Kennedy School Review
Established in 1999, the mission of the Harvard Kennedy School Review (KSR) was to publish articles that offer compelling analysis and insight and put forward pragmatic and innovative solutions for the major issues of our time. KSR sought to publish timely, provocative, important articles that influence policymakers and practitioners, stimulate public debate, and showcase the best work of Kennedy School students. KSR provided an opportunity for students to challenge, change, and influence the policy debate on crucial policy issues.
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David’s Journey: A Patient-Centered Approach to Opioid Addiction Treatment
11.21.18
BY STEPHANIE NGUYEN AND MAGGIE SALINGER David [1] used to sell drugs on a street corner in East Baltimore. His curbside business had offered a glimpse into the life of his customers as they waded in and out of withdrawal. Their oscillation between temporary satisfaction and full-blown suffering didn’t seem worth it to David. But then, […]

The Cost of Inequality
11.19.18
In 2013, President Barack Obama give his first major speech on income inequality. He called inequality the “defining challenge of our time” and said that his administration would seek to combat inequality during his final years in office. President Trump hasn’t applied the same focus to this issue — Twitter apparently isn’t a good forum […]
Individual Bias or Systematic Discrimination? Clarifying the Legal Stakes of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard
11.15.18
BY NATHANIEL EISEN What are the stakes of Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard? Is affirmative action on the line, or just the jobs of a few discriminatory admissions staff? Experts disagree. The lawsuit, brought by a group representing Asian Americans who claim they were denied admission to Harvard College based on their race, […]

North Dakota’s Legacy Fund: Saving for the Future
11.13.18
BY BRYAN CORTES States with booming economies have the opportunity to set up tax revenue funds with interest that will provide for future generations. This summer in North Dakota, I learned this firsthand. As a Dukakis Fellow in office of the Governor of North Dakota, I was charged with conducting a balance sheet assessment for […]

#MeToo Explained: Ending “Boys Will Be Boys” Culture
11.12.18
BY EVELYN NAM When Dr. Ford was asked what she remembers to be the worst about her experience of sexual assault, she responded: “the laughter – the boys laughing at me at my expense.” A few days later, the President of the United States made a punchline of Dr. Ford at a rally, and thousands […]

Is Mexico’s new president a populist?
11.8.18
Mexico’s Andres Manuel López Obrador was a populist candidate. Will he become a populist president?

The Red Ballot: How Some Conservative States Are Bucking the Trend and Making Voting Easier
11.6.18
BY MICHAEL AUSLEN Indiana is hardly the poster child for voting rights. In 2005, it became the first state in the country to pass a strict photo identification (ID) requirement for voting—a measure criticized as an unfair barrier to participation for poor and minority communities.[1] When the US Supreme Court refused to throw out the […]

Natural Selection in the Political System
11.5.18
BY KOREY TE HIRA Every two years, thousands of Americans run for office promising to “clean up Washington” and usher in a new kind of politics. Why then do we see these same promises being made every election cycle? Looking to nature, we find the answer. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection describes […]

Stop Calling it the “Year of the Woman”
11.5.18
BY DINA MONTEMARANO If you’ve been following the US midterm elections, you’ve likely heard the media buzz about how many women are running for elected office this year. They’re calling it “The Year of the Woman.” A record number of female candidates are running for office. 256 women won House and Senate primaries. Sixteen are […]

How Chinese Foreign Investment is Challenging the United States
11.2.18
BY ELLY ROSTOUM For much of the twenty-first century, Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) has rapidly expanded, stretching Beijing’s influence across the globe. The influx of Chinese money around the world has imbued many countries with closer relations with Beijing, to the concern of the United States. Investment from both Beijing and Washington is not […]

The Presumption of Good Faith: The Kavanaugh Debate
11.1.18
BY TOBY VOGHT The British barrister Sir William Gallow famously coined the phrase “innocent until proven guilty” in the early nineteenth century. The presumption of innocence quickly hopped the Atlantic and has been critical to the American pursuit of a more perfect judiciary. But the highly contentious nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh generated debate about […]

Affordable Housing: The Balance Between Governments and Private Markets
10.30.18
Regardless of ethnicity, religion, or sex, homelessness is a persistent issue. The gloomy and humiliating truth for our federal government is that some reports estimate there are five vacant properties for every homeless person. Whether it be the Hoovervilles from the 1930s, Khayelitsha slums in Cape Town, South Africa, or the Dharavi shanty towns in […]