Northern America

BY BALE DALTON In the United States we are gearing up for another electoral season. Even though we won’t be electing a new president in 2014, candidates for Congress as well as state and local positions are girding themselves for political combat, convening staff for strategy sessions in war rooms and readying salvos for the […]

Most people who have an opinion about Mike Huckabee feel quite strongly about him. He is very popular amongst a wide swath of conservatives voters, especially those who root their political inclinations in their faith. For most progressives in America he seems dangerous, a bit fanatical, and out of touch. They fear what he might do with great power. Regardless of your opinion, I think you’ll see in the interview that he is quite intelligent and articulate. He is quick on his feet, and comfortable in front of a microphone. He doesn’t mind a good back and forth, and that’s good, because I asked him about what he sees in the Latino electorate, the separation between church and state, and the future of the equality movement in America.

Our guest today, Dr. Raul Ruiz, is no stranger to Harvard. Before he was a Congressman he earned his M.D. at the Harvard Medical School, an MPP at the Kennedy School, and a M.P.H. at the Harvard School of Public Health. In our interview I think you hear elements of each; An ambition for public service that is informed by his experience in medicine. This interview is even a bit of a home coming as Congressman Ruiz is a the Former Editor-in-Chief of our very journal. We hope you enjoy this episode of the policycast.

Today we are presenting an Interview with Liz Montoya. She is a Washington expert through and through. You can also say she has been a part of building Washington as we know it with over 30 years of Human Resources experience she has been a key leader in hiring and setting personnel policies at the Office of Personnel Management as well as the Department of Energy and Transportation. She has worked closely with the White House as well. We talked to her about hiring practice and what it will take to get more people of color in positions of higher authority in our government.

Impact investing has become a buzz word in social enterprise circles but, even today, opportunities to invest are hardly accessible to the average American. Barriers include protective federal regulations as well as the inability to reach scale. BY CHRISSIE LONG On January 14, eBay ended its brief flirtation with impact investing. The internet giant had […]

BY DENISE LINN Recently, while we’ve all been busy binge-watching House of Cards, our cable companies and online content providers have been splashed across the headlines. The announced $45 billion Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger and the Netflix-Comcast deal have flooded the Internet with articles about pricing, speed, and customer satisfaction. While sources have speculated about […]

BY RORY GERBERG As a female graduate student at the Kennedy School, I use Boston’s public transportation system. Last Wednesday, I wore a skirt. You might ask, was it long or short, loose or tight? Would my answer impact my rights? I consented to wearing an article of clothing and to boarding a bus, not […]

Hispanics have contributed to every avenue of American life since the inception of this country. Hispanics’ origins have played a key role in our country’s socio-economic, political and cultural development and many argue: What would America would be like without the presence of Hispanics and their influence?

Climate change is transforming the circulation patterns which bring us our weather, but do journalists have enough scientific understanding to tell us what’s going on? BY MEGAN ALBON 2014 was the year a polar vortex came to town, wreaking wintery havoc for months on end. Reporters were quickly on its tail. “Trapped in a ‘polar […]

We are back for the Spring semester and excited to share our interview with Soledad O’Brien. Soledad is one of America’s most distinguishable and recognizable journalist. For over 20 years she has reported and anchored television shows on NBC, MSNBC, CNN, Aljazeera, and most recently on HBO. She has also won many awards. Including an Emmy and the NAACP President’s Award as well as the Journalist of the Year Award from the National Association of Black Journalists.

BY MATTHEW VIGEANT For the first time in two years, Iraq is back on many Americans’ radars. The media has flashed alerts about Al Qaeda taking over cities in Anbar Province, and death tolls being at their highest since 2008. Meanwhile, the Obama Administration and Congress blame each other for the violence as they debate […]

BY THOMAS TOBIN As the nation celebrates Presidents’ Day and students nationwide enjoy the long weekend, this holiday is a time to reflect on the nation’s highest office. U.S. Presidential history is rife with stories of political intrigue, personal triumph, and leadership in turbulent times. Yet while some presidents are carved into mountains or enshrined […]