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Political Meritocracy in Comparative Historical Perspective Conference

November 20, 2018

As part of their 2017 HGI grant award, Peter Bol, Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and James Hankins, Professor of History, hosted a conference on "Political Meritocracy in Comparative Historical Perspective" at the Edmund J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University on November 1-2, 2018. The conference brought together Chinese and Western experts in political theory and the history of political thought to discuss how to improve the moral and intellectual qualities of governing elites and how better to...

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Dyann Wirth provides expert analysis for CNN article on malaria increase

November 19, 2018
A CNN article discussing the recent and significant rise of malaria casses in 13 countries includes expert analysis from Dyann Wirth, professor of immunology and infectious diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Professor Wirth received an HGI grant in 2018 for her project that seeks to assist China in its efforts toward malaria elimination.

Rohini Pande Honored by the American Economic Association

October 24, 2018
Professor Rohini Pande, Rafik Hariri Professor of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School and Co-Director of Evidence for Policy Design, will receive the 2018 Carolyn Shaw Bell Award from the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession (CSWEP) wihtin the American Economic Association for her work in advancing the status of women in economics. Professor Pande is a 2017 HGI grant recipient for her project with Professor Daniel Nocera entitled, "Scientific and Policy Solutions for Climate Change in India."

Boston Globe: "Harvard researchers say they may have solved mystery of Beijing's air pollution woes"

October 18, 2018
Article in the Boston Globe that shares recent findings by Harvard scientists that indicate that formaldehyde may be responsible for extreme pollution events in China and that cutting emissions may offer quicker results for cleaning up air pollution. The research was a collaboration between Harvard University, Tsinghua University, and the Harbin Institute of Technology. The research was co-authored by J. William Munger and Daniel J. Jacob, with collaboration from Frank Keutsch, and the work was funded by an award to the Harvard-China... Read more about Boston Globe: "Harvard researchers say they may have solved mystery of Beijing's air pollution woes"

Harvard Gazette: "HUBweek returns with fresh ideas"

October 5, 2018
During HUBweek, "an idea festival that...brings together individuals and groups pushing the bounds of innovation in their industries," Ash Carter will lead a "conversation about the shared responsibility of government, business, and academica to protect the public from the negative effects of technological advancement while advancing the good that comes from innovation." Carter is an HGI grant recipient whose 2018 project is entitled, " Controlling Confrontation: How Emerging Technologies Are Increasing the Risk of Conflict Between the United States and China." The event is... Read more about Harvard Gazette: "HUBweek returns with fresh ideas"

Harvard Gazette: "Faith-based approach in battling malaria"

October 5, 2018
Harvard Divinity School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School hosted a panel of Anglican bishops from Africa  to discuss the role of faith and communities in working to end malaria and save lives. Dyann Wirth, Richard Pearson Strong Professor of Infectious Diseases at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, served as a moderator along with HDS Professor of African Religious Traditions Jacob Olupona. Wirth is an HGI grant recipient for her project, "Genetic Approaches to Malaria Surveillance and Elimination in China."

Harvard Gazette: "Studying environmental issues in China"

September 26, 2018

"A group of Harvard undergraduates spent the summer in China, working on solutions to an array of environmental problems ranging from examining ozone pollution's effects on crops to analyzing household electricity demand to studying ways to remediate arsenic contamination of groundwater... The internships were jointly sponsored by the Harvard China Project and the Harvard Global Institute."

"Confucianism and Meritocracy: Light from the East"

August 20, 2018
Article published in American Affairs Journal by HGI grant recipient James Hankins, detailing his summer research that seeks to answer, "whether [meritocracy] should become the leading principle of the whole political system..., a preferred method of selection for office, or simply an ethos spread by culture and education," with a focus on Japan and China.

The Prospect of Political Meritocracy in the Contemporary World

June 6, 2018
Professor James Hankins will be a panelist on a roundtable hosted by the Department of Politics and Public Administration of The University of Hong Kong on June 7, 2018. The roundtable focuses on the traditions of political meritocracy in the East and West, their successes and failures, and "prospects for reinvigorating meitocratic practices in East Asian and Western politics." Professor Hankins and Professor Peter Bol received a grant from HGI in 2017 for their project, "Political Meritocracy in Comparative Historical Perspective."

