Social Sciences
Explore faculty and student work in economics, sociology, political science, anthropology, and other disciplines shaping our understanding of society.
Robert Coles Was Most at Home on the Playground
A colleague remembers the late Harvard professor and child psychiatrist, who died this month.
by Alex Harris
Optimizing Public-School Spending
Home prices are a bellwether of efficient spending in local schools
Bruno Carvalho
An urbanist’s lifelong study of the “rhythm of cities,” from Rio to Cambridge
Penny Pritzker Gives $100 Million for New Harvard Economics Facility
Landmark support for an eminently strong department
Repatriating Native American Remains
Disputes over the disposition of sensitive collections shadow Peabody Museum
Commuting’s Impact on Creativity
Long commutes harm productivity and innovation.
Why Some Citizens Reject Science
Bridging the gulf to science deniers
Nicholas Stephanopoulos
An election-law scholar and litigator zeroes in on political gerrymandering.
Governance Reform and Shared Value
Michael Porter on the new business agenda
The Layered Histories in Black Family Keepsakes
Tiya Miles traces a mother and daughter’s story through a cotton sack.
The Context: Life on the Mesopotamian Marshes—and the Specter of Drought
Past work on water and human intervention
by Jacob Sweet