The views expressed in The HKS Student Policy Review are those of the author(s) and/or interviewees only, and do not represent the views of the Shorenstein Center, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, the editors of The HKS Student Policy Review, or any of its affiliates. An editorial board consisting of Harvard students independently edits and publishes all content.
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International and Global Affairs
Why Killing OPT Hurts American Workers More Than It Helps
05.27.25
Read More“OPT is not about ‘foreigners’ taking American jobs. It is about ensuring that future generations of Americans inherit a nation that continues to lead in science, technology, and higher education. Policymakers should strengthen oversight where needed but preserve and expand OPT as a strategic pillar of U.S. innovation, workforce competitiveness, and global influence.”
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Business and Government
US-China Tech Decoupling: A Shift Towards a More Paranoid World
05.27.25
Read More“The impact of this digital isolation has been amplified in recent years by Beijing’s efforts to tightly interlink data security with national security, as well as reduced people-to-people and business exchanges from the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions. In the U.S., growing suspicion of China has led to increasingly aggressive efforts to excise Chinese technology and capital from its supply chain. People from the two countries are farther apart than ever.”
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Social and Urban Policy
The “Yes In God’s Backyard” Movement and the Preservation of Religious Spaces
05.23.25
Read MoreInterest in “faith-based development” to repurpose underutilized land and buildings for the creation of affordable housing, is growing among congregations and policymakers. This movement, also known as “Yes in God’s Backyard” or YIGBY, offers many benefits for religious groups, including a compelling alignment with a moral imperative to serve the unhoused and financially distressed.
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Kazakhstan’s Nuclear Ambitions: A Path to Sovereignty or Dependency?
05.13.25
“Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a key supporter of this initiative, sees nuclear energy as a pathway to securing Kazakhstan’s long-term stability and energy independence. Yet a critical question remains: Will this decision bolster the country’s energy sovereignty or will it expose it to new vulnerabilities?”

From Moonshots to Stagnation: Is Government Innovation a Thing of the Past?
05.13.25
“Today, the term moonshot is most commonly associated with the tech ecosystem, where Big Tech has assumed the role of global innovation leadership. This raises a fundamental question: Is the trajectory of human progress now dictated solely by private-sector interests? If innovation were to be driven primarily by profit-driven corporations, what values and priorities shape the future of technological development?”

A New EU-US Relationship
05.5.25
For decades, the transatlantic alliance has rested on two pillars: a deep trade relationship and Europe’s near-total dependency on U.S. military protection. But recent moves from Washington have shaken that foundation.

Kazakhstan & Central Asia: Brain Drain or Brain Gain?
05.1.25
“This ongoing “brain-drain” in Kazakhstan, which has led to an exodus of roughly 366,000 people in the last ten years, is a worrisome phenomenon and threat to our country’s future. How did we arrive at a point where we are losing the most valuable resource – our human capital? What can be done to reverse the trend and create a long-term “brain-gain” instead?”

On the Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, Beware of the Desire to Save Face at All Costs
04.30.25
Fifty years ago today, Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese, officially rendering the United States’ decades-long misadventure in Vietnam a failure.[i] The troubling reality of wartime decision-making is that it was not based primarily on whether the United States could feasibly win, or even whether Vietnam was strategically important. Rather, policymakers in Washington escalated the […]

Coping with America First: Lessons from History
04.30.25
Since President Trump returned to the Oval Office in January 2025, the relationship between the United States and Europe has been in free fall.

Why Are We Not Talking About Climate Change’s Role in Escalating Gender-Based Violence?
04.22.25
“The world today has no shortage of climate shocks, and its impacts continue to be dangerously and disproportionately felt by marginalized groups, perpetuating an enduring cycle of violence.”

Obvious but Untenable: Fuel Quality Reforms for Jakarta’s Air Pollution Crisis
03.31.25
“While the magnitude of Jakarta’s air pollution problem is well established, its sources are hard to measure, muddying the task of prioritizing interventions to target root causes.”

Suturing the Benefit Gap
03.10.25
“Imagine a world where low-income individuals walk into a community health clinic for a check-up and leave with the financial resources to build a healthier, more secure future for their families. That vision is now a reality.”

Kazakhstan’s ‘Oreo’ Model: A Unique Path Between Giants
03.10.25
In the turbulent theater of global geopolitics, Kazakhstan – sandwiched between two major regional powers, Russia and China – occupies a unique yet precarious position.

Democrats Need to Mobilize. Here’s Where They Should Start.
03.1.25
“Now is not the time to retreat to our bubbles, to put our heads in the sand, or to shout “I told you so.” It’s time to frame Trump’s actions in terms most meaningful to those we lost from the party. If we stay silent, this dystopia might be here to stay.”

U.S. National Security Policymakers Are Learning (Some Of) The Wrong Lessons from Ukraine
02.28.25
“Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there has been a wave of speculation in U.S and other media about the rise of new technologies in warfare. However, many policymakers are drawing the wrong conclusions: that due to the rise of robotics, drones, and artificial intelligence, warfare will be radically smaller. Instead, the evidence from Ukraine points to the fact that while technological change is occurring, mass remains an essential component of modern warfare and U.S. national security policy needs to adjust accordingly.”
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