By Adrian Arroyo, Opinions Columnist, MPP’13 It’s a particularly American irony that, awash in tricorn hats and “Don’t Tread On Me” flags, we’ve placed the men who fought the American Revolution ahead of their reasons for fighting it. The killing of Anwar al-Aulaqi, a citizen of the United States with operational ties to Al-Qaeda, is […]

By Diane Chang On behalf of KSSG, we would like to recognize and extend an apology for the errors in this year’s elections for MC/MPA and MPA1 Class Representatives. Though the Elections Committee is an entirely independent body and KSSG has no input in their work, we regret the oversights that contributed to any confusion […]

By Luca Robert Shuler, MC/MPA ‘12 I don’t believe in rewarding failure. The moral hazard that the United States established in 2008-2009 by bailing out select companies will haunt future policy makers when the next financial crisis strikes. This crisis could arrive sooner than people expect, especially in light of the risk posed by potential […]

By Charles Seigel, MC/MPA ‘12 I am the student who unintentionally set this ball rolling because of what simply seemed to be a glaring error. On the day the election results were announced, I forwarded the KSSG email to the mid-career program directors, inquiring if my recollection was right that we had fewer than 212 […]

By Ryoji Watanabe, News Writer, MC/MPA ‘12 Skyscrapers far in the horizon, shining stars above in the sky, a balmy 70 degrees complimented by the light breeze blowing on students’ faces—the evening of September 21, 2011 turned out to be a perfect occasion for 400 Harvard Kennedy School students and their friends to sail out […]

By Dharana Rijal, News Writer, MPP ‘13 Before entering the eurozone in 1999, member countries had to satisfy the Maastricht criteria, which required that their inflation could be no more than 1.5 percent a year, their budget deficit could be no more than 3 percent of the GDP, and that their debt-to-GDP ratio could be […]

By Alexi White, Opinions Editor, MPP ‘13 At first, Mark Truman wasn’t sure leaving his small test preparation business and going back to school was the right choice. But when he scrutinized the Kennedy School’s Master in Public Policy program, he was attracted by its interdisciplinary nature, the emphasis on service and idealism, and of […]

By Matt Bieber, Features Columnist, MPP/MDiv ‘13 Timothy Patrick McCarthy is core faculty and director of the Sexuality, Gender, and Human Rights Program at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. He also served as a founding member of Barack Obama’s National LGBT Leadership Council. McCarthy’s books include: The Radical Reader:  […]

The Citizen solicited feedback from students in the forum on the following question: What’s your reaction to the Massachusetts House passing a bill licensing casino gambling?   “I see no problem. There will be regulations to minimize the negative effects.” Manuela C. Faria   “There are pros and cons. It’s a huge source of revenue, […]

By Andrew Kurtzman, MPP ’12 and Bryana Tucci, MPP ‘13 In an honest discussion of policy to promote economic growth, Obama’s jobs plan cannot be regarded as a feasible solution. It was rebuffed by no fewer than six Senate Democrats on the day following its introduction and for good reason, as we will discuss. However, […]

Fighting Corruption in India By Sujoyini Mandal, Opinions Columnist, MPP ‘13 For the very first time, India has witnessed an outburst of citizen protests chiefly via social media, including Facebook and Twitter. Anti corruption campaigns led by the hunger strike of social activist Anna Hazare have captured the Indian imagination within and outside the nation’s […]

By David T. Ellwood, Dean and Scott M. Black Professor of Political Economy Nearly three-quarters of a century ago, 18 students and a handful of faculty began an experiment that provided professional training for public servants at a time when no such program yet existed. The notion was borne of the then nearly radical idea […]