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

Family Background and Income in Adulthood, 1961–1999

Harding, David J., Christopher Jencks, Leonard M. Lopoo, and Susan E. Mayer. "Family Background and Income in Adulthood, 1961–1999." The Inequality Reader: Contemporary and Foundational Readings in Race, Class, and Gender. Ed. David Grusky. Routledge, 2019.

Luck, Chance, and Taxes

Jencks, Christopher. "Luck, Chance, and Taxes." Review of Success and Luck, by Robert Frank. The American Interest, 13.1, June 23, 2017.

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.

Why the Very Poor Have Become Poorer

Jencks, Christopher. "Why the Very Poor Have Become Poorer." Review of $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America, by Kathryn J. Edin and H. Luke Shaefer. The New York Review of Books, 63.10, June 9, 2016: 15-17.

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.

Did We Lose the War on Poverty?—II

Jencks, Christopher. "Did We Lose the War on Poverty?—II." Review of Legacies of the War on Poverty, ed. Martha J. Bailey and Sheldon Danziger. New York Review of Books, 62.7, April 23, 2015: 37-39.

The War on Poverty: Was It Lost?

Jencks, Christopher. "The War on Poverty: Was It Lost?" Review of Legacies of the War on Poverty, ed. Martha J. Bailey and Sheldon Danziger. New York Review of Books, 62.6, April 2015: 82-85.

Was Moynihan Right?

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

On America's Front Lines

Jencks, Christopher. "On America's Front Lines." Review of On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City, by Alice Goffman. The New York Review of Books, 61.15, October 9, 2014: 34-36.

Mind the Gap: Compositional, Cultural and Institutional Explanations for Numeracy Skills Disparities Between Adult Immigrants and Natives in Western Countries

Levels, Mark, Jaap Dronkers, and Christopher Jencks. "Mind the Gap: Compositional, Cultural and Institutional Explanations for Numeracy Skills Disparities Between Adult Immigrants and Natives in Western Countries." HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series RWP14-020, April 2014.

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.

Health and Economic Inequality

Leigh, Andrew, Christopher Jencks, and Timothy M. Smeeding. Health and Economic Inequality. Oxford Handbook of Economic Inequality. Ed. Wiemer Salverda, Brian Nolan, and Tim Smeeding. Oxford University Press, 2009, 384-406.

Does Rising Economic Inequality Matter?

Jencks, Christopher. Does Rising Economic Inequality Matter? The Future of Political Science. Ed. Gary King, Kay Lehman Schlozman, and Norman H. Nie. Routledge, 2009, 115-117.