harvard thesis phd

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Start with  HOLLIS  (HarvardKey login required for some full text, including theses & dissertations)

• Those presented for graduate degrees 
• Bowdoin prize essays 
• Undergraduate honors theses

How do you know if it's available online? 

• “View Online” button links out to full text.
• If there's no "View Online" button, the work probably has not been digitized.

What Harvard theses and dissertations can you expect to find online in full text? How do you get to them?

• Follow the links in HOLLIS.
• Not a Harvard affiliate? log in through the library of your academic institution OR
• you can usually purchase directly from  ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Express.  
• undergraduates are not required to submit theses or prizewinning papers to DASH
• Harvard Extension School ALM theses 2012-2016 were not entered into DASH. 
• Under certain circumstances dissertations may be embargoed by the author; DASH may be the only place this information is given.

If the work hasn't been digitized:

You can order PDFs or photocopies of most Harvard theses and dissertations (unless they're available through the Proquest database linked above) from 1873 through November 2011 (and ALM theses to 2016) 

• See our Reproduction Requests page to register
• When you submit the online order form, Imaging Services staff will reply with cost and delivery information.
• Questions about the online ordering process or pricing? Contact Imaging Services staff directly for additional information at 617/495-3995  or [email protected] (M-F, 9-5 Eastern) ​

For Extension School ALM theses  check out our  Library Guide for Harvard Extension School theses page

Want to view a dissertation or thesis at the library? Check with the archival collection location listed in HOLLIS.

Wondering what dissertations and theses have been submitted in the recent past?  Use DASH .

For more on undergraduate theses and dissertations, see our " How can I locate a Harvard undergraduate thesis?" FAQ.

Looking for non-Harvard theses & dissertations? See our "How can I find theses and dissertations?"  FAQ.

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Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy

Dissertations

Most Harvard PhD dissertations from 2012 forward are available online in DASH , Harvard’s central open-access repository and are linked below. Many older dissertations can be found on ProQuest Dissertation and Theses Search which many university libraries subscribe to.

HLS Dissertations, Theses, and JD Papers

S.j.d. dissertations, ll.m. papers, ll.m. theses, j.d. papers, submitting your paper to an online collection, other sources for student papers beyond harvard, getting help, introduction.

This is a guide to finding Harvard Law School (“HLS”) student-authored works held by the Library and in online collections. This guide covers HLS S.J.D Dissertations, LL.M. papers, J.D. third-year papers, seminar papers, and prize papers.

There have been changes in the HLS degree requirements for written work. The library’s collection practices and catalog descriptions for these works has varied. Please note that there are gaps in the library’s collection and for J.D. papers, few of these works are being collected any longer.

If we have an S.J.D. dissertation or LL.M. thesis, we have two copies. One is kept in the general collection and one in the Red Set, an archival collection of works authored by HLS affiliates. If we have a J.D. paper, we have only one copy, kept in the Red Set. Red Set copies are last resort copies available only by advance appointment in Historical and Special Collections .

Some papers have not been processed by library staff. If HOLLIS indicates a paper is “ordered-received” please use this form to have library processing completed.

The HLS Doctor of Juridical Science (“S.J.D.”) program began in 1910.  The library collection of these works is not comprehensive. Exceptions are usually due to scholars’ requests to withhold Library deposit. 

• HLS S.J.D. Dissertations in HOLLIS To refine these search results by topic or faculty advisor, or limit by date, click Add a New Line.
• Hein’s Legal Theses and Dissertations Microfiche Mic K556.H45x Drawers 947-949 This microfiche set includes legal theses and dissertations from HLS and other premier law schools. It currently includes about 300 HLS dissertations and theses.
• Hein's Legal Theses and Dissertations Contents List This content list is in order by school only, not by date, subject or author. It references microfiche numbers within the set housed in the Microforms room on the entry level of the library, drawers 947-949. The fiche are a different color for each institution.
• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses @ Harvard University (Harvard login) Copy this search syntax: dg(S.J.D.) You will find about 130 SJD Dissertations dated from 1972 to 2004. They are not available in full text.
• DASH Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard Sponsored by Harvard University’s Office for Scholarly Communication, DASH is an open repository for research papers by members of the Harvard community. There are currently about 600 HLS student papers included. Unfortunately it is not possible to search by type of paper or degree awarded.

