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

The Direct Effect of Taxes and Transfers on Changes in the U.S. Income Distribution, 1967–2015

Wimer, Christopher; Zachary Parolin, Anny Fenton, Liana Fox, and Christopher Jencks. "The Direct Effect of Taxes and Transfers on Changes in the U.S. Income Distribution, 1967–2015." Demography 57.5 (October 2020): 1833-1851.

The Direct Effect of Taxes and Transfers on Changes in the U.S. Income Distribution, 1967–2015

Wimer, Christopher, Zachary Parolin, Anny Fenton, Liana Fox, and Christopher Jencks. "The Direct Effect of Taxes and Transfers on Changes in the U.S. Income Distribution, 1967–2015." Demography 57 (2020): 1833–1851.

Contextual Explanations for Numeracy and Literacy Skill Disparities Between Native and Foreign-Born Adults in Western Countries

Levels, Mark, Jaap Dronkers, and Christopher Jencks. "Contextual Explanations for Numeracy and Literacy Skill Disparities Between Native and Foreign-Born Adults in Western Countries." PLoS One 12.3 (March 16, 2017): 1-25.

Income Segregation between Schools and School District

Owens, Ann, Sean F. Reardon, and Christopher Jencks. "Income Segregation between Schools and School District." American Educational Research Journal 53.4 (December 2016): 848-862.

School Accountability, Postsecondary Attainment and Earnings

Deming, David J., Sarah Cohodes, Jennifer Jennings and Christopher Jencks. "School Accountability, Postsecondary Attainment and Earnings." Review of Economics and Statistics 98.5 (December 2016): 848-862.

Income Inequality and Health: Strong Theories, Weaker Evidence

Truesdale, Beth C., and Christopher Jencks. "Income Inequality and Health: Strong Theories, Weaker Evidence." Frontiers in Public Health Services and Systems Research 5.5 (2016): 30-37.

The Health Effects of Income Inequality: Averages and Disparities

Truesdale, Beth C., and Christopher Jencks. "The Health Effects of Income Inequality: Averages and Disparities." Annual Review of Public Health 37 (March 2016): 413-430.

When Does Accountability Work? Texas System Had Mixed Effects on College Graduation rates and future earnings

Deming, David J., Sarah Cohodes, Jennifer Jennings, and Christopher Jencks. "When Does Accountability Work? Texas System Had Mixed Effects on College Graduation rates and future earnings." Education Next 16.1 (January 2016): 70-77.

Was Moynihan Right?

McLanahan, Sara, and Christopher Jencks. "Was Moynihan Right?" Education Next 15.2 (Spring 2015): 16-22.

Do Differences in School Quality Matter More Than We Thought? New Evidence on Educational Opportunity in the Twenty-first Century

Jennings, Jennifer L., David Deming, Christopher Jencks, Maya Lopuch, and Beth E. Schueler. "Do Differences in School Quality Matter More Than We Thought? New Evidence on Educational Opportunity in the Twenty-first Century." Sociology of Education 88.1 (January 2015): 56-82.

Do Rising Top Incomes Lift All Boats?

Andrews, Dan, Christopher Jencks, and Andrew Leigh. "Do Rising Top Incomes Lift All Boats?" B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy 11.1 (January 2011): Article 6.

The Association of Earnings with Health in Middle Age: Do Self-Reported Earnings for the Previous Year Tell the Whole Story?

Rehkopf, David H., Christopher Jencks, and Maria M. Glymour. "The Association of Earnings with Health in Middle Age: Do Self-Reported Earnings for the Previous Year Tell the Whole Story?" Social Science and Medicine 71.3 (August 2010): 431-439.

Does Childhood Schooling Affect Old Age Memory or Mental Status?: Using State Schooling Laws as Natural Experiments

Glymour, Maria, Ichiro Kawachi, Christopher Jencks, and Lisa F. Berkman. "Does Childhood Schooling Affect Old Age Memory or Mental Status?: Using State Schooling Laws as Natural Experiments." Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 62 (June 2008): 532-537.

Inequality and Mortality: Long-Run Evidence from a Panel of Countries.

Leigh, Andrew, and Christopher Jencks. "Inequality and Mortality: Long-Run Evidence from a Panel of Countries." Journal of Health Economics 26.1-2 (January 2007): 1-24.

Changing Attitudes toward Premarital Sex: Cohort, Period, and Aging Effects.

Harding, David J., and Christopher Jencks. "Changing Attitudes toward Premarital Sex: Cohort, Period, and Aging Effects." Public Opinion Quarterly 67.2 (Summer 2003): 211-226.

“Does Inequality Matter?”

Jencks, Christopher. “Does Inequality Matter?” Daedalus (Winter 2002): 49-65.