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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

A Test of Racial Bias in Capital Sentencing

Alesina, Alberto, and Eliana La Ferrara. "A Test of Racial Bias in Capital Sentencing." American Economic Review 104.11 (November 2014): 3397-3433.

Preferences for Redistribution in the Land of Opportunities

Alesina, Alberto, and Eliana La Ferrara. "Preferences for Redistribution in the Land of Opportunities." Journal of Public Economics 89.5-6 (June 2005): 897-931.

Who Trusts Others?

Alesina, Alberto, and Eliana La Ferrara. "Who Trusts Others?" Journal of Public Economics 85.2 (August 2002): 207-234.

Participation in Heterogeneous Communities

Alesina, Alberto, and Eliana La Ferrara. "Participation in Heterogeneous Communities." The Quarterly Journal of Economics 115.3 (August 2000): 847-904.