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

The Pandemic’s Economic Fallout

How the COVID-19 economic crisis has been fundamentally different from past recessions

by Matteo Wong

Searching for a COVID-19 vaccine

The when and how of vaccines

by Jonathan Shaw

Protecting the press as a foundation of democracy

If the press is essential to democracy, what can be done to save news organizations?

by Erin O’Donnell

Harvard Portrait: Melissa Dell

“In the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, people in academic institutions like Harvard predominantly studied the U.S. and Europe,” says the development economist.

by Marina N. Bolotnikova

“Lives in Limbo”—Roberto Gonzales tallies the human and social costs

Sociologist Roberto Gonzales on the predicament of undocumented young people

by Lydialyle Gibson

Nicholas Burns on diplomacy’s role in fostering U.S. standing in the world

On restoring American leadership through diplomacy

by Nicholas Burns

Excerpt from Alex Keyssar “Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?”

Problematic features of the Electoral College

At Home with Harvard: Racial Justice

Selections from Harvard Magazine's extensive coverage of racism, inequality, and incarceration

Nearly Half of Early COVID-19 Transmission Was Work-related

Nearly half of early COVID-19 transmission was work-related—a cautionary note as the economy reopens.

by Jonathan Shaw

Paul Farmer and Evelynn Hammonds on coronavirus and racial health disparities

A conversation on health disparities, with Paul Farmer and Evelynn Hammonds

by Lydialyle Gibson