Innovation and Invention
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- 14 Apr 2021
- Research & Ideas
The High Cost of the Slow COVID Vaccine Rollout
Aggressive investment in COVID-19 vaccine production earlier on could have saved lives and prevented $700 billion in global economic losses, says research by Scott Duke Kominers and colleagues. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 30 Mar 2021
- Research & Ideas
Commuting Hurts Productivity and Your Best Talent Suffers Most
Companies that prize innovation should keep employees out of soul-crushing transit, even after the COVID-19 pandemic, suggests new research by Andy Wu. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 25 Mar 2021
- Research & Ideas
Steer Clear of the Blind Spots That Derail Experiments
Companies are testing everything from website features to compensation strategies, but five common mistakes can undermine their efforts, says Michael Luca. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 22 Feb 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
Private and Social Returns to R&D: Drug Development and Demographics
Research and development (R&D) by pharmaceutical firms focuses disproportionately on medical conditions afflicting the elderly. The proportion of R&D spending targeting older age groups is increasing over time. Even though these investments in R&D prolong life expectancy and improve quality of life, they have little effect on measured productivity and output growth.
- 25 Jan 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
The Evolutionary Nature of Breakthrough Innovation: Re-Evaluating the Exploration vs. Exploitation Dichotomy
Analyzing more than 2,500 firm-level innovation histories spanning 30 years, this study shows that breakthrough innovation requires organizational capabilities for both exploration and exploitation. Managers should therefore question the frequent advice to put exploration- and exploitation-related innovative efforts into different organizational units.
- 19 Jan 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
The Value of Descriptive Analytics: Evidence from Online Retailers
Analytics are descriptive when they describe what happened. Descriptive-analytics solutions are popular among marketers and retailers. This paper provides a benchmark for the benefits of using a descriptive dashboard and illustrates how to potentially extract these benefits.
- 11 Jan 2021
- Research & Ideas
Is A/B Testing Effective? Evidence from 35,000 Startups
A/B tests help startup founders capitalize on good ideas—and move on from duds—faster, says research from Rembrand Koning. How can established companies benefit? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 30 Nov 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Short-Termism, Shareholder Payouts, and Investment in the EU
Shareholder-driven “short-termism,” as evidenced by increasing payouts to shareholders, is said to impede long-term investment in EU public firms. But a deep dive into the data reveals a different story.
- 24 Nov 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Accounting for Product Impact in the Consumer Finance Industry
A framework and method for measuring and monetizing product impact across industries, applying it to two competitors in the consumer finance space.
- 13 Oct 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Fencing Off Silicon Valley: Cross-Border Venture Capital and Technology Spillovers
This study of foreign corporate investment transactions from 32 countries between 1976 and 2015 finds these investments pose a trade-off: While they support young firms in pursuing innovations they could not otherwise afford, they also generate knowledge for the foreign investors.
- 29 Sep 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Centrino and the Restructuring of Wi-Fi Supply
This study examines Intel’s launch of Centrino and interprets it as a platform leader’s attempt to restructure a supply chain.
- 28 Sep 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
What Can Economics Say About Alzheimer's Disease?
This essay discusses the role of market frictions and "missing medicines" in drug innovation and highlights how frameworks and toolkits of economists can help our understanding of the determinants and effects of Alzheimer's disease on health.
- 22 Sep 2020
- Research & Ideas
Recessions Push Some Entrepreneurs to Launch Too Soon
Research by Maria Roche looks at how past economic downturns forced job-insecure, high-tech entrepreneurs to rush their ventures to market. Will COVID-19 do the same? Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 24 Aug 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
When Do Experts Listen to Other Experts? The Role of Negative Information in Expert Evaluations for Novel Projects
Evaluators of early-stage scientific proposals tend to systematically focus on the weaknesses of proposed work rather than its strengths, according to evidence from two field experiments.
- 20 Aug 2020
- Book
From the Plow to the Pill: How Technology Shapes Our Lives
Many technologies have upended long-held beliefs about love, sex, marriage, and reproduction, says Debora Spar in a new book, Work Mate Marry Love: How Machines Shape Our Human Destiny. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 18 Aug 2020
- Cold Call Podcast
Is a Pandemic the Best Time To Try Out a New Idea?
Singapore's new nationwide, Bluetooth-based contact tracing program TraceTogether must overcome privacy issues to be effective. Would Singaporeans adopt TraceTogether? Professor Mitch Weiss discusses his new case study. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.
- 08 Jul 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Inventing the Endless Frontier: The Effects of the World War II Research Effort on Post-War Innovation
Investments made in World War II by the United States Office of Scientific Research and Development powered decades of subsequent innovation and the take-off of regional technology hubs around the country.
- 22 Jun 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Iterative Coordination and Innovation
Do Agile methodologies promote innovation? Results of a field experiment with Google show that increasing the frequency and goal orientation of stand-up meetings reinforces integration and value but reduces specialization and novelty in outcomes.
- 16 Jun 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Government Incentives for Entrepreneurship
Even though many public policy efforts on entrepreneurship are well intentioned, the success rate has been disappointing. This essay explores these policies, focusing on financial incentives to entrepreneurs and the intermediaries who fund them.
A Simple Question That Can Guide Companies to Epic Success
Will that big idea create value? In Better, Simpler Strategy, Felix Oberholzer-Gee shows how even the most innovative companies adhere to one basic principle. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.