The Master of Laws (“LL.M.”) degree has been awarded since 1923. Originally, the degree required completion of a major research paper, akin to a thesis. Since 1993, most students have the option of writing the LL.M. "short paper."  This is a 25-page (or longer) paper advised by a faculty supervisor or completed in conjunction with a seminar.  Fewer LL.M. candidates continue to write the more extensive "long-paper." LL.M. candidates holding J.D.s from the U.S. must write the long paper.

• HLS Written Work Requirements for LL.M. Degree The current explanation of the LL.M. written work requirement for the master of laws.

The library generally holds HLS LL.M. long papers and short papers. In recent years, we require author release in order to do so. In HOLLIS, no distinction is made between types of written work created in satisfaction of the LL.M. degree; all are described as LL.M. thesis. Though we describe them as thesis, the law school refers to them solely as papers or in earlier years, essays. HOLLIS records indicate the number of pages, so at the record level, it is possible to distinguish long papers.

• HLS LL.M. Papers in HOLLIS To refine these search results by topic, faculty advisor, seminar or date, click Add a New Line.

HLS LL.M. Papers are sometimes available in DASH and Hein's Legal Dissertations and Theses. See descriptions above .

The HLS J.D. written work requirement has changed over time. The degree formerly required a substantial research paper comparable in scope to a law review article written under faculty supervision, the "third year paper." Since 2008, J.D. students have the option of using two shorter works instead.

Of all those written, the library holds relatively few third-year papers. They were not actively collected but accepted by submission from faculty advisors who deemed a paper worthy of institutional retention. The papers are described in HOLLIS as third year papers, seminar papers, and student papers. Sometimes this distinction was valid, but not always. The faculty deposit tradition more or less ended in 2006, though the possibility of deposit still exists. 

• J.D. Written Work Requirement
• Faculty Deposit of Student Papers with the Library

HLS Third Year Papers in HOLLIS

To refine these search results by topic, faculty advisor, seminar or date, click Add a New Line.

• HLS Student Papers Some third-year papers and LL.M. papers were described in HOLLIS simply as student papers. To refine these search results, click "Add a New Line" and add topic, faculty advisor, or course title.
• HLS Seminar Papers Note that these include legal research pathfinders produced for the Advanced Legal Research course when taught by Virginia Wise.

Prize Papers

HLS has many endowed prizes for student papers and essays. There are currently 16 different writing prizes. See this complete descriptive list with links to lists of winners from 2009 to present. Note that there is not always a winner each year for each award. Prize winners are announced each year in the commencement pamphlet.

The Library has not specifically collected prize papers over the years but has added copies when possible. The HOLLIS record for the paper will usually indicate its status as a prize paper. The most recent prize paper was added to the collection in 2006.

Addison Brown Prize Animal Law & Policy Program Writing Prize Victor Brudney Prize Davis Polk Legal Profession Paper Prize Roger Fisher and Frank E.A. Sander Prize Yong K. Kim ’95 Memorial Prize Islamic Legal Studies Program Prize on Islamic Law Laylin Prize LGBTQ Writing Prize Mancini Prize Irving Oberman Memorial Awards John M. Olin Prize in Law and Economics Project on the Foundations of Private Law Prize Sidney I. Roberts Prize Fund Klemens von Klemperer Prize Stephen L. Werner Prize

• Harvard Law School Prize Essays (1850-1868) A historical collection of handwritten prize essays covering the range of topics covered at that time. See this finding aid for a collection description.

