Social Issues →
- 01 Apr 2019
- What Do You Think?
Does Our Bias Against Federal Deficits Need Rethinking?
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; 0 Comments.
- 20 Mar 2019
- Research & Ideas
Gender-Diverse Companies Thrive Only Where Diversity is Embraced
Researchers have produced murky, conflicting results about whether gender-diverse companies perform better than those managed mostly by men. Letian Zhang offers new insight that explains why. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 11 Feb 2019
- Research & Ideas
The Business of Saving the Planet
The biggest challenge facing today's business leaders? Putting their operations in harmony with the environment. Read the latest research around building sustainability into business processes and management practices. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 05 Feb 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Stereotypes and Belief Updating
Increasing evidence demonstrates that stereotyped beliefs drive key economic decisions. This paper shows the significant role of self-stereotyping in predicting beliefs about one’s own ability. Stereotypes do not just affect beliefs about ability when information is scarce. In fact, stereotypes color the way information is incorporated into beliefs, perpetuating initial biases.
- 04 Feb 2019
- Book
Green Businesses Are Incredibly Difficult to Make Profitable. Try It Anyway
Making a business successful is a challenge in itself, but making a green business profitable is an even harder journey. For society's sake, entrepreneurs must be prepared to make that journey, says Geoffrey Jones. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 14 Jan 2019
- Op-Ed
These 4 CEOs Created a New Standard of Leadership
At the height of the 2008 financial crisis, these four corporate leaders stepped forward—and changed how we think of leadership forever, says Bill George. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 04 Jan 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
The Digital Commons: Tragedy or Opportunity? A Reflection on the 50th Anniversary of Hardin’s Tragedy of the Commons
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.
- 03 Jan 2019
- Working Paper Summaries
Financing the Response to Climate Change: The Pricing and Ownership of US Green Bonds
Green bonds are used for environmentally friendly purposes like renewable energy. Complementing previous research, this paper explores the US corporate and municipal green bond and shows that a subset of investors is willing to give up some return to hold green bonds.
- 03 Dec 2018
- Research & Ideas
How Companies Can Increase Market Rewards for Sustainability Efforts
There is a connection between public sentiment about a company and how the market rewards its corporate social performance, according to George Serafeim. Is your company undervalued? Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 30 Nov 2018
- What Do You Think?
What’s the Best Administrative Approach to Climate Change?
SUMMING UP: James Heskett's readers point to examples of complex environmental problems conquered through multinational cooperation. Can those serve as roadmaps for overcoming global warming? Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 07 Aug 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Gifts of the Immigrants, Woes of the Natives: Lessons from the Age of Mass Migration
Investigating the economic and political effects of immigration across US cities between 1910 and 1930, this paper finds that political opposition to immigration can arise even when immigrants bring widespread economic benefits. The paper provides evidence that cultural differences between immigrants and natives were responsible, at least in part, for natives’ anti-immigration reactions.
- 27 Jun 2018
- Working Paper Summaries
Negotiating a Better Future: How Interpersonal Skills Facilitate Inter-Generational Investment
For many girls in developing countries, early adolescence is a time of key challenges: school dropout rates rise, and social and economic pressures increase for marriage and motherhood. This randomized control trial involving Zambian adolescent girls finds that negotiation skills can help them navigate these challenges. Girls taught negotiation skills had significantly better educational outcomes over the next three years.
- 04 Jun 2018
- Research & Ideas
Think of it as Professors in Cars Having Coffee
Has the art of civil debate returned? In the new Harvard Business School podcast series After Hours, professors Youngme Moon, Felix Oberholzer-Gee, and Mihir Desai discuss issues ranging from gun control to voice-activated digital assistants. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 22 Mar 2018
- Cold Call Podcast
Trump’s Populism: What Business Leaders Need To Understand
Whether you are a fan of populism or not, it is vital for business leaders to understand the debate around it, says Rafael Di Tella in our latest Cold Call podcast. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 25 Jan 2018
- Cold Call Podcast
One Love: Managing a Movement Against Relationship Violence
One Love Foundation is dedicated to the prevention of relationship violence through education. Professor Tom DeLong talks about the challenges CEO Katie Hood faces as the organization works to create a movement and then maintain momentum around community engagement, fundraising, and growth. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 Nov 2017
- Cold Call Podcast
Could a Hackathon Help Solve the Heroin Crisis?
What’s the value of crowdsourcing technological solutions to societal problems? Could a hackathon help solve the heroin crisis in Cincinnati, Ohio? Mitch Weiss discusses a recent case study. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 09 Oct 2017
- Working Paper Summaries
Habit Formation and Rational Addiction: A Field Experiment in Handwashing
This study in rural West Bengal considers the role of habituation in an essential but unpopular preventive health behavior: handwashing with soap. The study finds that frontloading both financial and social incentives facilitates habituation, and agents internalize this habitual nature. Findings help guide the design of optimal incentives to increase the adoption of positive habits.
- 20 Sep 2017
- Research & Ideas
The Three Types of Leaders Who Create Radical Change
Every successful social movement requires three distinct leadership roles: the agitator, the innovator, and the orchestrator, according to institutional change expert Julie Battilana. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 28 Aug 2017
- Research & Ideas
Should Industry Competitors Cooperate More to Solve World Problems?
George Serafeim has a theory that if industry competitors collaborated more, big world problems could start to be addressed. Is that even possible in a market economy? Open for comment; 0 Comments.
Formal Employment and Organized Crime: Regression Discontinuity Evidence from Colombia
Using data from Colombia’s second-largest city, Medellín, this study tests the relationship between formal employment and participation in crime at the individual level. Among the findings, subsidies for health care had the unintended consequence of amplifying gang activity. Results shed light on deterring criminality through improving access to formal sector employment.