Harvard Kennedy School

PERSPECTIVES ON RACE & POLICY

People march with protest signs and one large banner that states, “Red, White, and Reparations.”

FAIRNESS & JUSTICE

New research demonstrates the feasibility of reparations for racial harms

In a new paper, Harvard Kennedy School faculty members Linda Bilmes and Cornell William Brooks examine the many ways the United States has, throughout its history, compensated individuals who have suffered non-racial harms. Cities, states, and Congress are grappling with how they might offer reparations for the effects of racial inequality. Bilmes and Brooks argue that we need only look to the history of federal programs remedying nonracial harms for guidance on how reparation programs might work. “In addition to cash stipends, our research shows compensation and benefits to victims come in several forms,” the authors write. “The federal government has been creative in devising compensation such as health-care guarantees, tax rebates, education, housing, training, and relocation.”

WHAT WE'RE READING

At a February JFK Jr. Forum event, HKS Professors Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Sandra Susan Smith, and Cornell William Brooks examined the state of Black America and democracy

Professor Sandra Susan Smith speaking on a panel in the JFK Jr. Forum as Professors Khalil Gibran Muhammad and Cornell William Brooks look on.

HEALTH

A new ratings system for trainee doctors has reduced bias—but gains are smallest for U.S.-born Black doctors

An overhaul of the performance review system for trainee doctors has led to a large reduction in ratings bias against Black, Latino, and Asian medical residents. However, the drop in bias was smallest for U.S.-born Black physicians, research has found. HKS Professor Marcella Alsan is a co-author of the study, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The researchers looked at data for nearly 60,000 residents after a new rating system was established. The researchers found that the new Milestone system, which uses a more structured evaluation format, may mitigate individual bias that affected earlier reviews. “Importantly, still more needs to be done to improve the situation for U.S.-born Black physicians,” Alsan said. "And there are too few Black doctors in the United States to begin with.”

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

Associate Professor Mark Shepard explains the case for equity

Silhouettes of children over a peach background with red, yellow, blue squares and rectangles.

FAIRNESS & JUSTICE

Despite police reforms, perceptions of racial bias persist in Boston

Three years after policing reforms were implemented in Boston following the national reckoning after the killing of George Floyd, researchers at the Kennedy School surveyed city residents on their experiences with law enforcement. They found that Black Bostonians reported much higher rates of police harassment than non-Black Bostonians and that they had less trust in law enforcement. Other findings include associations between police harassment and trauma and chronic health conditions. The research was conducted by Professor Sandra Susan Smith and the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management, which is based in the School’s Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy. Professor Smith writes about this work in a recent Boston Globe op-ed.

WHAT WE'RE READING

HKS faculty members examine diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging through the lens of academic freedom and free speech

CITIES & COMMUNITIES

White people are overrepresented in local government

Research finds that in many cases the percentage of white elected officials in U.S. cities is disproportionate to the population they serve. Assistant Professor Justin de Benedictis-Kessner and co-authors gathered election results over the last three decades from medium and large cities and counties and found the representation gap is particularly large when it comes to mayors. “On average, 78% of mayors are white, while only 68% of the population in the cities in our data is white,” de Benedictis-Kessner writes. “City councilors, on the other hand, tend to look much more like the population in their cities.”

WHAT WE'RE READING

Professor Karen Dynan and Dean Doug Elmendorf explain the research on the racial gap in retirement security

Cropped photography of an unrecognizable mature man calculating and going over his finances at home.

Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education’s “Strategies for Building and Leading Diverse Organizations,” led by faculty chair Robert Livingston, is designed for leaders seeking effective strategies for leveraging diversity. Apply by July 15 for this on-campus program in September.

Learn about the program