Upcoming events

10/23		Securitization and De-Securitization: Female Soldiers and the Reconstruction of the Family in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone
10/23		FORUM: Women's Health: McCain vs. Obama
11/6		Propensity to Negotiate and Career Advancement: Evidence and Practice from the Private Sector
11/13		The Evolution of the Gender Wage Gap in Ukraine: Do Minimum Wages Matter?

Open House: Women and Public Policy Program

Tuesday, September 9 | 12-1 pm and 1-2pm
Allison Dining Room, Taubman building 5th floor

Please join us to learn about the Women and Public Policy Program. Hear more about the center's work on Closing the Global Gender Gap, Gender and Negotiation, Women and Politics, and Gender and Security. We will discuss our student initiatives, fellowship stipends, and other opportunities. Refreshments will be provided!

From Harvard Square to the Oval Office Information Session

Tuesday, September 9 | 2-3pm
Allison Dining Room, Taubman building 5th floor

An initiative of the Women and Public Policy Program that provides a select group of Harvard students with the training and support they need to ascend in the electoral process at the local, state and national levels. Applications are due Wednesday, October 1.

Come learn more about this program and pick up an application!

Welcoming Reception at the Women and Public Policy Program

Wednesday, September 10 | 4:00 to 6:00 pm
Women and Public Policy Program Offices | Taubman building 1st floor past the elevators

We invite all students at the Kennedy School, new and returning, to visit the Women and Public Policy Program's offices and meet the staff. Hear about our programs and work with students. Meet the leaders of HKS student groups that focus on gender, including: International Development and Gender PIC and the Women's Policy Journal. Enjoy wine and hor' dourves.

Do Gender Quotas Empower Women? Electoral Reform and Women's Political Representation

Mona Lena Krook, WAPPP Fellow

Thursday, September 18 | 11:40am - 1:00pm
Taubman 401 | Taubman building 4th floor

Political parties and national legislatures in more than 100 countries have established quotas for the selection of female candidates to political office, almost all within the last 15 years. To date, most research focuses on the forms these measures take, reasons for their passage, and variations in their effects on the absolute numbers of women elected. Drawing on evidence from around the world, this talk asks three new questions: What kinds of women are elected through quotas? Does the adoption of quotas lead to greater attention to women's interests in policy-making? Do quotas result in more favorable attitudes towards women in politics or the increased political engagement of female constituents? Addressing the wider impact of quotas, it explores how quotas might affect existing political dynamics and what they might mean more broadly for women as a group.

Part of the Gender and Policy Seminar Series

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Roadblocks for Women's Healthcare: New U.S. Policy May Impede Access

Angus McQuilken, Vice President for Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts

Thursday, September 25 | 11:40am - 1:00pm
Taubman 401 | Taubman building 4th floor

Health care providers will be able to refuse treatment and services based on personal beliefs and moral objections, according to a new federal U.S. policy implemented by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that goes into effect September 25th. This regulation raises many concerns regarding access to medical services and pharmaceuticals, particularly for women. Women's reproductive health could be severely limited; potentially impeding access to contraception, abortion and other medical services. We will discuss the potential implications and obstacles of this policy on women's access to healthcare.

Part of the Gender and Policy Seminar Series

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Note: There will not be a Gender and Security seminar session held in September.

Overcoming Stereotypes

Professor Iris Bohnet, Director of WAPPP, Kessely Hong, PhD. and Thomas Wei, PhD. Candidate

Thursday, October 2 11:30-1 pm
Taubman 401 | Taubman building 4th floor

By age 17, girls consistently perform worse than boys on national math exams. Women are also particularly underrepresented in math and science career paths. Understanding at a broad level what leads to such outcomes is the focus of this work. One important theory is called Stereotype Threat, which is "being at risk of conforming, as self-characteristic, a negative stereotype of one's group." What this means in practice is that if we prime, for example, girls to think about gender before a math test, they will become anxious during the test due to worries about confirming the stereotype that girls cannot do math. This leads to a lack of focus and subsequent performance decrements, which then leads to the girls actually reinforcing the stereotype's validity in their own minds. Such a potentially vicious self-fulfilling prophecy can have implications beyond just math test scores, and has indeed been documented in a broad range of activities, including male-female negotiations.

Most of the abundant research on this topic has been performed in artificial laboratory settings. There is a distinct lack of convincing field research, which calls into question how generalizable and important stereotype threat is outside of the lab. I instead use long-term trend data from the 1978 to 1999 National Assessment of Educational Progress, which is a large, representative field assessment of U.S. children at ages 9, 13, and 17. Exploiting a special feature of the assessment, I quasi-experimentally test for stereotype threat in gender and math performance. I find little evidence of traditional stereotype threat, but document evidence of an opposite stereotype reactance across all ages and over time. The effect sizes range from 0.07 to 0.13 test score standard deviations. The hypothesized mechanism, consistent with the prior literature, is that increased salience regarding gender-math stereotypes motivates girls, who more intensely reject these stereotypes, to "prove everyone wrong." These findings have relevant implications for policy interventions to combat stereotypes.

