vlog

The White House lawn on a sunny day.
Feature: Is DOGE Sure It Wants to Fire These People?

Juliette Kayyem examines the negative effects that Elon Musks’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) could have on the safety of everyday Americans.

River running through a densely populated area.
Feature: Private Benefits from Public Investment in Climate Resilience

Joseph Aldy finds that governmental construction of levees, which enhance resilience to flood risks amplified by climate change, increases home values by 3-4 percent.

Person sits on a bed holding a check.
Feature: Assessing Government Outreach to Bolster Benefits Take-Up

Elizabeth Linos finds that light-touch interventions significantly, consistently, and cost-effectively increase benefits take-up among low-income households, while higher-touch proactive outreach yields minimal additional take-up.

Black family happily sits on the grass in a park.
Feature: Excess Mortality Rate in U.S. Black Children Since 1950

Soroush Saghafian finds that 5 million excess deaths of Black Americans, including over 500,000 infants, could have been avoided over the past 70 years if their mortality rates were equal to those of White Americans.

Harvard Kennedy School faculty disseminate their research in working publications and papers that contribute to public knowledge and fuel policy innovation. This list features recent faculty publications, including journal articles, books, edited volumes, research papers, and public testimony.

Faculty Publications

Wanted: A Leader for Harvard.

Putnam, Robert D. "Wanted: A Leader for Harvard." Boston Globe, March 5, 2006.

Answering “Mother-in-Law” Questions Can Move the Discipline Forward

Putnam, Robert D. "Answering “Mother-in-Law” Questions Can Move the Discipline Forward." Perspectives on Politics 3 (2005): 313-314.

September 11 as Civics Lesson.

Sander, Thomas H., and Robert D. Putnam. "September 11 as Civics Lesson." Washington Post, September 10, 2005.

1996: The Civic Enigma.

Putnam, Robert D. "1996: The Civic Enigma." American Prospect, June 2005: 33.

Women's Status and Social Capital in the United States.

Caiazza, Amy, and Robert D. Putnam. "Women's Status and Social Capital in the United States." Journal of Women, Politics, and Policy 27.1/2 (October 2005): 69-84.

A Nation of Doers Needs to Do More.

Putnam, Robert D., and John M. Bridgeland. "A Nation of Doers Needs to Do More." Philadelphia Inquirer, December 3, 2004.

The Social Context of Well-Being.

Helliwell, John F., and Robert D. Putnam. "The Social Context of Well-Being." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (London) Series B Vol 359 (31 August 2004): 1435-1446.

Education, Diversity, Social Cohesion and ‘Social Capital.'

Putnam, Robert D. “Education, Diversity, Social Cohesion and ‘Social Capital.'" Research Paper, OECD Education Ministers Conference on "Raising the Quality of Education for All," Dublin, Ireland, March 2004.

Commentary: ‘Health by association’: some comments

Putnam, Robert D. "Commentary: ‘Health by association’: some comments." Comment on International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol 33, , August 2004: 667-671.

Will Bush Stand by Volunteers Who Heeded His Call?

Putnam, Robert D. "Will Bush Stand by Volunteers Who Heeded His Call?" Los Angeles Times, September 24, 2003.

APSA Presidential Address: The Public Role of Political Science.

Putnam, Robert D. "APSA Presidential Address: The Public Role of Political Science." Perspectives on Politics 1.2 (June 2003): 249-255.

Better Together: Restoring the American Community

Putnam, Robert D., and Lewis Feldstein; with Don Cohen. Better Together: Restoring the American Community. Simon & Schuster, 2003.

“The Prosperous Community: Social Capital and Public Life.

Putnam, Robert D. “The Prosperous Community: Social Capital and Public Life." Foundations of Social Capital. Ed. Elinor Ostrom and T.K. Ahn. Edward Elgar, 2003.

“Tuning In, Tuning Out: The Strange Disappearance of Social Capital in America.

Putnam, Robert D. “Tuning In, Tuning Out: The Strange Disappearance of Social Capital in America." Foundations of Social Capital. Ed. Elinor Ostrom and T.K. Ahn. Edward Elgar, 2003.

American Civic Life After September 11th.

Putnam, Robert D. "American Civic Life After September 11th." Hankookibo-Korea Times, August 6, 2002.

Women's Status and Social Capital Across the States.

Caiazza, Amy, and Robert D. Putnam. "Women's Status and Social Capital Across the States." Institute for Women's Policy Research Working Paper IWPR Publication No. 1911, July 2002.

Walking the Civic Talk After September 11.

Sander, Thomas H., and Robert D. Putnam. "Walking the Civic Talk After September 11." Christian Science Monitor, February 19, 2002.

Bowling Together: The United State of America.

Putnam, Robert D. "Bowling Together: The United State of America." American Prospect, 13, February 11, 2002: 20 - 22.

Bowling Together: The United State of America.

Putnam, Robert D. "Bowling Together: The United State of America." The American Prospect February 11, 2002: 20-22.

Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society

Putnam, Robert D., ed. Democracies in Flux: The Evolution of Social Capital in Contemporary Society. Oxford University Press, 2002.

Reviving Community: What Policy-Makers Can Do to Build Social Capital in Britain and America.

Putnam, Robert D., and Andrew K. Leigh. "Reviving Community: What Policy-Makers Can Do to Build Social Capital in Britain and America." Renewal: A Journal of Labour Politics, 10.2, Spring 2002.

“Reviving Community: What Policy-Makers Can Do to Build Social Capital in Britain and America.

Leigh, Andrew K., and Robert D. Putnam. “Reviving Community: What Policy-Makers Can Do to Build Social Capital in Britain and America." Renewal: A Journal of Labour Politics 10.2 (Spring 2002).

A Better Society in a Time of War.

Putnam, Robert D. "A Better Society in a Time of War." New York Times, October 19, 2001.

Firearm Prevention and Social Capital.

Hemenway, David, Bruce P. Kennedy, Ichiro Kawachi, and Robert D. Putnam. "Firearm Prevention and Social Capital." Annals of Epidemiology 11.7 (October 2001): 484-490.

Social Capital: Measurement and Consequences

Putnam, Robert D. "Social Capital: Measurement and Consequences." Isuma: Canadian Journal of Policy Research 2 (Spring 2001): 41-51.

Let's Play Together.

Putnam, Robert D. "Let's Play Together." Observer, March 25, 2001.

Community-Based Social Capital and Educational Performance.

Putnam, Robert D. "Community-Based Social Capital and Educational Performance." Making Good Citizens: Education and Civil Society. Ed. Diane Ravitch and Joseph Viteritti. Yale University Press, 2001.

Civic Disengagement in America.

Putnam, Robert D. "Civic Disengagement in America." Government and Opposition 36 (Spring 2001): 1-22.

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Paperback Edition. Simon & Schuster, 2001.

Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy

Putnam, Robert D.; with Robert Leonardi and Raffaella Y. Nanetti. Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy, Japanese Edition. Tokyo: NTT Shuppan, 2001.