Social Sciences

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

A bronze sculpture of intertwined hands in a park, with a discussion panel in the foreground.

Is the Constitution Broken?

Harvard legal scholars debate the state of our founding national document.

by Lydialyle Gibson

How Harvard Handled the 1918 Flu Pandemic

Fall semester interrupted, a century ago

by Matteo Wong

Photograph of vacant streets and closed shops and restaurants in Manhattan's Chinatown

The Pandemic’s Economic Fallout

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

by Matteo Wong

Dan Barouch in his Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center laboratory

Searching for a COVID-19 vaccine

The when and how of vaccines

by Jonathan Shaw

Illustration showing Greek pillars to represent democracy made from rolled newspapers. One of the pillars has tipped over and spilled a jumble of letters.

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

Photograph of Melissa Dell

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

Ethnographer Roberto Gonzales

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

Sociologist Roberto Gonzales on the predicament of undocumented young people

by Lydialyle Gibson

Bill Clinton with Yasser Arafat, King Hussein, and Benjamin Netanyahu, October 1, 1996, at the White House

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

On restoring American leadership through diplomacy

by Nicholas Burns

Protestors with a large poster demanding reform of the Electoral College

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

Problematic features of the Electoral College

At Home with Harvard: Racial Justice

At Home with Harvard: Racial Justice

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

A yellow cab turns through an intersection directed by a police officer

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