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

Like a Fish in Water: An Essay on the Benefits of Government That Nobody Notices

Kelman, Steven. "Like a Fish in Water: An Essay on the Benefits of Government That Nobody Notices." August 2017.

“Tell It Like It Is”: Decision Making, Groupthink, and Decisiveness among U.S. Federal Subcabinet Executives

Kelman, Steven, Ronald Sanders, and Gayatri Pandit. "“Tell It Like It Is”: Decision Making, Groupthink, and Decisiveness among U.S. Federal Subcabinet Executives." Governance 29.3 (July 2016).

“I Won't Back Down?” Complexity and Courage in Government Executive Decision Making

Kelman, Steven, Ronald Sanders, and Gayatri Pandit. "“I Won't Back Down?” Complexity and Courage in Government Executive Decision Making." Public Administration Review 76.3 (May/June 2016): 465-471.

“Hard,” “Soft,” or “Tough Love” Management: What Promotes Successful Performance in a Cross-Organizational Collaboration?

Kelman, Steven, and Sounman Hong. "“Hard,” “Soft,” or “Tough Love” Management: What Promotes Successful Performance in a Cross-Organizational Collaboration?" International Public Management Journal 19.2 (2016): 141-170.

“I Won’t Back Down?” Complexity and Courage in Federal Decision-Making

Kelman, Steven, Ronald Sanders, Gayatri Pandit, and Sarah Taylor. "“I Won’t Back Down?” Complexity and Courage in Federal Decision-Making." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP13-044, October 2013.

This Could Be the Start of Something Big: Linking Early Managerial Choices with Subsequent Organizational Performance

Kelman, Steven, and Souman Hong. "This Could Be the Start of Something Big: Linking Early Managerial Choices with Subsequent Organizational Performance." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP13-042, October 2013.

Productivity and the Placebo Effect

Kelman, Steven. "Productivity and the Placebo Effect." Federal Computer Week, October 10, 2012.

Innovation: Are Feds Afraid of Their Own Shadows?

Kelman, Steven. "Innovation: Are Feds Afraid of Their Own Shadows?" Federal Computer Week, April 18, 2012.

Tapping into Feds' Desire to Serve

Kelman, Steven. "Tapping into Feds' Desire to Serve." Federal Computer Week, April 5, 2012.

“Hard,” “Soft,” or “Tough Love”:
What Kinds of Organizational
Culture Promote Successful
Performance in Cross-Organizational Collaborations?

Kelman, Steven, and Sounman Hong. "“Hard,” “Soft,” or “Tough Love”: What Kinds of Organizational Culture Promote Successful Performance in Cross-Organizational Collaborations?" HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP12-005, February 2012.

Why Contests Are A Smart Procurement Tool

Kelman, Steven. "Why Contests Are A Smart Procurement Tool." Federal Computer Week, February 9, 2012.

The Best Approach to Management: Tough love

Kelman, Steven. "The Best Approach to Management: Tough love." Federal Computer Week, January 15, 2012.

Successfully Achieving
Ambitious Goals
in Government:
An Empirical Analysis

Kelman, Steven, and Jeff Meyers. "Successfully Achieving Ambitious Goals in Government: An Empirical Analysis." American Review of Public Administration 41.3 (March 2011): 235-262.

Successfully Executing Ambitious Strategies in Government: An Empirical Analysis

Kelman, Steven, and Jeff Myers. "Successfully Executing Ambitious Strategies in Government: An Empirical Analysis." HKS Faculty Research Working Papers RWP09-009, April 2009.