The following information about online repositories is not a recommendation or endorsement to participate.

• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses HLS is not an institutional participant to this collection. If you are interested in submitting your work, refer to these instructions and note that there is a fee required, which varies depending on the format of submission.
• EBSCO Open Dissertations Relatively new, this is an open repository of metadata for dissertations. It is an outgrowth of the index American Doctoral Dissertations. The aim is to cover 1933 to present and, for modern works, to link to full text available in institutional repositories. Harvard is not one of the institutional participants.
• DASH Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard

Sponsored by Harvard University’s Office for Scholarly Communication, this is an open repository for research papers by members of the Harvard community. See more information about the project. 

Some HLS students have submitted their degree paper to DASH.  If you would like to submit your paper, you may use this authorization form  or contact June Casey , Librarian for Open Access Initiatives and Scholarly Communication at Harvard Law School.

• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (Harvard Login) Covers dissertations and masters' theses from North American graduate schools and many worldwide. Provides full text for many since the 1990s and has descriptive data for older works.
• NDLTD Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations Union Catalog Worldwide in scope, NDLTD contains millions of records of electronic theses and dissertations from the early 1900s to the present.
• Law Commons of the Digital Commons Network The Law Commons has dissertations and theses, as well as many other types of scholarly research such as book chapters and conference proceedings. They aim to collect free, full-text scholarly work from hundreds of academic institutions worldwide.
• EBSCO Open Dissertations Doctoral dissertations from many institutions. Free, open repository.
• Dissertations from Center for Research Libraries Dissertations found in this resource are available to the Harvard University Community through Interlibrary Loan.
• British Library EThOS Dissertation source from the British Library listing doctoral theses awarded in the UK. Some available for immediate download and some others may be requested for scanning.
• BASE from Bielefeld University Library Index of the open repositoris of most academic institutions. Includes many types of documents including doctoral and masters theses.

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• Last Updated: Sep 12, 2023 10:46 AM
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Dissertation,   the dissertation.

After the successful completion of the general examination, a topic and adviser for the dissertation should be chosen. Students should discuss potential topics with several faculty members before beginning. The final prospectus should be approved not later than 3 months (within the academic calendar -- September through May) of passing the general examinations in order to be considered to be making satisfactory progress toward the degree. This is the time when the Thesis Reader and Dissertation Proposal form should be completed and submitted to the department office or DGS. Three signatures are now required on the thesis acceptance certificate. Two of the three signatories must be GSAS faculty. The primary adviser must be in the department of History of Art and Architecture; the secondary adviser need not be. In addition to the primary and secondary advisers the student may have one or more other readers. Two readers must be in the department.

