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

by Olivia Farrar

Harvard’s Bok Players get audiences “below the neck”

A theatre troupe aims for higher ed.

by Sophia Nguyen

Mihir Desai explains the real consequences of the new tax law

Understanding the real consequences of the new tax law

by Mihir A. Desai

Behavioral “nudges” boost student performance

Interventions that mobilize family support networks have powerful effects.

by Jonathan Shaw

Money Can’t Buy Love, But Here’s What Can

New research proves that couples should spend money to increase quality time spent together.

by Oset Babür

Can Science Justify Itself?

Steven Pinker’s Enlightenment Now defends science from modern-day foes.

by Ada Palmer

How news outlets have the power to change conversation

Observations from Twitter prove that even the smallest news outlets can shape public opinion.

by Oset Babür

How Americans Turned Against Knowledge

Tom Nichols dissects the dangerous antipathy to expertise.

by Lydialyle Gibson

A new challenge for antitrust

An increasing consolidation of ownership in health care  

by Marina N. Bolotnikova

Samuel Huntington remembered

A memorial minute on the eminent political scientist

by John S. Rosenberg

Excerpt from “Off the Charts,” by Ann Hulbert

Parents and superkids, then and now  

by Ann Hulbert