School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

"Eliminating high-occupancy vehicle restrictions led to substantially worse traffic," says economics professor Ben Olken. "That’s not shocking, but the magnitudes are just enormous."

A simple solution for terrible traffic

Study: Without HOV policies, urban traffic gets much, much worse.

July 6, 2017

New research finds certain aspects of how state-level renewable portfolio standards are designed and presented can set people’s minds for or against such policies — and that in this arena, public opinion does influence policymaking. For example, learning that a renewable energy policy will likely create several thousand jobs led to a significant increase in supporters of that policy.

Bolstering public support for state-level renewable energy policies

Analysis shows the design and framing of renewable energy policies can strengthen public support — or opposition.

June 30, 2017

Baltimore, Maryland, is one of three local governments selected to work with J-PAL North America to evaluate solutions to homelessness, recidivism, and other policy challenges.

J-PAL North America partners with local governments to tackle homelessness and reduce incarceration

Selected cities and counties will receive funding and technical support from J-PAL to test innovative strategies in the fight against poverty.

June 30, 2017

“I was happy I didn’t get accepted into an engineering-only school, because I have two left hands and I’m way more interested in social sciences,” PhD student Aicha Ben Dhia says.

Investigating the trap of unemployment

PhD student Aicha Ben Dhia studies France’s labor market from the perspective of local job-seekers.

June 29, 2017

“One of the most frequent questions that we get at J-PAL is a version of, ‘So a program worked in one place. Is it likely to work in my context?’” says Mary Ann Bates, the deputy executive director of J-PAL North America.

How J-PAL thinks globally and acts locally

Can an antipoverty program work in different settings? A new report presents a user’s guide to a tough issue.

June 28, 2017

Play Labs announces first class of VR/AR/playful startups and demo session

First accelerator program on the MIT campus will showcase 12 startups across a mix of gaming, virtual reality, esports, and augmented reality technologies.

June 27, 2017

“The Violent American Century: War and Terror Since World War II,” by John W Dower (Haymarket Books)

Is the Pax Americana truly peaceful?

MIT historian John Dower’s latest book decries the militarism of the postwar years.

June 27, 2017

MIT Euro-Club and MISTI officials celebrate a milestone: (left to right) the Euro-Club's Xiaoyu Wu, Susanna Bachle, Katrin Michel, Karine Ip, and Giulio Alighieri; MISTI's Tanya Raymond, Alicia Goldstein Raun, Serenella Sferza, and Erin Schenck.

A unique partnership

The MIT European Club surpasses $200,000 mark in support of MISTI fellowships.

June 21, 2017

MIT student Neerja Aggarwal directed "Einstein's Dreams" on stage in the spring of 2017.

Featured video: Bringing “Einstein’s Dreams” to life

An MIT student in engineering and theater arts melds her dual passions to bring physics to the stage.

June 20, 2017

Officers surround honorable guest Air Force General Darren W. McDew (at center) and MIT President Rafael L. Reif during the 2017 commissioning ceremony for the MIT’s Reserve Officers Training Corps. More than 12,000 officers have been commissioned from MIT since the program’s origin, and more than 150 have reached the rank of general or admiral.

After MIT, new officers will serve their country

Following their MIT studies, graduates in MIT’s Reserve Officer Training Corps set off on new challenges in the U.S. military.

June 16, 2017

Course 21A.157 (The Meaning of Life), examines how a variety of cultural traditions approach the question of how to live with purpose. Here Brother David Vryhof explains the beliefs followed by brothers at the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, a monastery on Memorial Drive.

In search of a meaningful life

Popular MIT anthropology course offers contemplation and dialogue on life's big questions.

June 15, 2017

A new study by an MIT-based team of economists has developed a novel way of evaluating Value-Added Models (VAMs), which assess teachers and schools.

Testing the metrics

MIT researchers refine yardstick for measuring schools and teachers.

June 14, 2017

Breaking through gridlock: Productive conversations in a polarized world

A Mens et Manus America conversation with Jason Jay reveals research on how to have meaningful conversations with people holding opposing viewpoints.

June 5, 2017

PhD student Danielle Olson believes we can make digital information-sharing more natural and interpersonal, by creating immersive media to better understand each other’s feelings and backgrounds.

Danielle Olson: Building empathy through computer science and art

CSAIL PhD student creates immersive media to help users understand each other’s backgrounds and feelings.

May 30, 2017

Lee Perlman (in maroon shirt) lectures on the philosophy of love at MIT. Perlman also teaches classes at Massachusetts prisons with a mix of both MIT students and prison inmates.

Breaking down walls between the ivory tower and prison

The MIT Prison Initiative provides an academic framework for undergraduates and local inmates to explore the human condition.

May 24, 2017

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