Thesis Defense

The Department of History of Art and Architecture requires that all Ph.D. dissertations (of students entering in September 1997 and beyond) be defended. At the defense, the student has the opportunity to present and formally discuss the dissertation with respect to its sources, findings, interpretations, and conclusions, before a Defense Committee knowledgeable in the student's field of research. The Director of the thesis is a member of the Defense committee. A committee is permitted to convene in the absence of the thesis Director only in cases of emergency or other extreme circumstances. The Defense Committee may consist of up to five members, but no fewer than three. The suggested make-up of the members of the committee should be brought to the Director of Graduate Studies for approval. Two members of this committee should be from the Department of History of Art and Architecture. One member can be outside the Department (either from another Harvard department or outside the University). The Defense will be open to department members only (faculty and graduate students), but others may be invited at the discretion of the candidate. Travel for an outside committee member is not possible at this time; exceptions are made rarely.  We encourage the use of Skype or conference calling for those committee members outside of Cambridge and have accommodation for either.  A modest honorarium will be given for the reading of the thesis for one member of the jury outside the University. A minimum of one month prior to scheduling the defense, a final draft of the dissertation should be submitted to two readers (normally the primary and secondary advisors). Once the two readers have informed the director of graduate studies that the dissertation is “approved for defense,” the candidate may schedule the date, room, and time for the defense in consultation with the department and the appointed committee. This date should be no less than six weeks after the time the director of graduate studies has been informed that the dissertation was approved for defense. It should be noted that preliminary approval of the thesis for defense does not guarantee that the thesis will be passed. The defense normally lasts two hours. The candidate is asked to begin by summarizing the pertinent background and findings. The summary should be kept within 20 minutes. The Chair of the Defense Committee cannot be the main thesis advisor. The Chair is responsible for allotting time, normally allowing each member of the committee 20 to 30 minutes in which to make remarks on the thesis and elicit responses from the candidate. When each committee member has finished the questioning, the committee will convene in camera for the decision. The possible decisions are: Approved; Approved with Minor Changes; Approved Subject to Major Revision (within six months); Rejected. The majority vote determines the outcome. --Approved with minor changes: The dissertation is deemed acceptable subject to minor revisions. The dissertation is corrected by the candidate, taking into account the comments made by the committee. The revisions will be supervised by the primary adviser. Upon completion of the required revision, the candidate is recommended for the degree. --Approved subject to major revision within six months: The dissertation is deemed acceptable subject to major revisions. All revisions must be completed within six months from the date of the dissertation defense. Upon completion of the required revisions, the defense is considered to be successful. The revisions will be supervised by the primary adviser. --Rejected: The dissertation is deemed unacceptable and the candidate is not recommended for the degree. A candidate may be re-examined only once upon recommendation of two readers. Rejection is expected to be very exceptional. A written assessment of the thesis defense will be given to the candidate and filed in the Department by the Chair of the Defense Committee. Candidates should keep in mind the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences deadlines for submission of the thesis and degree application when scheduling the defense.

Submitting the Dissertation

Students ordinarily devote three years to research and writing the dissertation, and complete it prior to seeking full-time employment. The dissertation will be judged according to the highest standards of scholarship, and should be an original contribution to knowledge and understanding of art. The final manuscript must conform to University requirements described in the Supplement The Form of the Doctoral Thesis distributed by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Graduate students should negotiate with their readers the timing of submission of drafts prior to final revisions. However, the complete manuscript of the dissertation must be submitted to the thesis readers not later than August 1 for a November degree, November 1 for a March degree, and April 1 for a May degree (this in order to provide both the committee with time to read and the candidate to revise, if necessary). The thesis readers may have other expectations regarding dates for submission which should be discussed and handled on an individual basis. The student is still responsible for distribution of the thesis to the committee for reading. In cases where a thesis defense is scheduled, the thesis must be submitted to the primary adviser at least one month prior to the defense. The thesis defense must be scheduled at least two weeks prior to the university deadline for thesis submission.

A written assessment by dissertation readers must be included with the final approval of each thesis including suggestions, as appropriate, on how the dissertation might be adapted for later publication.

The Dissertation is submitted online.   The Dissertation Acceptance Certificate (original) must be on Harvard watermark paper and is submitted directly to the registrar’s office once it is signed.

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PEG PhD Dissertations and Job Placements

In this section.

• Degree Requirements
• Current Students
• Dissertations & Job Placements
• Faculty & Research

Learn about the dissertations of our PhD in Political Economy and Government graduates and their job placements directly following graduation.

2023-present

Kevin deluca (government track).

Dissertation Title: Newspaper Endorsements, Candidate Quality, and Election Outcomes in the United States Advisor:  James M. Snyder Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Yale University

josé Ramón Enríquez (government track)

Dissertation Title: Essays on the Political Economy of Development Advisor: Jeffry Frieden ,  Rema Hanna Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Digital Economy Lab & Golub Capital Social Impact Lab, Stanford Graduate School of Business

casey Kearney (government track)

Dissertation Title: Essays in International Finance and the Political Economy of Capital Flows Advisor: Jeffry Frieden Job Placement: Assistant Professor, London School of Economics and Political Science

casey Petroff  (government track)

