Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy

Lina Khan Delivers 2025 Stone Lecture in Economic Inequality

At last week's 2025 Stone Lecture, former FTC Chair Lina Khan reflected on the shape of economic power in America. Read our recap of the speech and watch the full recording:
www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/wien...

A new report from the Wiener Center's @shift-project.bsky.social offers the first direct, large-scale comparison of working conditions for drivers and fulfillment employees at Amazon, UPS, and FedEx. @harvardkennedy.bsky.social's Daniel Schneider explains the findings in the full report here.

YouTube video by Harvard Kennedy School Will President Trump's tariffs bring back jobs? Harvard economist weighs in

What's the point of tariffs? And can they bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States? HKSl Peter Wertheim Professor in Urban Policy and Academic Dean for Strategy and Engagement Gordon Hanson weighs in on the history and use of tariffs: www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_r2....

The Untold, Behind the Scenes Story of the CHIPS and Science Act: Launching the NSF Regional Innovation Engines Program

Daniel Goetzel (RtE Practitioner in Residence and former Program Director, NSF TIPS Directorate) takes us behind the scenes of the CHIPS and Science Act and NSF Regional Engines Program. He draws on his experiences and interviews with people who made it happen.

www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/wien...

Trump Spins Tariff Fallout w/ Todd Tucker | MR Live | Majority Report YouTube video by The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder

I joined @samseder.bsky.social and @emmavigeland.bsky.social to discuss Trump's trade tantrums, whether Jon Voight is behind them, and what better industrial policy would look like.

Please subscribe to and join @majorityreport.bsky.social!
www.youtube.com/live/a5LSpTp...

Marcella Alsan, the HKS Angelopoulos Professor of Public Policy

Congratulations to HKS's @marcellaalsan.bsky.social for being named to the 2025 STATUS List (compiled by @statnews.com)—recognizing her as one of the most influential people shaping the health and life sciences across biotech, medicine, health care, and policy: www.statnews.com/status-list/...

Tariffs are dumb . . . right? - The Boston Globe Trump’s trade war is reckless. But his appetite for protectionism is more widely shared than you may realize.

I spoke with @bostonglobe.com for their weekend big read (pre-"Liberation Day" on 4/2, pre-"UnLiberation Day" on 4/9) about tariffs - when they're useful, when they're not, and what role they might continue to play in the clean energy transition.
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/04/10/o...

If Trump is contemplating defying the Supreme Court, he should remember Nixon first The president almost certainly would not be impeached. But that doesn't mean he would emerge politically unscathed.

Maya Sen on defying court orders:

“Even if defying the Supreme Court carries significant political costs, those costs may be relatively meaningless — especially if the standoff involves elections or an expansion of his own authority.”

Read the full article below:
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

If the U.S. courts can’t defend the rule of law, who can? With a Republican Congress reluctant to check Trump’s power, fears of a constitutional crisis are growing. Political scientist and Harvard Kennedy School Professor Maya Sen, who studies the federal ju...

Harvard Kennedy School Professor Maya Sen says U.S. courts weren't designed to check an authoritarian president. They move too slowly, and rely on the legislative branch to keep the executive in line—something this GOP Congress refuses to do. My latest PolicyCast. www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-rese...

Senior Fellows Program Details and Application Information The Senior Fellows Program at Harvard Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government brings experienced professionals together to tackle global business and government challenges...

Clock's ticking! Senior Fellows applications deadline is just around the corner - March 3rd. Don't miss this incredible opportunity, finish and submit your applications today at www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/mrcb...

Ph.D. students awarded more than $130,000 in Social Equity and Health Equity stipend funding Professor Marcella Alsan and the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy have awarded 28 students up to $5,000 each.

HKS's @marcellaalsan.bsky.social and the Health Inequality Lab recently awarded more than $130,000 to Ph.D. students across Harvard to support their dissertations related to social equity or health equity: news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...

Are we headed for a constitutional crisis? Kennedy School scholars on the Trump administration and the rule of law Faculty experts at Harvard Kennedy School see unprecedented challenge to the rule of law and to constitutional norms and consider how the courts and other institutions will respond.

What’s happening today in US democracy cannot be fully addressed by any one discipline - it’s a question of law, politics, history etc

That’s one reason I was happy to have a dialogue with HKS colleagues Alex Keyssar (history) and Sarah Wald (law)

Excerpt =>

www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-rese...

Gordon Hanson, @drodrik.bsky.social, & my chapter for @nber.org's upcoming volume on place-based policy. We discuss the history of innovations in place-based policies in the US & unpack the "supply chains" through which these policies are implemented in different domains | www.nber.org/papers/w33511

Opinion | A Compromise on University Funding The 15% research cost cap is too strict, but there’s a solution.

