Karen Mills unearth a source of better jobs hidden in plain sight. Call it the supply chain economy. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

In the Shadows? Informal Enterprise in Non-Democracies

by Kristin Fabbe, Allison Spencer Hartnett, and Steve L. Monroe

With the informal economy representing a third of the GDP in an average Middle East and North African country, why do chronically indebted regimes tolerate such a large and untaxed shadow economy? Among this study’s findings, higher rates of public sector employment correlate with greater permissibility of firm informality.

The UK Needs a Bold Strategy Around Competition to Survive Brexit

by Michael Blanding

There is little doubt that the United Kingdom’s separation from Europe will reduce its competitiveness for the foreseeable future, argues Michael E. Porter. Here's what can be done about it. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Better Way to Forecast the Future

by Roberta Holland

We can forecast hurricane paths with great certainty, yet many businesses can't predict a supply chain snafu just around the corner. Yael Grushka-Cockayne says crowdsourcing can help. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

The Digital Commons: Tragedy or Opportunity? A Reflection on the 50th Anniversary of Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons

by Frank Nagle

Garrett Hardin’s Science article “The Tragedy of the Commons” 50 years ago focused on a physical world where common goods are finite and rivalrous. By contrast, this paper explores the digital commons, calling for better understanding of its long-term impact and for government policies supporting benefits while mitigating costs.

Free Trade Needs Nurturing—and Other Lessons from History

by Staff

Global free trade is not the natural order of things, so it needs to be carefully tended to and maintained. Sophus Reinert and Dante Roscini discuss trade over time and what history teaches. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.