As consumers, we often assume products are ethically sourced, but human rights violations persist in transnational corporations' supply chains. Caroline Rees, alongside Professor John Ruggie, championed the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, laying the foundation for global legal frameworks to hold corporations accountable for human rights violations throughout their supply chains.

Democracy is under threat in the United States and around the world. Pippa Norris identifies the causes of democratic backsliding worldwide and proposes actionable ways to address these challenges and revitalize democratic governance.

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Approximately 3% of deceased undocumented immigrants donate kidneys, yet only 0.2% receive kidney transplants. Dr. Joel Adler highlights this stark disparity and calls for a reexamination of the organ transplant system, advocating for eligibility based on fairness and medical need.

The surge in New York City's homeless population, exacerbated by the expiration of pandemic-related measures, poses a critical challenge, with numbers reaching unprecedented levels. Christine Quinn urges upholding the "right to shelter," faster transitions to permanent housing for cost savings, and collaboration to address the multifaceted crisis.

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Artificial Intelligence seems to be everywhere, from the agenda of world leaders to the limited series-style boardroom drama at OpenAI. Harvard Fellow, Paulo Carvão, discusses the challenges and importance of fair algorithms to ensure responsible and unbiased AI use.

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If you get pulled over, chances are you won't recall your rights due to the stress of dealing with the police. Anthony J. Mohr proposes a way to provide a rapid review of the dos and don'ts during traffic stops, potentially saving lives.

The agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) exemplifies purposeful, multi-year negotiations where incremental alignment led to peace. Former High Commissioner of Peace during the Santos Presidency, Sergio Jaramillo, shares the highs and lows, along with important lessons from the negotiation process that ultimately ended the armed conflict.

Parking your car has significant social implications that few of us consider. Henry Grabar discusses his latest book, Paved Paradise, where he describes the societal and economic impact of our parking policies, which encompass fines, valets, garages, permits, and more.

Did you know that there exist inexpensive generic drugs and supplements that might be effective as novel treatments for many diseases? Yet, pharmaceutical companies lack financial incentives to develop them. Could the creation of a federal agency designed to fund and oversee such efforts lead to new affordable treatments for unmet medical needs?

Chris Lewis, CEO of Public Knowledge, answers questions from 2019 ALI Fellow Lisa Macpherson about the current public fascination with generative artificial intelligence, the policy solutions we really need for AI, and the regulation for digital technology that’s way overdue.

There is significant concern about threats to democracy and the potential for an increasing move toward authoritarianism around the world. Archon Fung, Director of Harvard’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, is optimistic about the future of democracy and believes there is much individual citizens can do to assure that democracy remains healthy and vital.

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Achieving racial equity has gone beyond a moral imperative to become an economic imperative for this nation. Peter Williams explains how the Supreme Court’s decisions on affirmative action and student loan debt makes the problem worse.

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To combat the homeless crisis in America, bureaucratic obstacles that hinder those in need must be overcome. Harvard ALI Fellows Melinda Giovengo and Betsy Schwartz critically examine HUD's Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act and showcase how the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston, Texas has successfully implemented a multi-stakeholder approach.

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When the doors of college were reserved for whites only, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) gave African Americans the education they deserved and the strength to rise above bigotry. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decisions that throttle affirmative action, 2021 Harvard ALI Fellow Terry Edmonds reminds us of the role HBCUs played in the past and the expanded role they may play now.

The Big Myth, by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, makes a compelling and well documented case that under the guise of protecting individual freedom, corporations and influential individuals organized to resist efforts to regulate industry. Oreskes and Conway peel away the cloak to expose concerted efforts across broad spectrums of society to propagandize against government efforts to protect the common good, to a point where any government intervention into the marketplace is labeled anti-capitalist. The book is not an assault on capitalism, but an assault on the myth that equates capitalism with freedom.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The decision has had a devastating impact on women's health in the U.S. Cecile Richards, a national leader for women’s rights and social and economic justice and former President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund for 12 years, reflects on the decision, its impact, and an urgent path forward.

Mark Medish, co-founder of Keep Our Republic, discusses strategies to protect our democratic electoral operating system — including through "hyper-localized community dialogue."

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Technology and the marketplace have changed substantially in the last three decades, and so must our expectations about the obligations of online platforms. The Supreme Court issued an opinion on Gonzalez v Google that increases the need for congressional action on Section 230 at the same time that generative AI is in front of society highlighting the dilemmas about the ethical use of data and algorithms.

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Fierce political polarization is threatening democracy in the world and acting as a barrier to crafting effective solutions to critical social challenges. Alice Lombardo Maher, MD, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, has succeeded in bridging the divide by bringing together people on opposite sides of the political spectrum and modeling the skills that are core to effective dialogue.

HEALTH & HOMELESSNESS SERIES:

The Biden Administration’s plan to reduce homelessness by 25% by 2025 is focused on preventing homelessness before it occurs in the first place. Jeff Olivet, executive director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, discusses how they are urgently addressing basic needs of people in crisis, and expanding housing and support to help people get and stay housed.