Government and Politics →
- 01 Mar 2021
- Research & Ideas
How Systemic Racism Can Threaten National Security
Military enlistment in the wake of the Pearl Harbor attack shows the far-reaching effects of racial violence and disenfranchisement, says research by Marco Tabellini. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 24 Feb 2021
- Lessons from the Classroom
What History's Biggest Wars Teach Us About Leading in Peace
Deepak Malhotra shares how critical moments in the Peloponnesian War, both World Wars, and the Cuban Missile Crisis offer lessons for business—and life. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 23 Feb 2021
- Cold Call Podcast
Examining Race and Mass Incarceration in the United States
The late 20th century saw dramatic growth in incarceration rates in the United States. Of the more than 2.3 million people in US prisons, jails, and detention centers in 2020, 60 percent were Black or Latinx. Harvard Business School assistant professor Reshmaan Hussam probes the assumptions underlying the current prison system, with its huge racial disparities, and considers what could be done to address the crisis of the American criminal justice system in her case, “Race and Mass Incarceration in the United States.” Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 Feb 2021
- Cold Call Podcast
Using Empathy and Curiosity to Overcome Differences
Bill Riddick, an African-American community leader and counselor, must find a way to bridge the divide between Black and white community leaders, who are on opposing sides of school integration in Durham, North Carolina, in 1971. Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino and Jeffrey Huizinga explain how empathy and curiosity can foster understanding in divisive situations in their case, “Bill Riddick and the Durham S.O.S. Charrette.” Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 19 Jan 2021
- In Practice
Leadership Advice for Biden: Restore a Sense of Calm
Harvard Business School faculty members share their expectations for a Biden presidency and offer advice to the commander in chief as he takes on the raging COVID-19 pandemic and a divided nation. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 19 Jan 2021
- Cold Call Podcast
Engaging Community to Create Proactive, Equitable Public Safety
Saint Paul, Minnesota Mayor Melvin Carter swept into office in 2018 promising equity. He wanted a new public safety framework that would be rooted in community. Then, with the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out much of the city’s budget and the May 2020 killing of George Floyd by a police officer in neighboring Minneapolis sparking calls to defund the police, how would Mayor Carter make these changes happen? Professor Mitch Weiss discusses the challenges and rewards of “possibility government” in his case, Community-First Public Safety. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 18 Jan 2021
- Book
How Thinking Like a Startup Helps Governments Solve More Problems
Public entrepreneurship can bring agile thinking and new ideas to governments. Mitchell Weiss explains how in his new book, We the Possibility. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 11 Jan 2021
- Working Paper Summaries
The Political Effects of Immigration: Culture or Economics?
This paper reviews and explains the growing literature focused on the political effects of immigration, and highlights fruitful avenues for future research. When compared to potential labor market competition and other economic forces, broadly defined cultural factors have a stronger political and social impact.
- 15 Dec 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
Designing, Not Checking, for Policy Robustness: An Example with Optimal Taxation
The approach used by most economists to check academic research results is flawed for policymaking and evaluation. The authors propose an alternative method for designing economic policy analyses that might be applied to a wide range of economic policies.
- 15 Dec 2020
- Research & Ideas
The Unspoken Messages of COVID-19 Restrictions
What does it take to cut through COVID-19 fatigue? Governments may need to refine how they convey exposure risks to a weary public, says research by Michael Luca and Edward Glaeser. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 13 Nov 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
The European Commission’s Sustainable Corporate Governance Report: A Critique
The European Commission commissioned a report on sustainable corporate governance that purports to find serious problems of corporate short-termism. The report is wholly flawed: it conflates time horizon problems with externality problems, mismeasures investment and its financing, and proposes ineffective, possibly harmful reforms.
- 03 Nov 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
An Executive Order Worth $100 Billion: The Impact of an Immigration Ban’s Announcement on Fortune 500 Firms’ Valuation
President Trump’s executive order restricting entry of temporary foreign workers to the United States negatively affected the valuation of 471 publicly traded Fortune 500 firms by an estimated $100 billion. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.
- 02 Nov 2020
- What Do You Think?
Is Antitrust Just a Quaint Notion in the Digital Age?
SUMMING UP: Given the US Department of Justice's new antitrust complaint against Google, is it time to revisit what defines a market monopoly in the internet era? James Heskett's readers consider the potential ramifications. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 13 Oct 2020
- Cold Call Podcast
Can Entrepreneurs Make Mobile Voting Easy and Secure?
Making voting more accessible through technology could have tremendous payoffs for democracy—but also pose critical downsides if the product fails. Mitch Weiss, who teaches a course on public entrepreneurship, discusses his case study on Voatz and their plan to turn mobile phones into voting booths. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 21 Sep 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
The Targeting and Impact of Paycheck Protection Program Loans to Small Businesses
Survey data on business owners collected by the Alignable network shows that lending to bank customers in better financial positions may have been prioritized, possibly crowding out less connected firms that would have benefitted more from the loans.
- 17 Sep 2020
- Research & Ideas
Many Small-Business Employees May Be Close to Losing Health Insurance
Small-business owners have delayed rent payments and other bills to protect health benefits for employees. Now, financial pressure is mounting, according to research by Leemore Dafny, Yin Wei Soon, Zoë Cullen, and Christopher Stanton. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 15 Sep 2020
- Working Paper Summaries
State and Local Government Employment in the COVID-19 Crisis
The COVID-19 crisis has had large impacts on local economies and government budgets. Balanced budget requirements, not mis-management, have generated a fiscal crisis and forced state and local governments to reduce service provision precisely when it is in greatest demand.
- 07 Sep 2020
- Research & Ideas
How to Help Small Businesses Survive COVID's Next Phase
For small businesses that have survived the coronavirus so far, what's next? Karen Mills outlines steps that business owners and government should take immediately. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
- 31 Aug 2020
- Research & Ideas
State and Local Governments Peer Into the Pandemic Abyss
State and local governments that rely heavily on sales tax revenue face an increasing financial burden absent federal aid, says Daniel Green. Open for comment; 0 Comments.
Fairness or Control: What Determines Elected Local Leaders’ Support for Hosting Refugees in Their Community?
Local politicians are not adamantly opposed to setting up host sites for refugees in their municipalities. However, they want a fair process to ensure that interaction between refugees and residents is limited, gradual, and mediated. Most importantly, local politicians want to control those interactions.