Iris Bohnet, Professor of Public Policy and Faculty Chair of the Kennedy School's Women and Public Policy Program, teaches courses on behavioral decision analysis and negotiation. A behavioral economist, her research combines insights from economics and psychology. Her research focuses on trust its determinants and its relevance for negotiation and for individual and collective decision making. She runs her experimental studies in different parts of the world, examining the determinants and effects of trust from a cross-cultural perspective. A Swiss citizen, she holds a PhD in economics from the University of Zurich. She spent a year as a Research Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. She is married and has two children.

Kessely Hong earned her PhD in Public Policy at the Kennedy School this past spring, and is a former Fellow of the Women and Public Policy Program. Her research examines gender and other group differences in relation to negotiation, decision making, stereotypes, and trust.

Thomas Wei is a doctoral candidate in Public Policy. His research areas are labor economics and education policy - in particular, he wishes to take the economics lens and use it to shed empirical light on traditional psychological phenomenon in the realm of education. He is also currently working on research that examines the impact of school grade structure on student outcomes, as well as the efficiency of job matches among high-skilled scientists. Thomas graduated from Cornell University in 2005 and has spent some time working for the New York State Assembly.

Part of the Gender in Decision Making and Negotiation Seminar Series

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Gender and Development in Liberia: A View from the Ground

Laura Bacon, MPP2, Cultural Bridge Fellow, Diane Mak, MPA/ID2, Cultural Bridge Fellow and Preya Sharma, MPA/ID2, Cultural Bridge Fellow

Thursday, October 9 11:40 am - 1 pm
Taubman 401 | Taubman building 4th floor

Three of the Women and Public Policy Program's Cultural Bridge Fellows discuss the impact of gender and development in their work this past summer in Liberia.

Laura Bacon worked in Liberia's Ministry of Gender and Development as the Special Assistant to Deputy Minister Annette Kiawu and Minister Vabah Gayflor, which involved assisting with the implementation plan for the National Gender Policy. Laura composed policy briefings for the Ministers, conducted research on current policies, prepared presentations for the Minister and analyzed the gender effects of various policies presented to the Ministry by other sectors of the Liberian government.

To read Laura's blog, go here.

Diane Mak spent this summer working in Liberia's Ministry of Finance with Elfrieda Stewart Tamba, the country's Deputy Minister for Revenue. Under the leadership of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Liberian government has recently finished the draft of their Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). Over the summer, Diane supported the Ministry's work in implementing some of the development-focused policies articulated in the PRS. These include areas such as revenue policy, administrative regulation development, impact modeling and private sector development. The eight week internship gave Diane the chance to build on her core MPA/ID coursework in economics, whilst providing her with the opportunity to work directly with the leadership of a post-conflict country committed to building peace and to improving the lives of its citizens.

To read Diane's blog, go here.

Preya Sharma spent this past summer working in Liberia's Ministry of Finance as the Private Secretary to Minister Sayeh for two months. Her internship was based in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. Preya's primary role was to assist Minister Sayeh in preparation for two key events: Budget 2008 and a major donor conference. Working closely with the Minister, she provided three distinct services: 1) forecasting and briefing to pass Budget 2008 through fiscal policy and macroeconomic analysis; 2) producing tailored products for the Minister in terms of memos, speeches and briefings in preparation of negotiations and meetings; 3) and sharing practices to build capacity and develop processes to create an effective organization.

To read Preya's blog, go here.

Through the generosity of the Nancy Germeshausen Klavans Foundation, the Women and Public Policy Program offers scholarships for summer internships to Harvard Kennedy School students to support work of specified women peace builders.

Part of the Gender and Policy Seminar Series

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Securitization and De-Securitization: Female Soldiers and the Reconstruction of the Family in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone

Megan MacKenzie, WAPPP fellow

Thursday, October 23 11:30-1 pm
Taubman 401 | Taubman building 4th floor

Megan MacKenzie recently received a PhD in Political Science from the University of Alberta. Her dissertation is entitled Disciplining Development: Sex, Power and Post-Conflict Development in Sierra Leone. Megan's research has focused on the multiple challenges facing women in post-conflict Sierra Leone. During her fellowship at WAPPP, Megan will extend her existing analysis of policy discourses related to children born of wartime rape and compare this research to policy discourses related to HIV/AIDS orphans. Focusing primarily on Sierra Leone and Uganda, she will perform a comparative analysis of the existing policies and programs created to address children born of wartime rape and AIDS orphans. In addition to lecturing at the University of Alberta and the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, Megan has also served as a Visiting Professor at Chungnam National University, Daejon in South Korea. Megan maintains research partnerships with several actors in Sierra Leone, including Fatima, a new University in Sierra Leone.