Dissertation Title: Essays in Political Economy Advisor: Jeffry Frieden Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Rochester

Awa Ambra seck  (economics track)

Dissertation Title: Essays in Economic Development and Political Economy Advisor:  Nathan Nunn , Emily Breza Job Placement: 

• Assistant Professor, BGIE Unit, Harvard Business School
• Post-Doctoral Fellow, Harvard Academy

Sarah Armitage

Dissertation Title: Essays in Environmental Economics Advisor: Joseph Aldy Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Boston University

Kevin Connolly (economics track)

Dissertation Title: The Economic, Social and Health Effects of America's Two-Year Public College Advisor:  Edward Glaeser Job Placement: to be confirmed

alley Edlebi (economics track)

Dissertation Title: Essays in Applied Economics Advisor: Crystal Yang Job Placement: to be confirmed

Michael-David Mangini

Dissertation Title: How Commerce Becomes Compromised: Economic Coercion and Credibility in the Age of the Global Economy Advisor: Jeffry Frieden Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellow, Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance

Hillary Stein

Dissertation Title: Essays on International Finance and Political Economy Advisor:  Kenneth Rogoff Job Placement: Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

Augustin Bergeron

Dissertation Title: Essays in Development and Public Economics Advisor:  Nathan Nunn Job Placement:

• Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, University of Southern California
• Post-Doctoral Fellow, Stanford King Center on Global Development

Enrico Di Gregorio

Dissertation Title: Essays in Public Finance and Political Economy Advisor:  Stefanie Stantcheva Job Placement: Economist, International Monetary Fund

Felipe Jordán

Dissertation Title: Essays on the Influence of Western Institutions on Indigenous Societies Advisor: Rema Hanna Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Brian Wheaton

Dissertation Title: Essays on Political Economy and Macroeconomics Advisor: Robert J. Barro Job Placement: 

• Assistant Professor, Anderson School of Management, University of California Los Angeles
• Hoover Fellow 2021-2022, Hoover Institution  

Andrea Passalacqua (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Banking and Corporate Finance Advisor: Jeremy Stein Job Placement: Economist, Federal Reserve Board  

Juan Sebastián Galán (government track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays on the Political Economy of Latin American Development Advisors: Melissa Dell ,  Nathan Nunn Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia

Siddharth George (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Development Economics Advisor: Rohini Pande Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics, Dartmouth College

Soeren J. Henn (government track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays on State Building and Economic Development Advisors:  Torben Iversen ,  Nathan Nunn Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Innovations for Poverty Action, University of Chicago  

Pamela Ban (government track)

Dissertation Title:  The Changing Influence of Committees in Congress Advisor:  James M. Snyder, Jr. Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of California San Diego

Laura Blattner (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Finance and Economic Policy Advisors:  Gita Gopinath ,  Jeremy Stein Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Finance, Finance Group, Stanford Graduate School of Business

John Coglianese (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays on the Macroeconomics of Labor Markets Advisor: Lawrence Katz Job Placement: Economist, Research Division, Labor Markets Group, Federal Reserve Board

Andrew Garin (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays on the Economics of Labor Demand and Policy Incidence Advisors:  Nathaniel Hendren ,  Lawrence Katz Job Placement: Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

Edoardo Teso (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Political Economy Advisor:  Alberto Alesina Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Department of Managerial Economics and Decision Sciences, Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management

Jonathan Weigel (Government track)

Dissertation Title:  Taxation, Corruption, and Engagement With the Formal State: Experimental Evidence From the D.R. Congo Advisor: James Robinson Job Placement: Assistant Professor of International Development, International Development Department, London School of Economics and Political Science  

Marek Hlavac (Government track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Political Economy Advisor:  Torben Iversen Job Placement: Economics Teacher, United World Colleges (UWC) Adriatic

Danial Lashkari (Economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Innovation and Growth Advisors:  Pol Antràs ,  Marc Melitz Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Boston College

