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Bias, Distrust, and Trauma

George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officers was followed not only by global protests for racial justice but also by the promise of reforms meant to curtail anti-Black law enforcement patterns ...
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Explainer: Why government shutdowns keep happening in the United States

The U.S. government shut down on October 1 as Republican and Democratic funding bills failed to reach the necessary number of votes in the Senate and efforts to prevent a shutdown failed. Government ...
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An enduring commitment to service: celebrating veterans and service members at HKS

Veterans and active-duty military members form an important part of the Kennedy School community. Over the past ten years, more than 500 U.S. active duty service members, reservists, and veterans have ...
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Closing loopholes and raising revenue, new tax reforms will be crucial to the success of the Inflation Reduction Act

President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law this week. The headlines will focus on the environmental and energy policies designed to address the climate change crisis, as well as ...
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Explainer: Understanding the SNAP program—and what cuts to these benefits may mean

Between the government shutdown and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called Food Stamps) is undergoing significant cuts. This 60-year ...
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Justin J. Pearson on his expulsion from the Tennessee legislature and being in a “movement moment”

In April, the Republican-led Tennessee State House voted to expel Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones, two Black Democratic members of the House, for speaking out on the House floor as part of a gun ...
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Paid sick leave laws improve coverage for service workers, but broader benefits are limited

Going to work sick is often a financial necessity for many hourly workers in the United States. A new study by researchers at the Shift Project offers evidence that state-mandated paid sick leave (PSL ...
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Private Credit & Systemic Risk

June 2025, Paper: "The private credit market has rapidly expanded in recent years, becoming an established source of corporate loans to middle-market firms, a key financing tool for private equity ...
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Building State Capability: Evidence, Analysis, Action

Governments play a major role in the development process, constantly introducing reforms and policies to achieve developmental objectives. Many of these interventions have limited impact, however; ...
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API-201: Quantitative Analysis and Empirical Methods

API-201 is required for MPP students and is a prerequisite to API-202. The R sections teach students to use the statistical programming language R, move more quickly through the material, and prepare ...
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The Natural Resource Curse

Countries with oil, mineral or other natural resource wealth, on average, have failed to show better economic performance than those without, often because of undesirable side effects. This is the ...
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Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History

According to research conducted by Erica Chenoweth and the Crowd Sourcing Consortium, 15 million to 26 million people in the U.S. have participated in George Floyd protests. Recent research conducted ...