I wrote a short piece on NIH funding cuts that takes a pragmatic look at the situation

TLDR: people here probably won’t like it, but I don’t think indirects of 70% are coming back any time soon

www.wsj.com/opinion/high...

How Should Progressives Respond to Trump’s Tariff Threats? - Roosevelt Institute Throughout his campaign and during his first few weeks in office, President Donald Trump has invoked the threat of tariffs on imported products more than perhaps any president in US history. And yet, he has also backed off of many of these threats almost as quickly.

Under the Biden administration, tariffs paired with clean energy investments fueled record manufacturing growth.

Tariffs can yield benefits—but only when used strategically.

@toddntucker.bsky.social explores the trade-offs of Trump's vision of tariffs: rooseveltinstitute.org/public...

Thank you @JPAL_NA for featuring our work! Excited that the study was recently accepted in @JHealthEcon (link in next tweet). A short 🧵:
x.com/JPAL_NA/stat...

CID Visiting Researcher Program

Postdoc opportunity on industrial policies and related topics at the Reimagining the Economy program at Harvard www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/cid/...

We're thrilled to have you and Heather here. Welcome!

Heather Boushey and Todd Tucker join Malcolm Wiener Center and the Reimagining the Economy Project as senior research fellows The Harvard Kennedy School’s Malcolm Wiener Center and Reimagining the Economy Project welcome Dr. Heather Boushey and Dr. Todd Tucker.

Professional update:

I've joined the Reimagining the Economy Project @harvardkennedy.bsky.social @harvardmwc.bsky.social as a senior research fellow, alongside Gordon Hanson, Dani Rodrik (@drodrik.bsky.social), @rohansandhu.bsky.social, and their excellent team.
news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...

An HKS scholar explores options for the U.S. health insurance system under Trump Mark Shepard, a Harvard Kennedy School expert, looks at the crossroads facing the American health insurance system, a patched-together outlier.

HKS's Mark Shepard ponders the future of America's patchwork health insurance system under Trump: www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-rese...

A giant in his field and a caring mentor, Christopher “Sandy” Jencks has died at 88 Jencks helped pioneer the study of inequality and developed generations of scholars.

On Saturday, February 8, Christopher "Sandy" Jencks—renowned sociologist, caring mentor, and the Malcolm Wiener Professor of Social Policy, Emeritus—passed away. The HKS community reflects on his monumental presence in the field and in their lives: www.hks.harvard.edu/faculty-rese...

Why federal courts are unlikely to save democracy from Trump’s and Musk’s attacks The problem goes beyond the political leanings of judges to the speed of change and the administration’s apparent willingness to ignore court rulings it dislikes.

Wrote up some of my thoughts on why courts can’t be the only line of defense on US constitutional governance

Thanks to The Conversation for publishing it!

theconversation.com/why-federal-...

When America Almost Had Universal Healthcare Podcast Episode · HISTORY This Week · 02/10/2025 · 36m

HKS's @marcellaalsan.bsky.social joined the History Channel's HISTORY This Week podcast to discuss the American Medical Association's historical resistance to national health care: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

Is Nippon Steel buying US Steel a US national security risk? Trump’s recent comments revive a debate about foreign investment and US national security.

What should/will Trump do on the proposed Nippon - US Steel merger?

I spoke with Morgan Chalfant of @semafor.com about the stakes, and the sector's unique dynamic of labor unions being stewards of long-term investment.
www.semafor.com/article/02/0...

Making sense of Trump's tariffs. With Dani Rodrik Is there an industrial policy rationale for Trump’s tariff brinksmanship?

In which Martin Sandbu of the FT and I try to make sense of Trump's tariffs (and fail) www.ft.com/content/9f2a...

How Not to Respond to Trump’s Tariffs | by Dani Rodrik - Project Syndicate Dani Rodrik advises America’s trade partners not to embrace retaliation, because that would harm mainly themselves.

My latest on how not to respond to Trump's tariff threats www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/t...

Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow Opportunity

We are hiring pre-docs at the Reimagining the Economy Program at Harvard www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/wien...

Delighted to be hosting Heather Boushey at the Reimagining the Economy program at Harvard. www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/wien...

One way to save lives in jails — Harvard Gazette Researchers who studied healthcare in dozens of facilities link accreditation to better collaboration and treatment and fewer deaths .

In a conversation with the Harvard Gazette, HKS's @marcellaalsan.bsky.social and HLS's Crystal Yang discuss how health care accreditation in jails can contribute to improved health care delivery and standards, a decrease in deaths, and millions in cost savings: news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...

Mean Reversion in RCTs: It may matter for targeting… Mean Reversion in RCTs: It may matter for targeting…

In today's blog, @berkozler12.bsky.social summarizes new work by @marcellaalsan.bsky.social & co-authors on how mean reversion may lower average impacts in RCTs - lots of people being treated may be in a temporary dip that will improve on its own blogs.worldbank.org/en/impacteva...