{shortcode-5e46fcbc6a97ecfca75e2ee93e9c7240c7744fdd}
Six Harvard Kennedy School projects received grants of up to $20,000 to research the effects of the second Trump administration on public opinion and democratic institutions.
Among the recipients, HKS professor Matthew Baum will undertake a national survey of public responses to President Trump’s early actions, including cuts to research funding and crackdowns on immigration. HKS professor Elizabeth Linos will track the misconceptions about public servants and whether they have impacted support or interest in public service.
Other projects will measure the cuts to U.S. humanitarian support in Africa, develop policy tools for state leaders, and research foreign aid strategies after Trump gutted the U.S. International Agency for Development.
In a press release announcing the recipients, HKS dean Jeremy Weinstein said the grants were a show of support for faculty who are addressing “urgent questions” about “how public institutions can deliver for people in this moment.”
“With the United States and the world at a critical inflection point, questions about how to support economic progress, strengthen democracy, and improve the performance of government have never been more important,” Weinstein said.
Weinstein first called for grant applications in the spring, as the University reeled from billions of dollars in funding cuts and administrators scrambled to prepare for worst case scenarios.
Mark Shepard, an HKS professor who won a grant to study gaps in health insurance coverage caused by administrative burdens, said it was “exciting and inspiring” to see the dean invest in research during a time of financial strain.
Shepard acknowledged that the $20,000 grant, which amounts to about one-fifth of a research assistant salary, would not support his entire project, but said it would help kickstart the project and attract more investment later on.
The grants — a rare funding opportunity after HKS moved to lay off staff and Harvard paused faculty hirings — encourage professors to address changes in Washington as the University battles with the administration directly for its own federal funding. Harvard is also under added strain from a nearly sixfold increase to the endowment tax.
Linos, the HKS professor conducting surveys on shifting perceptions of public servants, said the grants were in line with Harvard’s commitment to not stand “against or for the Trump administration, but for science and truth.”
“If we’re doing our job well, we’re not shying away from any of these issues,” Linos said. “We’re tackling them based on our scientific expertise and based on what’s critical for the public conversations.”
“Whether or not that contradicts a given politician is neither here nor there,” she added.
Over the summer, Weinstein also added 50 full-rides for public servants and veterans to the Mid-Career Masters in Public Administration program in the largest single-year scholarship initiative in HKS history. The program offers an off ramp for career public servants impacted by the mass firings conducted by White House.
Under Weinstein’s leadership, Shepard said, the external challenges have encouraged a “clarifying moment internally,” where faculty can ask existential questions about the school’s purpose and vision.
“I really credit Dean Jeremy Weinstein for his leadership in helping all of us come together and really renew that purpose in what could be a time of fighting, but in practice, has been a time of renewed purpose,” Shepard said.
—Staff writer Elise A. Spenner can be reached at elise.spenner@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @EliseSpenner.
—Staff writer Tanya J. Vidhun can be reached at tanya.vidhun@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @tanyavidhun.
