Social Sciences

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

FAS Overhaul Brings Deep Cuts to Social Sciences, Phillips Brooks House

After a final round of layoffs, University leaders say 165 staff jobs were eliminated across the division.

by Lydialyle Gibson

Alternatives to Policing

A Law School report offers the City of Boston recommendations for reform.

by Lydialyle Gibson

The Crisis in Civic Education

A U.S. Department of Education-funded study, coauthored by Danielle Allen, calls for urgent reinvestment in civic education.

by Spencer Lee Lenfield

Baking Sourdough Bread is a Survival Instinct

A Harvard grandmother’s—and grandson’s—research

by Jacob Sweet

Stephen Gray of Harvard Design School profiled by Jacob Sweet

Stephen Gray pioneers equitable urban design.

by Jacob Sweet

Jeannie Suk Gersen of Harvard Law School, profiled by Lydialyle Gibson

Jeannie Suk Gersen on the law, trauma, and “the rhetoric of believing”

by Lydialyle Gibson

An intellectual history of the Cold War era

In a new book, Louis Menand probes the cultural currents of postwar America.

by Spencer Lee Lenfield

Isabel Wilkerson speaks at Harvard about racism storytelling and public health

Author Isabel Wilkerson kicks off a Harvard speaker series on storytelling and public health.

by Lydialyle Gibson

Fast-spreading coronavirus variants raise concerns

Despite vaccines, Harvard scientists warn, more-transmissible variants make COVID-19 harder to control.

by Jonathan Shaw

Rapid Tests Key to Control of COVID-19

Amid skirmishing on the stimulus bill, another chance for wider viral detection 

by Jonathan Shaw

Asset bubbles and credit growth precede financial crises.

Contrary to expert belief, some financial crises can be predicted—and perhaps averted.

by Jonathan Shaw