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A Harvard discussion series highlights the concerns of DACA students

February 23, 2018

Harvard Gazette | Interview with HGSE Professor Roberto Gonzales, one of the organizers of the DACA seminar at Harvard, a series of events exploring questions about the termination of DACA and TPS, deportations, and the current state of immigration policy.



A Guide to Solving Social Problems with Machine Learning

December 8, 2016

Harvard Business Review | By Jon Kleinberg (Cornell), Jens Ludwig (University of Chicago), and Sendhil Mullainathan (Robert C. Waggoner Professor of Economics, Harvard University). "[As] with all new 'products', there is potential for misuse. How can we maximize the benefits while minimizing the harm?"

"In applying these tools the last few years, we have focused on exactly this question. We have learned that some of the most important challenges fall within the cracks between the discipline that builds algorithms (computer science) and the disciplines that typically work on solving policy problems (such as economics and statistics). As a result, few of these key challenges are even on anyone’s radar screen. The good news is that many of these challenges, once recognized, are fairly straightforward to solve."



A guide to rebuilding the Democratic Party, from the ground up

January 5, 2017

Vox | By Theda Skocpol, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology. The key priority for progressives should be strengthening the Democratic Party at state and local levels, argues political scientist Theda Skocpol.

"Anti-institutional tendencies in today’s culture make the idea of dismantling the existing order attractive to many people. But social science research has long shown that majorities need strong organizations to prevail against wealthy conservative interests in democracies. The real problem in US politics today is hardly too much unified organizational heft on the center left; it is too little. Unless the Democratic Party becomes stronger and more effective, a radicalized Republican-conservative juggernaut is likely to take over for decades."



A Globetrotting Filmmaker, Seeking Answers About Our Urban Future

January 6, 2017

The Atlantic—CityLab | Oscar Boyson’s documentary, The Future of Cities, is a jet-setting look at problems and solutions in cities centers across the world. The 18-minute film, which features Harvard's Edward L. Glaeser, Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics, accompanies the article.



A fascinating color-coded map of every job in America

July 29, 2015

Vox | Robert Manduca, Ph.D. student in Sociology & Social Policy



A Family-Friendly Policy that's Friendliest to Male Professors

June 24, 2016

The New York Times | By Justin Wolfers (Ph.D. '01), University of Michigan. "Economics remains a male-dominated field, and the research shows that policies fueled by the best intentions of universities have made an imbalance worse," writes Wolfers. "Three female economists have shown that the tools of economics...suggest that a more nuanced policy would lead to better outcomes. It leaves me wondering how many other policy mistakes we could avoid, if only we had more female economists."



A declaration against the war on drugs

July 3, 2016

Washington Post | By Danielle Allen, Professor of Government. "The history of the present War on Drugs is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having as a direct consequence the severing of the connection between African Americans and the rest of the American polity," writes Allen.



A conversation: Matthew Desmond and Alex Kotlowitz

May 15, 2016

Chicago Humanities Festival | Professor Matthew Desmond, a 2015 MacArthur Fellow and author of Evicted, joins author and journalist Alex Kotlowitz in conversation. Kotlowitz is the author of There Are No Children Here. The conversation was part of Our Cities, a day-long event presented by the Chicago Humanities Festival in collaboration with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in honor of the 35th anniversary of the MacArthur Fellows Program. View video [21 minutes].



A Conversation with Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy

November 28, 2016

The JFK Jr Forum  | Vivek H. Murthy, United States Surgeon General, joined Amitabh Chandra, Malcolm Wiener Professor of Social Policy, at the JFK Jr. Forum for a conversation on America's healthcare issues relating to opioid addiction, gun violence, and changes to healthcare laws under the new administration. Co-sponsored by the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy.
Watch video ▶




A Conversation with Robert D. Putnam [Video]

March 14, 2016

Conversations with Bill Kristol | Robert D. Putnam, Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy, discusses declining levels of civic participation in America and his interpretation of the reasons for it. He also recalls how political developments awakened his interest in political science, and explains how social science might help us address public policy problems. [Video: 70 minutes]

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