Social Sciences

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

Why America’s Strategy For Reducing Racial Inequality Failed

Harvard professor Christina Cross debunks the myth of the two-parent Black family.

by Saima Sidik

Leadership without good judgment undermines government legitimacy

The right to rule depends not only on the way power is gained, but how it is wielded.

by John A. Griffin

Harvard Law School professor Alan Jenkins

A brief look at a Harvard Law School professor's long journey

by Jacob Sweet

Grass-roots organizing is focus of new book

Undergraduates contribute to a new book on grass-roots organizing at the center of American politics.

by Marina N. Bolotnikova

Pippa Norris on the global rise of populist authoritarianism

Harvard political scientist Pippa Norris chronicles the rise of populist authoritarians in Western democracies.

by Lydialyle Gibson

Vincent Brown writes war and empire into the history of slavery

Vincent Brown writes war, empire, and slaves’ agency into the history of Atlantic slavery.

by Marina N. Bolotnikova

Index funds defer to corporate management

Index funds cast a large proportion of proxy votes in U.S. companies, but take a hands-off approach with management.

by Erin O’Donnell

One Hundred Years of Educating Educators

At its centennial, the Harvard Graduate School of Education celebrates and looks ahead. 

by Jacob Sweet

A Gut Renovation for U.S. Labor Law

A Harvard Law School initiative calls for rewriting labor law “to shift power from corporations to workers.” 

by Marina N. Bolotnikova

David Deming on tuition-free public college underwritten by existing funds

David Deming says existing federal higher-education subsidies, if redeployed, could make public colleges free.

by Cherone Duggan

Demographic distortions will require eldercare solutions

Can technology coupled with cultural understanding improve the health and wellness of the elderly?

by Jonathan Shaw