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
Samuel Stouffer profile by Jackson Toby
Brief life of Samuel Stouffer, survey researcher: 1900-1960
by Jackson Toby
Excerpt from “How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration”
Unpacking “what art does to us”
Will future online education become limited to professional degrees?
Harvard and MIT experiences suggest a more constrained vision for massive free courses.
Harvard’s Womanless History
Completing the University’s self-portrait
Delba Winthrop on Aristotle and Democracy
The Kenan professor of government’s story of a dissertation published 44 years after it was accepted
The positive impact of entrepreneurial immigrants
Economist William Kerr argues for streamlining immigration to attract high-skilled talent from abroad.
How physical appearance influences authority
Cherubic features benefit black male CEOs, but not other groups, underscoring the complexity of social disadvantage.
Ulysses S. Grant profile by Elizabeth D. Samet
Brief history of the image of a hero: 1822-1885
Confronting pitfalls of machine learning, artificial intelligence
Ethics and the dawn of decision-making machines
“Austerity—When It Works and When It Doesn’t” reviewed by Idrees Kahloon
Economists revisit an unsettled economic policy.