Professor of Finance and Law
Mihir Desai's academic publications have appeared in leading economics, finance, and law journals. His work has emphasized the appropriate design of tax policy in a globalized setting, the links between corporate governance and taxation, and the internal capital markets of multinational firms. His research has been cited in The Economist, BusinessWeek, The New York Times, and several other publications.
(w/ D. Dharmapala) National Tax Journal, 63 (December 2010), 723-740.
This paper examines the interaction of a strong fences policy with the increasingly important global markets for corporate residence, corporate control and corporate equities.
Read More(w/ C. F. Foley and J. R. Hines Jr.) American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 1:1 (February 2009), 181-203. (formerly titled “Foreign Direct Investment and Domestic Economic Activity”)
This paper analyzes the relationship between the domestic and foreign operations of American manufacturing firms between 1982 and 2004 by instrumenting for changes in foreign operations with GDP growth rates of the foreign countries in which they invest.
Read More(w/ C. F. Foley and J. R. Hines Jr.) Financial Management 36:1 (Spring 2007) (Lead Article).
This paper analyzes dividend remittances by a large panel of foreign affiliates of U.S. multinational firms.
Read More(w/ P. Antràs and C. F. Foley) Quarterly Journal of Economics, 124:3 (August 2009), 1171-1219.
This paper examines how costly financial contracting and weak investor protection influence the cross-border operational, financing and investment decisions of firms.
Read More(w/ A. Moel) Review of Finance 12:1 (2008), 221-251.
This paper examines the expropriation of a foreign investor by a local partner and the subsequent resolution of that case through international arbitration in favor of the investor.
Read More(w/ C. F. Foley and J. R. Hines Jr.) Journal of Public Economics 90, no. 3 (March 2006), 513-531.
What types of firms establish tax haven operations, and what purposes do these operations serve?
Read More(w/ C. F. Foley and J. R. Hines Jr.) Survey of Current Business 86, no. 2 (February 2006), 16-22.
Read MoreEconomic Letters (w/ C. F. Foley and J. R. Hines Jr.) 90, no. 2 (February 2006), 219-224.
When multinational firms expand their operations in tax havens, do they divert activity from non-havens?
Read More(w/ M. Veblen) HBS Case 205-095.
How should a multinational firm manage foreign exchange exposures? Examines transactional and translational exposures and alternative responses to these exposures by analyzing two specific hedging decisions by General Motors.
Read More(w/ C. F. Foley and J. R. Hines Jr.) Review of Financial Studies 19, no. 4 (Winter 2006), 1433-1464.
This paper evaluates the impact of capital controls and their liberalization on the activities of U.S. multinational firms.
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Mihir Desai's academic publications have appeared in leading economics, finance, and law journals. His work has emphasized the appropriate design of tax policy in a globalized setting, the links between corporate governance and taxation, and the internal capital markets of multinational firms. His research has been cited in The Economist, BusinessWeek, The New York Times, and several other publications.
Mizuho Financial Group Professor of Finance, Harvard Business School, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School