Word: socials
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...participatory budget process implicitly suggests that both the market and the state have to be supervised by the broader public. Simply having the market discipline the state or the state regulate the market does not solve the more profound need for the public to have the capacity to shape social decisions without those choices distorted by the excesses of economic shortsightedness or bureaucratic centralization. Participatory budgeting offers us a solution that goes beyond the traditional dichotomy...
...fulfillment: The public is given the opportunity to express its ingenuity, experience, and knowledge by tackling the most important questions that society faces. The implicit philosophy is that through the process of public deliberation each individual embodies his or her desire to be an agent, not a spectator in social life; participation in political life expresses the innate desire in every individual to play a role in shaping their society. This new generation of Harvard graduates has the opportunity to expand our democratic imagination by learning from the achievements of Porto Alegre and finding new ways of directly engaging...
Thomas Ponniah is an Assistant Director of Studies for the Social Studies Program, Lecturer on Social Studies, and Faculty Associate for Harvard’s Project on Justice, Welfare, and Economics...
Let’s consider an example drawn from the realm of public health. Science may explore the molecular details of how a virus like HIV spreads, uncover how HIV causes disease, and even design drugs that inhibit its replication. However, it is through the social sciences that we discover how human behavior and cultural norms help shape the HIV epidemic, and it is the arts and humanities that produce some of the most vivid reflections of the personal and societal toll of AIDS for future generations to consider. Coming to terms with and embracing this multiplicity of perspectives provides...
...past three years, I have been proud to teach both of Adam Smith’s great books to a selection of Harvard’s brightest students in Social Studies 10. Each year, I wondered who among them might end up on the Supreme Court, or even in the presidency. My hope is that, when they attain positions of power, they remember what Smith had to teach them, not only about economics, but also about empathy...