Discussions
‘More Abundant, Diverse and Affordable’: Missing Middle Housing Proposed as Solution to Housing Crisis in Massachusetts
In Greater Boston, one- and two-person households make up about 60 percent of homes. These smaller households limit the effective housing supply while more than 200,000 housing units in Massachusetts are needed to address the current shortage.
Sandel, Deming, Kennedy Clash Over Meritocracy in Higher Education and Democracy
Harvard professors Michael J. Sandel, Randall L. Kennedy, and College Dean David J. Deming debated the role of meritocracy in democratic societies at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s inaugural academic freedom lecture on Thursday night.
Former Israel PM Says Trump Is the Only Leader Who Can End War in Gaza
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Donald Trump — more than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or any other world leader — is the only person who can bring an end to the war in Gaza during an Institute of Politics forum on Thursday night.
Author Erik Davis Discusses Role of ‘Psychedelic Jesus’ in Christian Movements at Harvard Divinity School Talk
Author Erik Davis scrutinized the current state of “spiritual warfare” between new, evolving sects of Christianity and the pervasiveness of the “Psychedelic Jesus” figure at a Harvard Divinity School talk on Monday.
‘So, What is With Your Court?’: Former Canadian Supreme Court Justice Criticises U.S. Court for Commitment to Originalism
Former Canadian Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Abella criticized U.S. Supreme Court Justices for their adamant commitment to originalism during a panel hosted by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.
Former Jan. 6 Prosecutor Denounces Trump’s Decision to Pardon Rioters at HLS Talk
Mike Romano, who supervised the federal government’s effort to prosecute crimes related to the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol, slammed President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon the rioters during a discussion at Harvard Law School on Wednesday.
Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer Applauds Legal Pragmatism at HLS Symposium
Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer criticized the reversal of Roe v. Wade as an example of a decision driven by judges’ personal beliefs rather than consideration of the law’s broader context during an event at Harvard Law School on Friday.
CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir Discusses His Pivot to Covering Climate Solutions at IOP Talk
CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir said at an Institutes of Politics discussion on Wednesday that the focus of the media conversation on climate change had shifted from climate-related emergencies to problem-solving.
At Harvard Talk, World Wide Web Inventor Tim Berners-Lee Says Today’s Internet Exploits Users for Data
Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor the World Wide Web, criticized the state of the internet today for turning users into “consumable products” in a talk in Harvard Square on Wednesday evening about his recently released memoir.
Czech Republic President Petr Pavel Urges U.S. Support for Ukraine at Harvard Talk
Czech Republic President Petr Pavel positioned Europe as a key ally for the United States and urged increased American support for Ukraine during a talk at the Harvard Kennedy School on Wednesday.
Former State Department Negotiator Wendy Sherman Says Trump Should Reverse Its Foreign Policy Approach
Former Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman criticized what she called a “transactional” approach to foreign policy under the Trump administration at a Harvard Institute of Politics forum Tuesday evening, warning that the world’s authoritarian leaders had been emboldened by the White House.
Tim Walz Says at Harvard Talk That Democrats Need To ‘Fundamentally Change’ To Win in 2028
Former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz said he was “not sure” whether the Democratic Party yet has a viable presidential candidate for the 2028 election at an Institute of Politics forum on Monday — but remained adamant it wouldn’t be him.
Former Irish Prime Minister Relives His Tenure at 2025 Gustav Pollak Lecture
Former Prime Minister of Ireland Leo Varadkar said Western countries should give more foreign aid to reduce illegal migration and defended the rise of deportations during his tenure at the 2025 Gustav Pollak Lecture on Thursday.
Women Founders Discuss the Future of Climate and Sustainability at Earth Day Panel
Female leaders in climate and sustainability discussed their initiatives at a Harvard College Women’s Center event in honor of Earth Day on Wednesday.
Paleoanthropologist Louise Leakey Talks Turkana Basin Discoveries at Peabody Museum
Paleoanthropologist Louise Leakey, the granddaughter of Mary and Louis Leakey, who first determined that early humans evolved in Africa, presented a history of her family’s research in north Kenya at the Peabody Museum on Thursday.
