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Business, Government & the International Economy

Business, Government & the International Economy

  • Faculty
  • Curriculum
  • Seminars & Conferences
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    • August 17, 2026
    • Other Article

    The Cost of Keeping China Out: How Washington's Fear of Chinese Investment Hurts American Competitiveness

    By: Meg Rithmire and Peter Cowhey

    China's frontier technologies—service robots, delivery drones, sleek and affordable electric vehicles—are already reshaping daily life at home and abroad, even as Washington doubles down on keeping Chinese capital and firms at arm's length. This defensive posture, hardened since 2017 and now reaching into pharmaceutical research, mistakes exclusion for strategy. Traditional allies know better: Canada and the United Kingdom have swapped blanket barriers for calibrated terms—quotas, joint ventures, localization requirements—that turn Chinese investment into a source of leverage rather than a threat to be neutralized. The United States has the same tools close at hand. CFIUS's national security agreements already extract governance concessions from Chinese investors; extended to demand workforce training, supplier diversification, and technology transfer, they could serve American competitiveness as well as American security.

    • August 17, 2026
    • Other Article

    The Cost of Keeping China Out: How Washington's Fear of Chinese Investment Hurts American Competitiveness

    By: Meg Rithmire and Peter Cowhey

    China's frontier technologies—service robots, delivery drones, sleek and affordable electric vehicles—are already reshaping daily life at home and abroad, even as Washington doubles down on keeping Chinese capital and firms at arm's length. This defensive posture, hardened since 2017 and now reaching into pharmaceutical research, mistakes...

    • August 2026
    • Case

    Italy at a Crossroads in 2026

    By: Sophus A. Reinert and Dante Roscini

    • August 2026
    • Case

    Italy at a Crossroads in 2026

    By: Sophus A. Reinert and Dante Roscini

    • 2026
    • Other Article

    Immigration, Growth and Future of Talent

    By: Marco E. Tabellini and Esther Schrader

    • 2026
    • Other Article

    Immigration, Growth and Future of Talent

    By: Marco E. Tabellini and Esther Schrader

About the Unit

The BGIE Unit conducts research on, and teaches about, the economic, political, social, and legal environment in which business operates. The Unit includes scholars trained in economics, political science, and history; in its work, it draws on perspectives from all three of these disciplines.

The following demonstrates one way of classifying the approaches the Unit takes to learning and teaching.

  • The Unit examines the “rules” and policies established by government and other non-business institutions that affect business in the United States.
  • The Unit turns to history to understand the origins of today’s business environment as well as some of the alternatives that have emerged from time to time.
  • The Unit examines other countries’ business environments and their historical development.
  • The BGIE group is deeply interested in the impact of globalization and the way rules are emerging to govern international economic transactions as globalization proceeds.

Recent Publications

The Cost of Keeping China Out: How Washington's Fear of Chinese Investment Hurts American Competitiveness

By: Meg Rithmire and Peter Cowhey
  • August 17, 2026 |
  • Other Article |
  • ForeignAffairs.com
China's frontier technologies—service robots, delivery drones, sleek and affordable electric vehicles—are already reshaping daily life at home and abroad, even as Washington doubles down on keeping Chinese capital and firms at arm's length. This defensive posture, hardened since 2017 and now reaching into pharmaceutical research, mistakes exclusion for strategy. Traditional allies know better: Canada and the United Kingdom have swapped blanket barriers for calibrated terms—quotas, joint ventures, localization requirements—that turn Chinese investment into a source of leverage rather than a threat to be neutralized. The United States has the same tools close at hand. CFIUS's national security agreements already extract governance concessions from Chinese investors; extended to demand workforce training, supplier diversification, and technology transfer, they could serve American competitiveness as well as American security.
Keywords: International Relations; Business and Government Relations; Competition; Technological Innovation; China; United States
Citation
Register to Read
Related
Rithmire, Meg, and Peter Cowhey. "The Cost of Keeping China Out: How Washington's Fear of Chinese Investment Hurts American Competitiveness." ForeignAffairs.com (August 17, 2026).

Italy at a Crossroads in 2026

By: Sophus A. Reinert and Dante Roscini
  • August 2026 |
  • Case |
  • Faculty Research
Keywords: Italy
Citation
Educators
Related
Reinert, Sophus A., and Dante Roscini. "Italy at a Crossroads in 2026." Harvard Business School Case 727-010, August 2026.

Flying Geese: Asia's Industrialization and the Future of the World Economy

By: Mattias Fibiger, Sophus A. Reinert, Meg Rithmire and Akiko Saito
  • August 2026 |
  • Case |
  • Faculty Research
Citation
Educators
Related
Fibiger, Mattias, Sophus A. Reinert, Meg Rithmire, and Akiko Saito. "Flying Geese: Asia's Industrialization and the Future of the World Economy." Harvard Business School Case 727-014, August 2026.