Part of the Gender and Security Seminar Series

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FORUM: Women's Health: McCain vs. Obama

A panel discussion featuring senior health care advisors to the McCain and Obama presidential campaigns

Thursday, October 23, 2008 | 6:00 PM
JFK Jr. Forum, Harvard Kennedy School
79 JFK St., Cambridge, MA 02138

A conversation with --
David Blumenthal: Senior Health Advisor to Senator Obama,
Paula Johnson of the Connors Center for Women's Health,
Alina Salganicoff of the Kaiser Family Foundation, and
Gail Wilensky: Senior Health Care Advisor to Sen. McCain

Event Moderator: Shelia Burke, Faculty, Harvard Kennedy School

Co-sponsored with the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy; Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology; HKS Health Policy PIC; Women and Public Policy Program; and the IOP Women's Initiative in Leadership

Propensity to Negotiate and Career Advancement: Evidence and
Practice from the Private Sector

Fiona Greig, PhD. in Public Policy, Harvard University

Thursday, November 6 11:40 am - 1 pm
Taubman 401 | Taubman building 4th floor

Fiona Greig is an Associate in McKinsey & Company's Washington, DC
Office, where she has worked primarily in the public sector. Prior to
McKinsey, Fiona worked in global public health organizations such as
the World Health Organization, the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and
Malaria, and the National Institute for Public Health in Mexico. Fiona
has a B.A. in international relations from Stanford University and a
Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University where she did research
on gender and decision making.

Part of the Gender in Decision Making and Negotiation Seminar Series

RSVP to the Women and Public Policy Program

The Evolution of the Gender Wage Gap in Ukraine: Do Minimum Wages Matter?

Ina Ganguli, Public Policy PhD Candidate, Harvard Kennedy School and Katherine Terrell, University of Michigan

Thursday, November 13 11:40 am - 1 pm
Taubman 401 | Taubman building 4th floor

Ina Ganguli is a doctoral candidate in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Ina’s research interests include labor economics and international development, with a focus on immigration, education, innovation, and gender issues. Ina holds a B.A. in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences from Northwestern University, and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Ukraine, where she was a visitor at the Economics Education and Research Consortium at the National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Part of the Gender and Policy Seminar Series

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Women's Leadership in National Security

With HKS National Security Fellows: LTC Angelia D. Farnell, USA and LTC Wanda J. Walker, USAR

Thursday, November 20 11:30-1 pm
Taubman 401 | Taubman building 4th floor

Lieutenant Colonel Angelia Farnell is an Aviation/Intelligence Officer who recently worked as the Chief of Staff for the Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq's Ministry of Defence Advisory Team in Baghdad.  Previously, LTC Farnell commanded the 305th Military Intelligence Battalion (Aerial Exploitation) in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, where she trained air and ground intelligence operations for manned and unmanned systems.  She served in the Pentagon as an intern for the Office of the Secretary of Defense and also as the assistant director of personnel programs and utilization for the Department of Defense.  LTC Farnell has also served as the Executive Officer for a military intelligence battalion in Korea, flying numerous reconnaissance missions along the Demilitarized Zone, and has served in Bosnia.  A Louisiana native, LTC Farnell is a graduate of the US Army's Command and General Staff College, holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Southern University and a masters degree in public administration from Troy State University.  Research interests include national security strategy and the influences that shape or change it and the role of intelligence as it relates to shaping/defining the actions of our country.

Lieutenant Colonel Wanda J. Walker is an Army Logistics & Human Resources officer who recently worked as the Chief of the Army Reserve Joint Management Office at United States Army Human Resources Command in St. Louis, Missouri.  She was primarily responsible for the implementation of Joint Officer Management in the Army Reserve, with a goal to create a pool of officers with experience and education in joint matters in response to the Army Reserve’s growing needs to assign officers to joint commands and organizations for enhancement of joint war-fighting capabilities. Previously, LTC Walker served as the Chief, Secretariat for Department of the Army Selection Boards (Reserve Components), acting as the primary focal point for all managerial and support functions necessary to ensure the flawless execution of promotion, command, and school selection boards annually.  LTC Walker is a graduate of the Command and General Staff Officer Course.  She holds bachelor’s degrees from the University of Alabama and Kansas State University, and a master’s degree in business administration from Strayer University.  Research interests include the changing demographics of the military, developing female leaders, and immigration reform.

Part of the Gender and Security Seminar Series

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CALL FOR PAPERS DEADLINE: 17 DECEMBER 2008

Women's Policy Journal of Harvard

The Women’s Policy Journal of Harvard, John F. Kennedy School of Government is accepting submissions for its summer 2009 volume. The journal is a student-run, nonpartisan review dedicated to publishing interdisciplinary work on policy making and politics affecting women. By bridging the divide between academics and practitioners, the journal seeks to educate and provide leadership that improves the quality of public policies affecting women with the intention of furthering female economic, social, and political empowerment.

We seek papers that explore the impact public policies have on women both in the United States and around the world and that provide new insight into issues affecting diverse groups of women. Articles and commentaries can also offer a gendered or a woman’s perspective on pressing political, social, and economic policy issues or investigate the role of women in the policy-making sphere.

More information >>