Sara Lowes (economics track)

Dissertation Title:  Understanding the Process of Economic Development: Essays on Culture and Institutions Advisor:  Nathan Nunn Job Placement: Assistant Professor, Bocconi University

MaliHeh Paryavi (economics track)

Dissertation Title: Essays on Gender and Decision Marking in Political Economy Advisor: Iris Bohnet Job Placement: Consultant, Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice, The World Bank

Guilherme Lichand

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Development Economics Advisor:  Nathan Nunn Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics University of Zurich

Mauricio Fernández Duque

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Social Influence in Political Economy: How Expectations and Identity Affect Pro-Social Leading and Following Advisor:  Michael Hiscox Track: Government

Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Harvard University

Angela Fonseca Galvis

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Political Economy Advisor:  James Robinson Track: Government

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Pontificia Universidad Javeriana 

Sabrina Howell

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Energy Economics and Entrepreneurial Finance Advisors: Josh Lerner ,  David S. Scharfstein Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Finance New York University Stern School of Business

Dissertation Title:  The Clash of Brothers: Wars to Avoid Diffusion in a Contagious World Advisors: James Robinson ,  Andrei Shleifer Track: Government

Job Placement: Economist Core Data Science Division Facebook

James Mahon

Dissertation Title:  Essays in U.S. Fiscal Policy Advisors:  Raj Chetty ,  Edward Glaeser Track: Economics

Job Placement: Manager Transfer Pricing Division Deloitte Tax

Jesse Schreger

Dissertation Title:  Essays in International Finance and Macroeconomics Advisors: Gita Gopinath ,  Kenneth Rogoff Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Harvard Business School (Post-Doc at Princeton University, Department of Economics)

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Economic Geography Advisors:  Edward Glaeser ,  Marc Melitz Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Michigan State University (Post-Doc at Dartmouth College)

Jessica Blankshain

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Interservice Rivalry and American Civil-Military Relations Advisor: Daniel Carpenter Track: Government

Job Placement: Assistant Professor United States Naval College

Joana Naritomi

Dissertation Title:  Essays in Public Finance and Development Economics Advisor:  Raj Chetty , Michael Kremer Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics London School of Economics and Political Science

Arash Nekoei

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Unemployment and Labor Supply Advisor:  Raj Chetty , Lawrence Katz Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics Institute for Economic Studies

Hye Young You

Dissertation Title: Three Essays on Lobbying Advisor:  James M. Snyder, Jr. Track: Government

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Vanderbilt University

Paul Novosad

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Local Economic Growth in India Advisor:  Asim Khwaja Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics Dartmouth College

Eliana Carranza

Dissertation Title: Economics Sources of Son Preference, Sex-Differential Treatment and Household Fertility Behavior Advisor:  Lawrence Katz Track: Economics

Job Placement: Economist The World Bank

Dissertation Title:  Politics and Policy: Essays in Economics Advisor:  Andrei Shleifer Track: Economics

Job Placement: Associate McKinsey & Company

Supreet Kaur

Dissertation Title:  Essays on Labor Markets in Developing Countries Advisor:  Sendhil Mullainathan Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics and International Affairs Columbia University

Dissertation Title: Essays in Institutional Economics Advisor:  Sendhil Mullainathan Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Law New York University School of Law

Martin Kanz

Dissertation Title: Essays in Finance and Development Economics Advisor:  Andrei Shleifer Track: Economics

Rodrigo Wagner

Dissertation Title: Macroeconomic Recovery, Export Innovation and the Coordination of Entrepreneurs in the Global Economy Advisor: Dani Rodrik Track: Economics

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Tufts University

Lucy Clare Barnes

Dissertation Title: Essays on the Political Economy of Redistribution Advisor:  Torben Iversen

Job Placement: Prize Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Nuffield College, University of Oxford

Magnus gustav Feldmann

Dissertation Title: Post Communist Capitalism: The Politics of Institutional Development Advisor:  Torben Iversen

