Social Sciences

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

Former Homeland Security Chief Says ICE and CBP Have “Lost Their Way”

At Kennedy School talk, Jeh Johnson advocates restructuring “outdated” DHS.

by Lydialyle Gibson

A professor with Harvard Kennedy School ties attacks gang violence.

A professor with Kennedy School ties questions zero-tolerance policing policies.

Sexual apartheid in medieval England

Cutting-edge science helps historians push further and more fully into the past.

by Jonathan Shaw

On the Medicalization of Our Culture

In a Humanities Center symposium, scholars outlined how the concepts of disease and diagnosis pervade ever more facets of our lives.

Harvard Economists' Take on the Financial Crisis

A new webpage aggregates the views of professors including Martin Feldstein, Gregory Mankiw, Kenneth Rogoff, and many others.

Save Yourself

Harvard Business School’s Peter Tufano says simplifying savings-bond purchases for small savers will benefit citizens and government alike.

The Internet: Foe of Democracy?

The Internet, by allowing like-minded individuals to self-segregate, has had a polarizing effect on democracy, suggests Harvard Law School’s Cass Sunstein..

by Jonathan Shaw

The Developing Child

With a new interdisciplinary center, Harvard turns its focus to the earliest years of life.

by Elizabeth Gudrais

Decisionmaking, Measured

A new interdisciplinary decision-science lab will host experiments from psychology, economics, and beyond.

Retirement Engine Rebuilt

Skeptical of both defined-benefit and defined-contribution retirement plans, Harvard Business School professor Robert Merton proposes a hybrid, SmartNest, to overcome the shortcomings of each.

by Paul Gleason

Habeas Corpus and the War on Terrorism

In the fight against terrorists, habeas corpus has played a key role in efforts to balance civil liberties against national security.

by Jonathan Shaw