News & Media

In addition to academic research and policy papers, the Growth Lab shares research insights and the impact of our work through visual stories, blogs, newsletters, podcasts, videos, and press releases.

Our work has been featured in various media outlets including the BBC, Bloomberg, CNN, The Economist, The Financial Times, New York Times, Wall St. Journal, and Washington Post.

Media members seeking expert commentary and interviews with Growth Lab researchers should email Chuck McKenney.

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An Iranian flag in the foreground with buildings in Tehran in the background.

News

news

How Iran, Suffering Under Sanctions, Diversified Its Economy

April 13, 2026

Analyzing trade data from the Growth Lab’s Atlas of Economic Complexity, the New York Times shows how Iran, despite broad sanctions, has managed to keep doing business with much of the world.

News

news

Navajo, Hopi share grant to aid communities hurt by coal mine closures

April 10, 2026

Arizona Central news report introduces our new research project with the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and the State of Arizona, designed to create new opportunities for job creation and revenue generation within coal-dependent communities and across the Four Corners region.

News

news

The Real Question About the AI Future

April 8, 2026

Whereas US power in the 20th century rested heavily on manufacturing scale, military reach, and dollar strength, in the 21st century it may rest increasingly on ownership of indispensable AI infrastructure. In this op-ed for Project Syndicate, Ricardo Hausmann and Andres Velasco explain the challenge for the world will be how to pay for access to it.

A middle class home with flowers in the foreground and a Canadian flag waving in the background

News

news

Why Canada’s housing crisis is a productivity crisis, too

April 2, 2026

In this op-ed for The Financial Post, Ricardo Hausmann and Eric Protzer explore how Canada’s housing crisis is holding back its economy.

Podcasts

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Podcast

Ricardo Hausmann Explains How the Venezuelan Economy Collapsed

Bloomberg’s Odd Lots

In this conversation with Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway, Ricardo Hausmann explains how Venezuela went from being the largest oil exporter in the world to becoming the ultimate economic basket case.

Podcast

What Next for Venezuela?

Economics, Applied

Venezuela descended into an economic, political, and human rights disaster in the 21st century. How can Venezuela find its way back to the rule of law, human rights, democracy, and prosperity? […]

Podcast

Interview with Ricardo Hausmann

Society of Professional Economists – Econ Thoughts

Filippo Gaddo, Managing Director at Alvarez and Marsal, SPE Councillor, and host of the Econ Thoughts SPE Podcast, spoke with Ricardo Hausmann, founder and director of Harvard’s Growth Lab and […]

Podcast

What It Takes to Win a Trade War

Bloomberg’s Odd Lots

In this episode, Professor Ricardo Hausmann discusses tariffs and the trade war with China, and the risks that the new administration’s policies will pose in reducing our capacity to build […]

Videos

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Video

Industrial Policy in Action: Lessons from Over a Decade at the Department of Energy

The energy sector stands at an inflection point. After 15 years of remarkable change, the convergence of surging electricity demand, climate pressures, and emerging industries promises even more rapid transformation. […]

Video

Getting Things Done: Issue Spotting in the Infrastructure Development Projects Ecosystem

In this Development Talk, Bill Dobbs shares a front‑row view of how public policy, governance, and engineering intersect in real‑world settings. He offers Insights into how large public works succeed—or […]

Video

From Vacant Houses to Growth-Ready Capabilities: A Place-Based Growth Diagnostic

This talk explores housing vacancy as a source of insight into how cities can unlock new growth opportunities. Using Baltimore as a case study, it highlights how strengthening institutional coordination, […]

Video

Exiting the Resource Curse: The Political Economy of Natural Resource Management in Latin America

In this Development talk, Osmel Manzano, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, discusses the key challenges and opportunities for effective natural resource management in Latin America, and […]

Blog

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Blog

How do you finance the world’s newest nation? A dispatch from Bougainville

March 4, 2026

How the Panguna copper and gold mine, shuttered since 1989, and the source of the conflict that defined a generation, can energize the economy of Bougainville, soon to be the world’s newest independent nation.

Blog

Student Stories: Climate, Conservation, and Women’s Financial Empowerment in India

January 16, 2026

Dana Yoo is a second-year MPP student at Harvard Kennedy School. She was accepted into the Growth Lab’s 2025 Summer Internship Program and contributed to an ongoing project in Meghalaya, […]

Blog

How Cheyenne’s Housing Reforms are Easing Wyoming’s Housing Crisis

December 19, 2025

By Eric Protzer Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming, with a population of approximately 65,000. The state of Wyoming as a whole has faced a durable shortage of housing, and […]