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 fight to preserve biodiversity in the American West

Gilbert Gale uses all tools at his disposal to fight invasive plants in Western grasslands.

by Jonathan Shaw

The Slave Rebellion in New York City

Historian Jill Lepore explores the lives of slaves during an alleged eighteenth century uprising

by Jonathan Shaw

Public-health response to gun fatalities: make weapons less lethal

The public-health response to gun casualties: make the weapons less lethal

by Craig Lambert

Who Built the Pyramids?

Not slaves. Archaeologist Mark Lehner, digging deeper, discovers a city of privileged workers.

by Jonathan Shaw

Chimpanzees and the Law

Jane Goodall, renowned primatologist, discusses the illegal animal trade

by Elizabeth Gudrais

Censorship online

Originally, the World Wide Web was envisioned as exactly that—a global vehicle for the unimpeded flow of information, without barriers...

by Craig Lambert

Human origins driven by technological and cultural revolutions

Ofer Bar-Yosef argues that cultural and technological revolutions have been more important than biological ones during the past 100, 000 years.

by Jonathan Shaw

Orlando Patterson on Freedom and our sick democracy

America's troubled democracy

Animal Liberation

Peter Singer on nonhuman consciousness and the animal-protection movement

by John Lauerman