Intervals of less than 24 months between pregnancies and births can adversely affect maternal and child health, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. While studies suggest that improving access to family planning services may also improve women’s contraceptive use and reduce fertility, high-quality evidence of the effect of family planning interventions on longer-term fertility and birth spacing […]
Vaccination against COVID-19, including the recommended booster shot, is a critical line of defense against severe illness, hospitalization and death. Communities with low vaccination rates may be particularly vulnerable to future waves of COVID-19. While vaccine uptake in Massachusetts is high relative to the US average, a number of eligible individuals remain unvaccinated and an […]
By Emanne Khan In Spring 2022, the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) hosted two research seminars with visiting scholars who presented new findings and received feedback from fellow experts on study design and methodology. The mission of HCI is to advance interdisciplinary research on the role of human capital in human development to inform policy solutions […]
Family, as the most basic social institution in the world, has been of longstanding interest to researchers and policymakers alike. Studies of family structure in developed societies have predominantly examined kinship and intrafamilial ties within nuclear family settings, with an extensive literature devoted to marital and parent–child relationships. In contrast, relationships within nonnuclear family structures […]
By Emanne Khan Since 1993, India has experienced two competing dynamics. That year, the national government passed the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, which includes among its provisions that village councils (panchayats) must reserve no less than one-third of seats for women. While the amendment legally granted women an unprecedented level of political representation, long-standing social […]
Since India passed the 1993 Constitutional Amendment mandating quotas for women in government, a critical mass of women have entered local politics. The law was rightly celebrated, but also gave rise to a belief that while women are de jure elected to local office, their husbands de facto run the state. This belief has had […]
By Emanne Khan Over two years after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, people across professions have found new ways of conducting their work while adapting to the challenges of the virus. With many countries lifting restrictions on international travel, scholars engaged in research projects abroad have welcomed the opportunity to return […]
Throughout history, the chemical element mercury has had a variety of applications spanning medicine, manufacturing and more. While mercury has played a role in a number of scientific advances, exposure to mercury can also cause serious health complications that have led to a steady reduction in its use in consumer products. The element is also […]
By Vidhu Priya Mukundan From March 14-25, the Commission on the Status of Women is conducting its 66th session (CSW66), where member states, civil society organizations and United Nations entities discuss the most pressing matters of gender inequality in the context of the climate crisis. Established by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in […]
Each year, 14 million unplanned pregnancies occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. Given the costs involved in raising a child, the high rate of unplanned pregnancy may influence how limited household resources are allocated among children, with potentially detrimental effects on children’s growth and development. While family planning and reproductive health services allow couples to plan births, […]