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By Margareta Matache, Chair, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, FXB Center for Health and Human Rights April 8 marks the International Roma Day, an occasion to reflect on the history and culture of Romani people, as well as to confront contemporary threats to Roma human rights and dignity. At Harvard, International Roma Day (April 8) is being […]

By Leila El-Khatib, MC/MPA’13, Correspondent It is that time of the year again when Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) students get to showcase their talents. While we know that these students have achieved greatness in the fields of public service, we see very little of their talents outside of the classroom. The HKS Talent Show is […]

By Josh Rudolph, MPP ’14, Correspondent After enduring two decades of falling wages and prices in the wake of the 1992 financial crisis, Japan’s leaders have finally decided to follow Ben Bernanke’s advice from back in 2000 and persuade the central bank to buy as many bonds as it takes to create inflation. Unfortunately, given […]

By Tarun Cherukuri, MPA/ID ’13, Correspondent I was taught a clear lesson growing up: Earn your stripes with conscientious hard work. Last week, I reached the breaking point in my continuing frustration with HKS’s culture of free riding. Free riding is a collective-action problem which societies have been trying to solve for years. Economists define […]

By Alexi White, MPP ’13, Correspondent As many of us prepare to graduate in a few short months, we are being asked to give back by donating to the HKS Fund. I, for one, refuse. I will not give to HKS until it proactively engages its students in a frank and open conversation about the […]

By Richard Domingo Tan, Correspondent, LKY Fellow 2012 Twenty students from Asia arrive in Cambridge each fall to attend a semester of classes at the Harvard Kennedy School. In a program that began in 2001, these students are Lee Kuan Yew (LKY) Fellows who are under the supervision of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance […]

By Peter Harrington and David Garfunkel, Correspondents When the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals expires on Jan. 1 2015, the world will look back on the most concerted global effort to improve human wellbeing ever attempted and see mixed success. Global citizens will ask: “What next?” The answer is no one knows. Incredible progress […]

By Neil Gundavda, MPP ’14, Assistant Opinions Editor Last month, I was reading Stephanie Mencimer’s “What’s It Like to Wake Up From a Tea Party Binge?—Just Ask Florida!” in Mother Jones Magazine. Mencimer highlights the preposterous machinations of Governor Rick Scott and his tea party cronies such as cutting $3 billion from the state’s education […]

By Chrissie Long, Staff Writer, MPP’14 With less than two months before commencement, time is running out to experience all of those things you wanted to do but never got around to due to problem sets or papers. Pretty soon, you’ll be walking across the stage to receive your diploma. Late nights spent reading long […]

Abstract  Despite the peace agreements and disarmament processes implemented since the 1990s, conflict in Mali has proven to be resilient. Conflict symptoms pertaining to deficient governance and sustained societal discontent have recurrently generated armed violence. This paper will explore the multifarious factors that have continually undermined the political stability and integrity of the Malian state. […]

By Fernando Berdion Del Valle, MPP ’14, Correspondent Former Mexican president Felipe Calderón has returned to his alma mater. A Class of 2000 graduate of the Masters of Public Administration program, the former head of state is serving as the inaugural Angelopoulos Fellow – a program designed to provide opportunities for high-profile leaders who are […]

By Nick Wilson, Staff Writer, MPP’14 Last issue, I challenged you to leave the Cambridge bubble to experience the rich and diverse cultural offerings in our cities museums, which are free for Harvard students. As PAEs, midterms, job and internship searches consume more of our time and spare brainpower, I know this can be a […]