Crowd of Black Lives Matters demonstrators marching in the street.
Feature: The Democratic Necessity of Reckoning

Erica Chenoweth reviews scholarship that overwhelmingly shows the Black Lives Matter movement generated high levels of public awareness about systemic racism and increased support for criminal justice reform.

Electronic stock ticker board with numbers and arabic letters.
Feature: Against Rule-of-Thumb Economics

Dani Rodrik argues against neoliberalism’s universal rule-of-thumb approach and for economic analyses grounded in contextual dependencies.

Several hands of team members covering one another in a huddle above a work table.
Feature: Leaders’ Psychological Bravery

Dana Born explores what skills leaders need to cultivate psychological safety on their teams and across their organizations.

Dollars and Euros piled on top of one another.
Feature: Dollar vs. Euro as International Reserve Currencies

Jeffrey Frankel explores the strengths and weaknesses of using the Dollar and the Euro as international reserve currencies.

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

Social Networks and Geography:
Comments on “How Does Geography Affect Equality of Opportunity”

Putnam, Robert D. "Social Networks and Geography: Comments on “How Does Geography Affect Equality of Opportunity”." The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 2.2 (May 2016): 159–177.

Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis

Putnam, Robert D. Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis. Simon & Schuster, 2016.

A Candid Conversation about Schools, Culture, and the Widening Opportunity Gap in America with Professor Robert D. Putnam

Putnam, Robert D. "A Candid Conversation about Schools, Culture, and the Widening Opportunity Gap in America with Professor Robert D. Putnam." About Campus 20.4 (September 2015): 3-7.

Inequity Outside the Classroom: Growing Class Differences in Participation in Extracurricular Activities

Snellman, Kaisa, Jennifer M. Silva, and Robert D. Putnam. "Inequity Outside the Classroom: Growing Class Differences in Participation in Extracurricular Activities." Voices in Urban Education 40 (2015): 7-14.

Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis

Putnam, Robert D. Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis. Simon & Schuster, 2015.

The Engagement Gap: Social Mobility and Extracurricular Participation among American Youth

Snellman, Kaisa, Jennifer M. Silva, Carl B. Frederick, and Robert D. Putnam. "The Engagement Gap: Social Mobility and Extracurricular Participation among American Youth." ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 657.1 (January 2015): 194-207.

Reply to Gao et al: Racial Composition Does Not Explain Increasing Class Gaps in Obesity

Frederick, Carl B., Kaisa Snellman, and Robert D. Putnam. "Reply to Gao et al: Racial Composition Does Not Explain Increasing Class Gaps in Obesity." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 111.22 (June 2014): 2238-2238.

Increasing Socioeconomic Disparities in Adolescent Obesity

Frederick, Carl B., Kaisa Snellman, and Robert D. Putnam. "Increasing Socioeconomic Disparities in Adolescent Obesity." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111.4 (January 2014): 1338-1342.

Crumbling American Dreams

Putnam, Robert D. "Crumbling American Dreams." New York Times, August 3, 2013.

Islam and American Tolerance

Campbell, David E., and Robert D. Putnam. "Islam and American Tolerance." Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2011.

America's Grace: How a Tolerant Nation Bridges Its Religious Divides

Campbell, David E., and Robert D. Putnam. "America's Grace: How a Tolerant Nation Bridges Its Religious Divides." Political Science Quarterly, 126.4 (Winter 2011): 611-640.

Religion, Social Networks, and Life Satisfaction

Lim, Chaeyoon, and Robert D. Putnam. "Religion, Social Networks, and Life Satisfaction." American Sociological Review 75.6 (December 2010): 914-933.

Secular and Liminal: Discovering Heterogeneity Among Religious Nones

Lim, Chaeyoon, Carol Ann MacGregor, and Robert D. Putnam. "Secular and Liminal: Discovering Heterogeneity Among Religious Nones." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 49.4 (December 2010): 596–618.

American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us

Putnam, Robert D., and David E. Campbell. American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. Simon and Schuster, 2010.

The Age of Obama: The Changing Place of Minorities in British and American Society

Clark, Tom, Robert D. Putnam, and Edward Fieldhouse. The Age of Obama: The Changing Place of Minorities in British and American Society. University of Manchester Press, 2010.

Still Bowling Alone? The Post-9/11 Split

Sander, Thomas H. and Putnam, Robert D. "Still Bowling Alone? The Post-9/11 Split." Journal of Democracy 21.1 (January 2010): 9-16.

Diversity, Social Capital, and Immigrant Integration: Introductory Remarks

Putnam, Robert D. "Diversity, Social Capital, and Immigrant Integration: Introductory Remarks." National Civic Review 98.1 (Spring 2009): 3-5.

Is America Becoming a More Class-Based Society?

Putnam, Robert D. Is America Becoming a More Class-Based Society? The Future of Political Science: 100 Perspectives. Ed. Gary King, Kay Schlozman, and Norman Nie. Routledge, 2009, 158-159.

Sunday Forum: The Growing Class Gap

Putnam, Lara E., and Robert D. Putnam. "Sunday Forum: The Growing Class Gap." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 20, 2008.