Social Sciences
Explore faculty and student work in economics, sociology, political science, anthropology, and other disciplines shaping our understanding of society.
America’s National Parks Are a $56 Billion Economic Engine
Harvard’s Linda Bilmes on measuring the economic value of public lands
Restoring justice
Exploring an alternative to crime and punishment
Under Review: Tony Saich on Chinese Communism at 100
The first century of the Chinese Communist Party—and what impends
Trade Cards, Eye-Catching Heralds of Mass-marketing
A nineteenth-century advertising medium traces the rise of consumer culture.
Should Convicted Felons Serve on Juries?
A prosecutor and a defense attorney say, “Yes.”
Financial and mental health are linked
Around the globe, Vikram Patel finds, improvements in financial or mental health support both.
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.
Sandra Susan Smith, profiled by Marina Bolotnikova
Sandra Susan Smith studies work and incarceration in an unequal, atomized America.
Why Petitioning is Vital for Democracies
Petitioning campaigns are a vital complement to democratic voting.
The Third Way
Ellen Langer rejects binary thinking, embracing instead a “third way.”