Job Placement: Assistant Professor School of Sociology, Politics, and International Relations University of Bristol

Daniel Fetter

Dissertation Title: Federal Policy and the Mid-century Transformation in U.S. Housing Markets Advisor:  Edward Glaeser

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Wellesley College

Dilyan Donchev

Dissertation Title: Essays on Corruption Measurement, Trust, and Investors in Eastern Europe Advisor: Jeffry Frieden

Job Placement: Researcher International Finance Corporation The World Bank

Joseph Mazor

Dissertation Title: A Liberal Theory of Natural Resource Property Rights Advisor: Dennis F. Thompson

Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Center for Human Values Princeton University

Sandip Suktahnkar

Dissertation Title: Essays in Development Economics Advisor:  Sendhil Mullainathan

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Dartmouth College

Alexis J. Diamond

Dissertation Title: Essays on Causal Inference in Observational Studies Advisor: Rubin

Maria Petrova

Dissertation Title: Political Economy of Media Capture Advisor: Kenneth A. Shepsle

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics New Economic School, Moscow

Philipp Schnabl

Dissertation Title: Essays on Banking and Corporate Finance Advisor:  Sendhil Mullainathan

Gilles Serra

Dissertation Title: Why and When Do Political Parties Adopt Primary Elections? A Theoretical and Comparative Study Advisor:  Kenneth A. Shepsle

Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellow Nuffield College, Oxford University

Katharine Romaine Emans Sims

Dissertation Title: Balancing Land Conservation and Economic Development: Three Essays Advisor: Robert Stavins

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Amherst College

Gernot Wagner

Dissertation Title: Essays on Environmental and Natural Resource Economics Advisor:  Robert Stavins

Job Placement: Consultant Boston Consulting Group

Randall Kekoa Quinones Akee

Dissertation Title: Three Essays in Economic Development: Lessons from Three Small Indigenous Nations Advisor:  Sendhil Mullainathan

Job Placement: Research Associate Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) Bonn, Germany

Rebecca Thornton

Dissertation Title: Incentives and Information in Developing Countries Advisor:  Michael Kremer

Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellow Population Research Center University of Michigan

Shanna Rose

Dissertation Title: Essays in Institutions and Fiscal Policy in the American States Advisor: James Alt

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science State University of New York at Stony Brook

Alexander Wagner

Dissertation Title: Essays on Organizational Economics Advisor: Richard Zeckhauser

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Finance and Financial Markets University of Zurich

Shigeo Hirano

Dissertation Title: Party Labels, Institutions and Personal Politics in the United States and Japan Advisor:  James Alt

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science New York University

Dissertation Title: Essays on International Price Co-Movements Advisor: Dale Jorgenson

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Trent University

Martin Sandbu

Dissertation Title: Explorations in Process-Dependent Preference Theory Advisor: Amartya Sen

Job Placement: Post-Doctoral Fellow The Earth Institute Columbia University

Jeremy Weinstein

Dissertation Title: Inside Rebellion: The Political Economy of Rebel Organization Advisor: Robert H. Bates

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Stanford University

Rachel Deyette Werkema

Dissertation Title: Access, Choice, and Opportunity: Three Studies of Educational Inequality Advisor: Katherine S. Newman

Job Placement: Deputy Research Director MassINC

Etienne Yehoue

Dissertation Title: Currency Blocs and International Risk Sharing Advisor: Jeffrey Frankel

Amanda Friedenberg

Dissertation Title: Epistemic Analysis of Games Advisor: Adam Brandenburger

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Economics Olin Business School Washington University in St. Louis

Daniel Devroye

Dissertation Title: Essays on Inequality: Causes and Consequences of Income Differences in the American Political Economy Advisor: Richard B. Freeman

Lucy Goodhart

Dissertation Title: Moderating Passions? Coalition Government and Policy Cycles in Advanced, Industrialized Democracies Advisor:  Jeffrey Frankel

