Social Sciences

Explore faculty and student work in economics, sociology, political science, anthropology, and other disciplines shaping our understanding of society.

Harvard Law School Announces a New National Security Initiative

The program will focus on the U.S. Congress and the separation of powers in its first year.

by Tamara Evdokimova

Making America Competitive Again

Can election reforms end the crippling gridlock in American politics?

by Erin O’Donnell

Can disinformation be stopped?

Scholars’ perspectives on a pervasive new threat

by Jacob Sweet

Should Convicted Felons Serve on Juries?

A prosecutor and a defense attorney say, “Yes.”

by Juliet Isselbacher

Why Petitioning is Vital for Democracies

Petitioning campaigns are a vital complement to democratic voting.

by Jonathan Shaw

The Third Way

Ellen Langer rejects binary thinking, embracing instead a “third way.”

by Erin O’Donnell

Financial and mental health are linked

Around the globe, Vikram Patel finds, improvements in financial or mental health support both.

by Veronique Greenwood

Allston expansion, admissions litigation, center for cities

Bigger Allston ambitions, an admissions-lawsuit appeal, and a new center for cities

Community-engaged research lessons for students via Harvard’s Mindich Program

The Undergraduate learns about making knowledge mutual.

by Che Applewhaite

Sandra Susan Smith, profiled by Marina Bolotnikova

Sandra Susan Smith studies work and incarceration in an unequal, atomized America.

by Marina N. Bolotnikova

A Failed Peaceful Transfer of Presidential Power

Bill Kristol discusses the future of the Republican Party and the survival of American constitutional democracy. 

by Jonathan Shaw