Social Sciences
Explore faculty and student work in economics, sociology, political science, anthropology, and other disciplines shaping our understanding of society.
Robert Coles Was Most at Home on the Playground
A colleague remembers the late Harvard professor and child psychiatrist, who died this month.
by Alex Harris
Are Immigration Authorities' Efforts to Curb Gangs Backfiring?
Matthew Quirk ’03 explains how deportation of Latino gang members by U.S. immigration authorities may actually make the gangs stronger...
The Talking Cure
For decades, insurers and risk-management departments have told doctors that if they make a mistake, the last thing they should do is admit it...
Inevitable Mistakes, Avoidable Harm
The culture of medicine has long tried to keep doctors from making mistakes by indoctrinating them to believe that they shouldn’t make...
Born Digital
Forty years ago they were “Born Free,” 20 years ago they were “Born in the U.S.A.,” but today kids are born digital, and...
by Paul Gleason
Saving Money, Oil, and the Climate
The United States is in urgent need of a comprehensive, rational, and—above all—honest policy to guide its energy future, a policy...
Interest Rate Insight
Wondering what in the world is going on with the economy lately? Let Sebastian Mallaby explain.
Making a Case against the Courts
How will Americans know that their Supreme Court is truly dedicated to interpreting the Constitution as the Founding Fathers would wish?...
When Farmers Met Foragers
A question mark has long hovered over human transitions from hunting and gathering to farming: did agriculture spread by communication—in...
Litmus Test for a Law
Until the mid 1980s, victims of domestic abuse who called the police could expect the officers to do little more than tell the abusive spouse to...
Taking Stock of Celebrity
For Anita Elberse, whose latest research investigates the impact of big-name stars on films’ revenues, pop culture and rigorous analysis...