Explore all Articles

filter by–Topic

filter by–Region

filter by–Country

search by–Keyword

Why Current Voter ID Laws Are Harmful to American Democracy

05.29.17

BY BRYNNA QUILLIN For almost a month after Election Day 2016, the race between incumbent North Carolina Republican governor Pat McCrory and his Democratic rival Roy Cooper remained contested. The race was tight, with just over ten thousand votes separating the two candidates. In a desperate attempt to hang on, McCrory cried fraud. McCrory’s campaign […]

Democracy and Governance

Trump and his EPA Director Want to Bring Back Coal, The Free Market has Other Ideas

05.23.17

BY VIKRAM JANARDHAN Donald Trump has followed through with his promise to undo many Obama-era policies regarding energy and the environment. He has lifted the moratorium on mining coal on federal lands, and his proposed budget calls for a 31 percent cut in funding for the EPA, bringing the agency’s budget to its lowest level […]

Environment and Energy

The War on Drugs: One Approach to Reduce Overdose Deaths in New York City

05.22.17

BY STEVEN SARAO Introduction It is estimated that over one thousand New Yorkers died of unintentional drug overdoses in 2016, more than three times the homicide rate in the city that same year.[1],[2] While a breakdown of the 2016 overdose data is not yet available, based on 2015 data we can expect the vast majority […]

Social Policy

President Trump: Distressed Asset

05.19.17

BY MATTHEW HASSETT Last week, President Trump released a letter from his tax attorneys in response to Senator Lindsay Graham’s interest in the Trump Organization’s financial ties to Russia. It raises far more questions than answers. Despite all sorts of speculation and inquiry about President Trump’s labyrinthine real estate empire and the sizable potential for conflicts of interest, President […]

Politics

The Quality of Mercy

05.17.17

When a domestic helper was charged for accidentally worsening an injury to the disabled child under her care, the judge’s controversial decision to show her mercy revealed deeper divides in Singaporean society and sparked an intense online debate over justice, fairness, and attitudes towards foreigners.

Fairness and Justice

The Key for Liberals on Climate: Pushing Harder for National Security

05.16.17

BY DAVID HARARY It has become clear Democrats need a new strategy on passing climate change legislation. The new Administration’s budget proposal for 2018 is certainly not friendly towards climate change research or mitigation. Deep cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Department of Energy are just the beginning […]

Tunisia protests

Tunisia: “Unemployment has killed me”

05.15.17

Youth unemployment is a major driver of radicalization in Tunisia, which supplies more fighters to Syria and Iraq than any other country.

Poverty, Inequality and Opportunity
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, better known as Ahok

Jailing of Jakarta’s Governor Calls into Question Indonesia’s Core Values

05.12.17

The parallels between May 9th and November 9th are uncanny. Six months ago, I witnessed a man gain the U.S. presidency thanks, in part, to rising racial resentment. Now, I am watching as one of the most inspirational political leaders from my home district of Jakarta, Indonesia, is robbed of his power by a similarly […]

Democracy and Governance

Maternal Deaths in Africa Remain Too Common

05.11.17

BY CHRISTIAN ASANTE African societies have made enormous strides with respect to women’s rights and empowerment. Mother’s Day is widely recognized and celebrated in many parts of Africa.  On that holiday, people will call and send text messages to their mothers; hashtags will trend; and politicians, governments and gender ministries will issue press statements praising […]

Healthcare

Social Media Alone Won’t Improve Women’s Rights in the Middle East

05.9.17

BY NABILA ABU-HANTASH I was sitting behind the wheel in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, with my close friend in the passenger’s seat. The car was parked with the ignition switched off. We were waiting for her husband to come back from souvenir shopping, so that we could begin the twenty-three-hour drive back home to Kuwait. He […]

France’s Presidential Election Run-Off: A Battle for Frenchness

05.5.17

BY JULIETTE KEELEY April 23 is a dreary, drizzly New England day. People are lining up alongside the Lycée Francais de Cambridge at 8 a.m. They commiserate over the long line as they wait to cast their ballots in the first round of the French presidential election. This polling location is the only one for […]

The Trump Era Shifts Social Innovation Agendas

05.3.17

BY MATTHEW SPECTOR The first months of the Trump administration have radically reshaped the calculus of social entrepreneurship. Institutions that opened themselves to public accountability during the Obama years now face little demand to adhere to the transparency and environmental rules they helped negotiate. At Harvard’s Social Enterprise Conference (SECON) this year, reflections from local […]

Call for Submissions


Join the HKS Student Policy Review—

to research, write, and learn about policy in a new way. We offer Harvard students an opportunity to engage with the most important policy issues of our time, across a whole range of topics and regions.