Ireland: Chasing Rainbows?

By: Sophus A. Reinert, John Shovlin and Aisling Ahern
  • August 2026 |
  • Case |
  • Faculty Research
Citation
Educators
Related
Reinert, Sophus A., John Shovlin, and Aisling Ahern. "Ireland: Chasing Rainbows?" Harvard Business School Case 727-007, August 2026.

The Dream Factory: LVMH Métiers d’Art

By: Sophus A. Reinert, Emma Artigues, Judson Asiruwa and Helen He
  • July 2026 |
  • Case |
  • Faculty Research
Citation
Educators
Related
Reinert, Sophus A., Emma Artigues, Judson Asiruwa, and Helen He. "The Dream Factory: LVMH Métiers d’Art." Harvard Business School Case 727-006, July 2026.

Immigration, Growth and Future of Talent

By: Marco E. Tabellini and Esther Schrader
  • 2026 |
  • Other Article |
  • Institute for Business in Global Society
Citation
Read Now
Related
Tabellini, Marco E., and Esther Schrader. "Immigration, Growth and Future of Talent." Institute for Business in Global Society (2026).

Immigration Has Transformed the Workforce. Will Companies Catch Up?

By: Marco Tabellini, Edward H. Chang and Esther Schrader
  • 2026 |
  • Other Article |
  • Institute for Business in Global Society
The U.S. workforce has been reshaped by decades of immigration, even as new restrictions are beginning to slow the flow of talent. Research from Harvard Business School’s Edward H. Chang and Marco E. Tabellini shows that companies now face a dual challenge: demographic currents have made the pool of available workers more varied than ever. But systems used to hire, evaluate and advance talent remain rooted in an earlier era. Firms meeting the moment are redesigning hiring and promotion processes, strengthening signals that attract a broader range of candidates, and planning for tighter labor supply. Those that do not risk limiting access to candidates and increasing turnover.
Citation
Read Now
Related
Tabellini, Marco, Edward H. Chang, and Esther Schrader. "Immigration Has Transformed the Workforce. Will Companies Catch Up?" Institute for Business in Global Society (2026).

Southeast Asia Must Write Its Own Trade Rules for China's 'Flying Geese'

By: Meg Rithmire
  • July 18, 2026 |
  • Column |
  • South China Morning Post
Keywords: Trade; Competency and Skills; Training; Southeast Asia; China
Citation
Register to Read
Related
Rithmire, Meg. "Southeast Asia Must Write Its Own Trade Rules for China's 'Flying Geese'." South China Morning Post (July 18, 2026).
More Publications

In the News

    • 22 Jun 2026

    Capital Untamed: The Politics of Finance in Nineteenth-Century France

    By: Charlotte Robertson
    • 18 Jun 2026
    • HBS Working Knowledge

    The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2026

    Re: Jeff Bussgang, DJ DiDonna, Trevor Fetter, Mattias Fibiger, Laura Jakli, Geoffrey Jones, Josh Lerner, Tony Mayo, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Len Schlesinger & Debora Spar
    • 15 Jun 2026
    • Nikkei Asia

    Energy Prices Could Stay High for Months, a Year After US-Iran Deal

    Re: Alberto Cavallo
→More Faculty News

HBS Working Knowledge

    • 28 Oct 2024

    Latino Voters Have Grown More Politically Divided. That’s Not Surprising.

    Re: Vincent Pons & Jesse M. Shapiro
    • 24 Oct 2024

    Charting the US-China Trade War: What Does 'Made in Vietnam' Mean?

    Re: Ebehi Iyoha & Jaya Y. Wen
    • 07 Oct 2024

    Election 2024: Why Demographics Won't Predict the Next President

    Re: Vincent Pons & Jesse M. Shapiro
→More Working Knowledge Articles

Harvard Business Publishing

    • February 13, 2025
    • Article

    Research: The Costs of Circumventing Tariffs

    By: Jaya Y. Wen, Ebehi Iyoha, Edmund Malesky and Sung-Ju Wu
    • April 2026 (Revised June 2026)
    • Case

    The U.S. Clean Energy Transition in 2025

    By: Gunnar Trumbull and Nicole Zelazko
    • 2025
    • Book

    A Concise Business Guide to Climate Change: What Managers, Executives, and Students Need to Know

    By: Gunnar Trumbull
→More Harvard Business Publishing

Seminars & Conferences

There are no upcoming events.

→More Seminars & Conferences

Faculty Positions

Harvard Business School seeks candidates in all fields for full time positions. Candidates with outstanding records in PhD or DBA programs are encouraged to apply.
→Learn More

Contact Information

Business, Government & the International Economy Unit
Harvard Business School
Morgan Hall
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
BGIE@hbs.edu

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