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OCTOBER 10, 2024 |
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Harvard Kennedy School | | | |
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Mathias Risse, Tarek Masoud, Yasmeen Abu-Fraiha MC/MPA 2022, Edward Djerejian, and Romy Neumark. Photo by Benn Craig | | |
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International Relations & Security |
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A year on, experts examine a tumultuous and widening conflict |
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A year after Hamas’ attack on Israel, the conflict in the Middle East has broadened. At two Harvard Kennedy School events on October 7, scholars discussed what may come next and reflected on a year of pain, anger, and grief. HKS Professor Meghan O’Sullivan, who served in the Bush administration as deputy national security advisor on Iraq and Afghanistan and leads the Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, moderated a lunchtime panel on the spread of the war and risks of further escalation. “We have moved away from a decade-long war between Israel and Iran by proxy to a place where now Israel and Iran are in conflict with each other directly,” she said. The afternoon event, cohosted by the Belfer Center’s Middle East Initiative and the Kennedy School’s Carr Center on Human Rights Policy, began with a moment of silence, recognizing what HKS Professor Tarek Masoud described as “suffering compounded by suffering.” Masoud, who leads the Middle East Initiative, co-moderated the event with Carr Center Director and HKS Professor Mathias Risse, who emphasized a theme of “moral complexity” and said the way forward “is to acknowledge full humanity of all people in this conflict.”
Learn more about International Relations & Security at HKS » | | |
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What we're Reading |
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HKS Assistant Professor Lotem Bassan-Nygate discusses her work at the intersection of political psychology and international relations. | | |
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Gender, Race & Identity |
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The role of race and identity in the U.S. presidential election |
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At a recent John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum event hosted by the HKS Institute of Politics, experts discussed the role of race and identity in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. HKS Professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad said he was not surprised at former President Donald Trump’s attempt to define Vice President Kamala Harris as an illegitimate candidate, comparing it to the birther accusations against former President Barack Obama—“from the deliberate mispronunciation of her name to the ascription of her identity as not Black but really Indian.” The conversation ranged from misinformation and disinformation—including false claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Ohio—to the role of activism and the engagement of young voters.
Learn more about Gender, Race & Identity at HKS » | | |
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What we're learning |
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Professor Soroush Saghafian’s research shows that hospital closures have impacts beyond the loss of access to medical care. | | |
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Education, Training & Labor |
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A minimum wage increase is giving fast-food workers in California an immediate boost |
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When California raised the minimum wage for workers at the largest fast-food chains to $20 in April, some opponents claimed it could result in higher prices, fewer workers, and reduced benefits. New research from scholars at the Shift Project—a joint project between the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy at HKS and the University of California, San Francisco—found otherwise. Many of the state’s fast-food workers experienced a boost to their wages with minimal unintended effects on staffing, scheduling, and benefits. “Fast-food workers contend with some of the most precarious working conditions in America. This evidence shows that meaningfully raising the floor on a key aspect of job quality by setting the minimum wage much closer to a living wage can benefit workers without dire unintended consequences,” said HKS Professor Daniel Schneider, one of the report’s authors.
Learn more about Education, Training & Labor at HKS » | | |
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Applications are open |
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We are accepting applications for our master’s degree programs for the 2025-2026 academic year. If you’re ready to develop the skills and network to improve public policy, pursue powerful ideas, and advance your capacity to lead, apply to join us at Harvard Kennedy School by December 3 at 11:59 a.m. ET. |
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Cities & Communities |
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America’s housing crisis is a challenge—but policy experts see some ways forward |
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HKS Associate Professor Justin de Benedictis-Kessner and Miro Weinberger MPP/UP 1998, former mayor of Burlington, Vermont, discuss possible solutions to America’s housing crisis on a new episode of HKS PolicyCast. They say homebuilding hasn’t kept up with demand, held back by local politics and restrictive zoning regulations that can stall new housing projects for years. Weinberger and de Benedictis-Kessner say that even well-intentioned ideas like “inclusionary zoning” laws that encourage mixed-income housing development may be contributing to the problem. They offer policy ideas on ways to streamline how home building projects are approved and how to level the playing field between established homeowners and people who need new housing.
Learn more about Cities & Communities at HKS » | | |
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