Harvard Gazette: "Global Power for Global Powers"

April 19, 2018
Liu Zhenya, chairman of Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO), delivered a University-wide lecture, "The Art of Energy Revolution: From Ultra-High-Voltage Power Grid to Global Energy Interconnection," at Harvard Law School on April 17. Liu is the former chairman and president of State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), the world's largest utility company. The event was sponsored by the Harvard China Project, East Asian Legal Studies, and Harvard Global Institute.

11 faculty elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

April 19, 2018
Harvard’s inductees to the class of 2018 include Naomi E. Pierce, Sidney A. and John H. Hessel Professor of Biology, curator of Lepidoptera in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and a 2016 HGI grant award recipient. The Academy "honors exceptional scholars, leaders, artists, and innovators and engages them in sharing knowledge and addressing challenges facing the world."

The New York Times: "An Eye in the Sky Could Detect Planet-Warming Plumes on the Ground"

April 11, 2018
HGI grant recipients Steven Wofsy and Daniel Jacob were included in a New York Times article that details the Environmental Defense Fund's plan to develop and launch a satellite that could detect industrial methane leaks and help fight climate change. Professor Wofsy and Professor Jacob are Principal Investigators for the HGI project, "China's Health Weather: Understanding and Predicting Connections Between Climate, Extreme Weather, Air Quality, and Health." Fellow PIs include Peter Huybers, Zhiming Kuang, Joel Schwartz, and Eli Tziperman.

Message from Drew Faust: Harvard's Climate Change Efforts

February 6, 2018
Harvard has "provided $7.7 million in funding for ten projects involving 20 faculty studying climate change and the environment through the Harvard Global Institute, launched in 2015 to support international engagement on pressing global challenges." 

HGI Symposium in Shanghai: “Finding Solutions: Climate Change Economics, Policy, and Implications for Business”

November 7, 2017

On November 7, 2017, HGI will host a symposium on “Finding Solutions: Climate Change Economics, Policy, and Implications for Business” at the Harvard Center Shanghai. Forest L. Reinhardt, John D. Black Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and Robert N. Stavins, A. J. Meyer Professor of Energy & Economic Development at the Harvard Kennedy School, will share their perspectives in a panel discussion. 

Harvard Gazette: "Tracing Migration’s Impact"

October 16, 2017

Deconstructing the multifarious and complex questions around migration and globalization may be the most direct route to a solution for the migration crisis facing the world today, Harvard experts said last week. Questions about its ethical, legal, social, cultural, and economic implications were the focus of the Harvard Global Institute’s second annual symposium on effecting resolution to critical issues.

Cooperation in East Asia to Address Climate Change

October 13, 2017
The Harvard Project on Climate Agreements conducted a research workshop at the Harvard Center Shanghai on September 27, 2017, to examine how national governments in the region might cooperate to address the problem of climate change. This workshop was supported through the HGI project grant, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: International Cooperation in East Asia.

HGI Symposium: "Migration and Globalization"

October 12, 2017

The second annual HGI symposium will take place on October 12, 2017. Co-hosted by President Drew Faust, the event will focus on migration and the modern world, the economic and political consequences of migration, and migration and social obligation. Moderators include Homi Bhabha, Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities; Jennifer Hochschild, Henry LaBarre Jayne Professor of Government and Professor of African and African American Studies; and Michèle Lamont, Robert I. Goldman Professor of European Studies and Professor of Sociology and of African...

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2017 Grants Announcement

September 29, 2017

In its third year of awarding grants, the Harvard Global Institute (HGI) will fund eight projects that engage faculty across six Harvard Schools and extend its geographic scope and research capacity.

HGI Event in Beijing: "Finding Solutions for China's Environmental Challenges: Climate Change, Air Quality, and Health"

August 3, 2017
HGI hosted an event in Beijing on the topic of "Finding Solutions for China's Environmental Challenges: Climate Change, Air Quality, and Health." Vice President for Strategy and Programs Leah Rosovsky moderated a panel of Harvard faculty who are also currently serving as principal investigators for HGI-funded projects, including Michael McElroy, Peter Huybers, and Zhiming Kuang. Professor McElroy provided context of the historical trends of climate change and air quality, and spoke about his reasearch at the atmospheric monitoring station outside of Beijing. Professor Huybers addressed the... Read more about HGI Event in Beijing: "Finding Solutions for China's Environmental Challenges: Climate Change, Air Quality, and Health"