Faculty Publications

Crowd of Black Lives Matters demonstrators marching in the street.

Feature: The Democratic Necessity of Reckoning

Erica Chenoweth reviews scholarship that overwhelmingly shows the Black Lives Matter movement generated high levels of public awareness about systemic racism and increased support for criminal justice reform.

Electronic stock ticker board with numbers and arabic letters.

Feature: Against Rule-of-Thumb Economics

Dani Rodrik argues against neoliberalism’s universal rule-of-thumb approach and for economic analyses grounded in contextual dependencies.

Several hands of team members covering one another in a huddle above a work table.

Feature: Leaders’ Psychological Bravery

Dana Born explores what skills leaders need to cultivate psychological safety on their teams and across their organizations.

Dollars and Euros piled on top of one another.

Feature: Dollar vs. Euro as International Reserve Currencies

Jeffrey Frankel explores the strengths and weaknesses of using the Dollar and the Euro as international reserve currencies.

Harvard Kennedy School faculty disseminate their research in working publications and papers that contribute to public knowledge and fuel policy innovation. This list features recent faculty publications, including journal articles, books, edited volumes, research papers, and public testimony.

Faculty Publications

High and Rising US Federal Debt: Causes and Implications

Dynan, Karen. "High and Rising US Federal Debt: Causes and Implications." Building a More Resilient US Economy. Ed. Melissa S. Kearney, Justin Schardin, and Luke Pardue. Asen Economic Strategy Group, 2023.

Great Dilution: The Global Impact of the US Inflation Shock on Sovereign Debt

Nair, Gautam, and Federico Sturzenegger. "Great Dilution: The Global Impact of the US Inflation Shock on Sovereign Debt." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP22-009, July 2022.

Public institutions and support for climate funding

Bilmes, Linda, Mauricio Rodas, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Devon Rowe, Aminata Touré, and Lan Xue. "Public institutions and support for climate funding." United Nations ECOSOC, March 16. 2023.

I helped balance the federal budget in the 1990s – here’s just how hard it will be for the GOP to achieve that same rare feat

Bilmes, Linda J. "I helped balance the federal budget in the 1990s – here’s just how hard it will be for the GOP to achieve that same rare feat." The Conversation, February 1, 2023.

American Indian Self-Determination Through Self-Governance: The Only Policy That Has Ever Worked

Kalt, Joseph P. "American Indian Self-Determination Through Self-Governance: The Only Policy That Has Ever Worked." Testimony before the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children, December 15, 2022.

Challenges of effective governance for sustainable development at subnational government levels: introduction to this thematic issue of Public Sector Economics

Aiyar, Yamini, Rolf Alter, and Linda J. Bilmes. "Challenges of effective governance for sustainable development at subnational government levels: introduction to this thematic issue of Public Sector Economics." Public Sector Economics Journal (December 2022): 456-458.

Learning How to Build Back Better through Clean Energy Policy Evaluation

Aldy, Joseph. "Learning How to Build Back Better through Clean Energy Policy Evaluation." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP22-010, August 2022.

Who is Rescuing America's Parks?

Bilmes, Linda J. "Who is Rescuing America's Parks?" Boston Globe, July 27, 2020.

US Unemployment Insurance in the Pandemic and Beyond

Furman, Jason. "US Unemployment Insurance in the Pandemic and Beyond." Peterson Institute for International Economics, July 2020.

A Perfect Fiscal Storm of Revenue Shortfalls for Cities and Towns

Bilmes, Linda J. "A Perfect Fiscal Storm of Revenue Shortfalls for Cities and Towns." Boston Globe, June 25, 2020.

Bad Credit, No Problem? Credit and Labor Market Consequences of Bad Credit Reports

Dobbie, Will, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, Neale Mahoney, and Jae Song. "Bad Credit, No Problem? Credit and Labor Market Consequences of Bad Credit Reports." Journal of Finance 75.5 (June 2020): 2377-2419.

National Fiscal Policies to Fight Recessions in US States

Dynan, Karen, and Douglas Elmendorf. "National Fiscal Policies to Fight Recessions in US States." AEA Papers and Proceedings 110 (May 2020): 131-136.

Six Tax-Based Ways to Tackle US Inequality

Frankel, Jeffrey A. "Six Tax-Based Ways to Tackle US Inequality." Project Syndicate, December 17, 2019.

The $64 Billion Massachusetts Vehicle Economy

Olson, Stevie, Phil Berkaw, Lucien Charland, Elizabeth Patton, and Linda J. Bilmes. "The $64 Billion Massachusetts Vehicle Economy." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP19-038, December 2019.

Measuring Household Wealth in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics: The Role of Retirement Assets

Dynan, Karen. "Measuring Household Wealth in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics: The Role of Retirement Assets." Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, September 2019.

