Social Sciences

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

Jason Furman to Lead Center for Business and Government

The new director of Harvard Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center bridges economic research and policy.

by Jonathan Shaw

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

Studying Schooling

Two new education centers, run by Roland Fryer and Thomas Kane, and an existing center, run by Paul Peterson, bring Harvard’s analytic resources to bear on public education issues: student achievement, teacher recruitment, and school choice.

Where Decisionmaking Is Measured

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

Good Work Goes Beyond a Paycheck

Education scholar Howard Gardner’s recipe for professional fulfillment

Glaeser: Time to Rethink the Mortgage Interest Deduction

Current tax policy encourages taking on debt to buy a bigger house, says Glimp professor of economics Edward L. Glaeser.

Tarun Khanna

Harvard Business School professor Tarun Khanna seeks to integrate Western business models into emerging markets.