Harvard Kennedy School’s Taubman Center
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| Harvard Kennedy School’s Taubman Center | |
|---|---|
| Name | Taubman Center for State and Local Government |
| Type | Research center |
| Established | 1997 |
| Affiliation | Harvard Kennedy School |
| Location | Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Director | -- |
Harvard Kennedy School’s Taubman Center The Taubman Center for State and Local Government is a research center at the Harvard Kennedy School that focuses on subnational public policy and administration. It engages with elected officials, civil servants, and scholars through applied research, executive education, and policy convenings. The Center connects historical and contemporary debates involving city management, fiscal policy, electoral administration, and intergovernmental relations.
History
Founded in 1997 during a period of institutional expansion at Harvard Kennedy School, the Taubman Center emerged amid broader reforms associated with leaders such as Joseph Nye, Dani Rodrik, and Graham Allison. Early initiatives drew on comparative studies influenced by scholars like Theda Skocpol, Robert Putnam, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan while responding to policy challenges highlighted by events such as the 1994 midterm elections and the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Throughout the 2000s the Center expanded programming under deans including Edward S. Mason Medal recipients and collaborated with municipal actors from cities like New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia. Post-2010 work intersected with crises that engaged leaders in FEMA, Department of Housing and Urban Development, and state governors such as Pataki and Deval Patrick.
Mission and Research Areas
The Taubman Center’s mission emphasizes evidence-based policymaking in subnational contexts, aligning with scholarship from figures like Elinor Ostrom, James Q. Wilson, and Paul A. Samuelson. Research areas include fiscal federalism influenced by debates from Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, urban governance studied in cases such as Detroit bankruptcy and New Orleans recovery, electoral administration with reference points like the Help America Vote Act and controversies surrounding the 2000 United States presidential election, and performance management linked to reforms advocated by Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani. Comparative projects draw on experiences from London, Paris, Madrid, and Tokyo, while methodological approaches reflect traditions associated with John Kingdon, Robert Dahl, and Herbert Simon.
Programs and Education
The Center runs executive education and degree-related activities that engage practitioners from state legislatures such as the California State Legislature and the Massachusetts General Court, municipal officials from Seattle, Denver, and Houston, and agency leaders from institutions including Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Environmental Protection Agency. Course offerings intersect with curricula taught by faculty like Larry Summers, Cass Sunstein, Austan Goolsbee, and Susan Hockfield. Fellowships and seminars have hosted visiting practitioners from organizations such as the National Governors Association, U.S. Conference of Mayors, Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, and Council on Foreign Relations. Collaborative training programs have been informed by cases involving mayors such as Bill de Blasio, Marty Walsh, and Rahm Emanuel.
Publications and Policy Impact
Taubman-affiliated research has produced policy briefs, working papers, and case studies citing contemporary examples including the Affordable Care Act, Storm Sandy, and municipal responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Publications have appeared alongside outlets and partners including the Harvard Kennedy School Press, Brookings Institution, National Academy of Public Administration, and journals associated with scholars like Elinor Ostrom and Theodore Lowi. Policy impact is traced through advisory roles with state chief executives, testimony before bodies such as the United States Congress and the Massachusetts Legislature, and technical assistance to election officials involved in litigation following the 2020 United States presidential election.
Funding and Governance
Funding for the Center has combined philanthropic gifts, foundation grants, and institutional support from entities such as the Taubman family, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Governance structures align with Harvard’s administrative frameworks and include advisory boards populated by former elected officials, corporate executives, and academic leaders like recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, MacArthur Fellowship, and Nobel Prize in Economics. Collaborative grants have linked the Center to consortia involving National Science Foundation awards and partnerships with state agencies and nonprofits including Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
Notable Fellows and Alumni
Fellows, visiting scholars, and alumni associated with the Center include former governors, mayors, and senior civil servants such as Deval Patrick, Anthony Foxx, Gavin Newsom, William Bratton, and policy scholars from institutions including Princeton University, Yale University, Stanford University, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, London School of Economics, Sciences Po, University of Chicago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, New York University, Georgetown University, Brown University, and University of Pennsylvania. Alumni have moved into roles at organizations like the Urban Institute, Brookings Institution, National Governors Association, U.S. Department of Transportation, and municipal leadership positions across the United States.