Central Banks Should Forget About Achieving 2 Percent Inflation

Frankel, Jeffrey A. "Central Banks Should Forget About Achieving 2 Percent Inflation." The Globe and Mail, July 28, 2019.

Participatory Budgeting: A Powerful Civic Education Tool

Goldsmith, Stephen. "Participatory Budgeting: A Powerful Civic Education Tool." Governing. June 18, 2019.

Moore Problems for the Fed?

Frankel, Jeffrey A. "Moore Problems for the Fed?" Project Syndicate, April 27, 2019.

The Ripple Effects of the U.S. Government Shutdown

Bilmes, Linda J., and W. Scott Gould. "The Ripple Effects of the U.S. Government Shutdown." Barron's. January 22, 2019.

To Avoid Government Shutdowns, Fix the Budget Process

Bilmes, Linda J. "To Avoid Government Shutdowns, Fix the Budget Process." Boston Globe. January 7, 2019.

George HW Bush Was Fiscally Responsible – Unlike Donald Trump

Frankel, Jeffrey A. "George HW Bush Was Fiscally Responsible – Unlike Donald Trump." The Guardian, December 11, 2018.

The Unheard Nerds: How Economists Can Talk So Policymakers Will Listen

Dynan, Karen. "The Unheard Nerds: How Economists Can Talk So Policymakers Will Listen." Foreign Affairs. November/December 2018.

The Fiscal Opacity Cycle: How America Hid the Costs of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Bilmes, Linda J. "The Fiscal Opacity Cycle: How America Hid the Costs of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." Toward A Just Society: Joseph Stiglitz and Twenty-First Century Economics. Ed. Martin Guzman. Columbia University Press, 2018, 457-478.

Cities on a Hill?

Mayne, Quinton. "Cities on a Hill?" Boston Review. February 13, 2018.

Congress’ Budget Dysfunction Is More Than 4 Decades in the Making

Bilmes, Linda J. "Congress’ Budget Dysfunction Is More Than 4 Decades in the Making." The Conversation, February 9, 2018.

On Veteran's Day, let's honor the promises we've made to veterans

Bilmes, Linda J. "On Veteran's Day, let's honor the promises we've made to veterans." Boston Globe, November 9, 2017.

Connecting the Northeast: A Cost Estimate for the North South Rail Link

White, Laura, Jean-Louis Rochet, Pete Mathias, Kate O’Gorman, and Linda J. Bilmes. "Connecting the Northeast: A Cost Estimate for the North South Rail Link." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP17-032, August 2017.

The Bill for America's Longest War Is Still Unpaid

Bilmes, Linda J. "The Bill for America's Longest War Is Still Unpaid." Fiscal Times, May 27, 2017.

Trump's Proposed Defense Splurge Flunks Basic Math

Bilmes, Linda J. "Trump's Proposed Defense Splurge Flunks Basic Math." Boston Globe, March 2, 2017.

Making Moves Matter: Experimental Evidence on Incentivizing Bureaucrats through Performance-Based Transfers

Adnan Q. Khan, Asim Ijaz Khwaja, and Benjamin A. Olken. "Making Moves Matter: Experimental Evidence on Incentivizing Bureaucrats through Performance-Based Transfers." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP17-006, November 2016.

Secular Stagnation and Monetary Policy

Summers, Lawrence H. "Secular Stagnation and Monetary Policy." Review 98.2 (2nd Quarter 2016): 93-110.

Reckoning With Inequality

Frankel, Jeffrey A. "Reckoning With Inequality." Korea Herald, March 27, 2016.

Tax Farming Redux: Experimental Evidence on Performance Pay for Tax Collectors

Khan, Adnan Q., Asim Ijaz Khwaja, and Benjamin Olken. "Tax Farming Redux: Experimental Evidence on Performance Pay for Tax Collectors." Quarterly Journal of Economics 131.1 (February 2016).

Uniting Behind the Divisive ‘Cadillac’ Tax on Health Plans

Mankiw, N. Gregory, and Lawrence H. Summers. "Uniting Behind the Divisive ‘Cadillac’ Tax on Health Plans." New York Times. October 24, 2015.

The Plaza Accord, 30 Years Later

Frankel, Jeffrey A. "The Plaza Accord, 30 Years Later." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP15-056, September 2015.

Liquidity in Retirement Savings Systems: An International Comparison

Beshears, John, James J. Choi, Joshua Hurwitz, David Laibson, and Brigitte C. Madrian. "Liquidity in Retirement Savings Systems: An International Comparison." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP15-024, May 2015.

Promises and Pitfalls of Mobile Money in Afghanistan: Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial

Blumenstock, Joshua, Michael Callen, Tarek Ghani, and Lucas Koepke. "Promises and Pitfalls of Mobile Money in Afghanistan: Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial." International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development, Association for Computing Machinery, April 2015.

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