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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Trump’s Jerusalem Policy is a Wakeup Call for Arabs

03.8.18

BY EKRAM IBRAHIM When President Donald Trump declared in December that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, many observers heard a death knell for Palestinian hopes that Jerusalem would serve as the future capital of an independent state. But in reality, aspirations for an Arab Jerusalem died long before – […]

Easy Access to Guns Hurts Beyond Mass Shootings

02.28.18

BY JAKE VIOLA It took six minutes for one man’s evil to end 17 lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In our young people who mobilized afterwards, we see courage personified. Because of them, this time it might be different. Because of them, we hear President Trump – a fierce defender […]

Liberals Have Failed on Gun Violence for Two Decades: To Win, We Need To Get Over Ourselves

02.26.18

BY MATT MCDOLE In the wake of another mass shooting, America is talking about gun control again. It’s been uplifting to see the determined young Parkland students speaking out. They have organized nationwide walkouts, bussed their classmates 450 miles to Tallahassee to petition the state legislature, and confronted lawmakers at a nationally televised town hall. […]

What is the Right Price for Cybersecurity?

02.22.18

BY JEFFREY VOTH Former NSA Director, Mike McConnell recognized the agency was trapped in a slow-motion cybersecurity crisis long before explosive security breaches were revealed by The New York Times. “We have had a train wreck coming,” Mr. McConnell said. Cybersecurity will be a significant portion of the FY 2018 federal budget with more than […]

Education Policy Reform: A Catalyst for Innovation in Developing Countries

02.14.18

BY BILAL CHAUDHARY Stimulating domestic innovation is crucial for developing countries. Innovation, creativity, and out-of-the-box thinking can accelerate the pace of poor countries’ development, reducing their reliance on aid and enhancing their capacity to participate in a rapidly changing global economy. For development to succeed, innovation cannot be solely the domain of the rich and […]

Financial Freedom Comes Paycheck-to-Paycheck. Why Doesn’t the EITC?

02.9.18

BY CALEB GERBITZ The ladder to financial freedom depends on the promise that if a family saves a portion of every paycheck, over time they will climb the ladder to economic independence. Unfortunately, for many working families, monthly paychecks fall short of covering necessities, let alone savings. They can’t reach the first rung. Today, the […]

Self-Driving Ships Will Soon Raise the Stakes at Sea

02.6.18

BY CAMERON LINDSAY While Amazon continues to pilot its fully autonomous drone delivery system, Amazon PrimeAir, an autonomous delivery system millions of times larger is occurring at sea. And whether you are the passenger on-board a cruise ship or you hire a shipping company to transport your belongings overseas, in a few years, you will […]

History Tells Us Democrats Should Win in 2018

01.30.18

BY MATTHEW CROSS The days after an election bring feelings of happiness or sadness with the illusion that the victory or defeat is permanent. Since November 2016, the Democrats I speak to still wonder if their party will ever be competitive again. I too have experienced this, but from a different viewpoint. As an idealistic […]

Betraying a Tradition of Religious Tolerance

01.26.18

BY MARIYA ILYAS AND CASSIE RASMUSSEN Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States—more commonly known as the “Muslim Ban”—which restricts immigration from several Muslim-majority countries. For a year now, the United States, a country founded on religious freedom, has been […]

The U.S. Debate Over Confederate Statues Changed My Mind about Australia Day

01.25.18

For as long as I can remember, January 26 has been one of my favorite days of the year: Australia Day. Typically, I, and many other Aussies, spend the day with family and friends overloading BBQs with meat, carefully extracting beer and wine from ice-filled eskys, playing backyard cricket, and listening to Triple J’s Hottest […]

Gender, Race and Identity

China’s Initiative of Building 1,000 Towns is in Danger of Becoming the Next Wave of Ghost Cities

01.22.18

BY BEN YUNMO WANG A massive government effort to build thousands of commercial-themed towns across China is off to a rockier start than expected. Still largely overlooked in Western media, “Characteristic Small Towns” (CSTs) have become the championed model of urban development in China over the last two years, littered across ambitious initiatives by central […]

Of Mascara and Men

01.19.18

BY NAMRATA RAJU Chile, 2006: Jim wiped the blood from his eyes and gingerly picked his body off the ground. He had been idling down an empty street when, suddenly, several young men pounced on him and beat him to a pulp. “Why do you walk funny, you pansy?” they bellowed, between punches. India, 2010: […]

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