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Bard Harstad
Bard Harstad

MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS & DECISION SCIENCES; SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
Associate Professor of Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences

Print Overview

Bård Harstad joined Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences in 2004. His academic interests include political economics, public economics and organizational economics. In particular, his research focuses on international institutions, negotiations and agreements; currently he is analyzing international climate change agreements. Parts of this research have published in journals like the American Economic Review, Quarterly Journal of Economics and Scandinavian Journal of Economics.

Before coming to Kellogg, Harstad completed his PhD in Economics at Stockholm University and a Cand. Oecon degree from the University of Oslo, in his native Norway. For shorter periods, he has also worked in the World Bank, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and as a freelance journalist.



Areas of Expertise
Contract Theory
Economics of Organizations
Political Economy/Design
Strategy in Non-Market Environments
Voting Systems
Print Vita
Education
PhD, 2003, Economics, University of Stockholm
MS, 1999, Economics, University of Oslo

Academic Positions
Associate Professor, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2008-present
Assistant Professor, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, 2004-2008
Senior Researcher, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), 2003-2004

Grants and Awards
Sandmo Junior Visiting Fellowship, 2008
Arnbergska Priset, The Royal Swedish Academy of Science, 2006
Nationalgaven til Chr. Michelsen, Chr. Michelsen Institute, 2000

 
Print Research
Research Interests
Political economics, public economics, contract theory

Articles
Harstad, Bard. 2008. Do Side Payments Help? Collective Decisions and Strategic Delegation. Journal of the European Economic Association P&P. 6(2-3)
AbstractLink
Harstad, Bard. 2008. Strategi og Regler for Internasjonale Forhandlinger. Samfunnsøkonomen. 5: 19-23.
Harstad, Bard. 2007. Harmonization and Side Payments in Political Cooperation. American Economic Review. 97(3): 871-889.
AbstractLink
Harstad, Bard. 2007. Organizational Form and the Market for Talent. Journal of Labor Economics. 25: 581-611.
AbstractLink
Harstad, Bard. 2006. Flexible Integration? Mandatory and Minimum Participation Rules. Scandinavian Journal of Economics. 108(4): 683-702.
AbstractLink
Harstad, Bard. 2005. Majority Rules and Incentives. Quarterly Journal of Economics. 120(4): 535-568.
AbstractLink
Working Papers
Harstad, Bard. 2009. The Dynamics of Climate Agreements.
AbstractLink
Harstad, Bard and Jakob Svensson. 2009. From Corruption to Lobbying and Economic Growth.
AbstractLink
Harstad, Bard. 2009. Strategic Delegation and Voting Rules.
AbstractLink
Eskeland, Gunnar and Bard Harstad. 2008. Trading for the Future: Signaling in Permit Markets.
AbstractLink
Book Chapters
Harstad, Bard. "How to Negotiate and Update Climate Agreements." In Post-Kyoto International Climate Policy, edited by Joseph Aldy and Robert Stavins, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

 
Print Teaching
Teaching Interests
Values and Crisis Decision Making (SEEK-440-A)
Doctoral
Social Choice and Voting Models (MECS-466-0)
Political economics takes a formal approach to collective decisions and political institutions. This course gives an overview of the field by discussing its analytical tools and recent research frontiers. We will start by studying the general problem of social choice and collective decisions, then analyze representative democracies as principal-agent problems. Based on this framework, we will investigate alternative political institutions and the organization of governments.

Topics in Formal Political Theory (MECS-516-0)
This seminar focuses on formal models of bargaining, coalition formation and information within legislatures. Prerequisite: A graduate-level course in game theory.

Full-Time / Part-Time MBA
Values and Crisis Decision Making (SEEK-440-A)

This course counts toward the following majors: Social Enterprise

In recent decades corporations have increasingly become the dominant source for political and social change. Increased globalization and technological progress have further accelerated this process. Businesses are now held accountable by standards other than legal compliance or financial performance. Successful business leaders have recognized that these challenges are best mastered by a commitment to values-based management. However, simply "doing the right thing" is not enough. Rather, companies increasingly find themselves as targets of aggressive legal action, media coverage and social pressure. Organizations must be prepared to handle rapidly changing environments and anticipate potential threats. This requires a deep understanding of the strategic complexities in managing various stakeholders and constituencies. To confront students with these challenges in a realistic fashion, the class is structured around a rich set of challenging case studies and crisis simulation exercises.

Strategic Management in Non-Market Environments (formerly MGMT-450-0) (SEEK-441-0)

This course counts toward the following majors: Management & Strategy, Social Enterprise.

The explicit regulations and implicit norms governing a firm's market behavior are determined by myriad social, political, regulatory and legal institutions. These non-market institutions are arenas in which interest groups compete to change the rules to further their goals. This course takes the perspective of managers or consultants who must anticipate how interests and institutions within the non-market environment will react to new issues and develop strategies for affecting outcomes with the goal of improving firm performance. The course introduces students to a set of frameworks and tools that assist managers in non-market analysis and strategy development. Cases focusing on the media, activists, legislatures, regulatory agencies and international trade are used to practice applying the frameworks and formulating effective strategies.