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Columbia University

Anne Joseph

Dissertation Title: Political Appointees and Auditors of Politics: Essays on Oversight of the American Bureaucracy Advisor: Christopher Avery

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Berkeley Law School

Ruben Lubowski

Dissertation Title: Determinant of Land-Use Transitions in the United States: Econometric Analysis of Changes Among the Major Land-Use Categories Advisor: Robert Stavins

Job Placement: Research Economist U.S. Department of Agriculture

Jian-li Yang

Dissertation Title: Strategic Ambiguity in Electoral Politics Advisor:  Richard Zeckhauser

Job Placement:

Mary Kay Gugerty

Dissertation Title: Savings, Sanctions, and Support: Essays on Collective Action and Community Organizations in Kenya Advisor: Merilee Grindle

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Public Affairs Evans School of Public Affairs University of Washington

Nathaniel owen Keohane

Dissertation Title: Essays in the Economics of Environmental Policy Advisor:  Robert Stavins

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Yale University School of Management

Raja Nazrin

Dissertation Title: Essays on Economic Growth in Malaysia in the Twentieth Century Advisor: C. Peter Timmer

Job Placement: Crown Prince Perak, Malaysia

Miriam Jorgensen

Dissertation Title: Bringing the Background Forward: Evidence from Indian Country on the Social and Cultural Determinants of Economic Development Advisor: Joseph Kalt

Job Placement: Senior Researcher Harvard Project on American Indian Development

Vladimir Klyuev

Dissertation Title: Essays on Monetary and Exchange Rate Policy in Transition Economies Advisor: Dani Rodrik

Job Placement: Economist International Monetary Fund

Kathleen O’Neill

Dissertation Title: Decentralization in the Andes: Power to the People or Party Politics? Advisor:  Robert H. Bates , Jorge I. Dominguez,  Dani Rodrik

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Cornell University

Dissertation Title: Distributional Trade-offs and Partisan Politics in the Post-Industrial Economy Advisor:  Robert H. Bates ,  Peter A. Hall ,  Torben Iversen ,  Paul Pierson

Sousan Abadian

Dissertation Title: From Wasteland to Homeland: Trauma and the Renewal of Indigenous Peoples and Their Communities Advisor:  Amartya Sen

Job Placement: Consultant Private Company

Alison Alter

Dissertation Title: The Allocation of Legislative Property Rights in Comparative Perspective: The German Bundesrat and the United States Senate Advisor:  Kenneth A. Shepsle

Dissertation Title: Investment Appraisal of Management Strategies for Addressing Uncertainties Advisor: Glenn P. Jenkins

Job Placement: Vice-Chairman Jyoti Group of Companies

Ishtiaq Pasha Mahmood

Dissertation Title: Technological Innovation in East Asia and the Role of Business Groups Advisor: F.M. Scherer

Job Placement: Assistant Professor National University of Singapore

Rosemary Fernholz

Dissertation Title: Sustained Farmer Participation in Social Forestry: Case Study in the Philippines Advisor:  C. Peter Timmer

Job Placement: Visiting Professor College of Business and Economy De La Salle University, Philippines

Scott c. Bradford

Dissertation Title: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of Trade Protection in Industrialized Democracies Advisor: Robert Lawrence

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Economics Brigham Young University

Mihir A. Desai

Dissertation Title: Essays in Corporate and Public Finance Advisor: Christopher Avery

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Harvard Business School

Sven e. Feldmann

Dissertation Title: Electoral Competition, Interest Group Influence, and Direct Democracy: Three Essays in Positive Political Economy Advisor:  Kenneth A. Shepsle

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Harris School of Public Policy University of Chicago

David D. Kane

Dissertation Title: Disagreement Advisor:  Richard Zeckhauser

Job Placement: Consultant Private Investment Company

Melissa a. Thomas

Dissertation Title: Building the Rule of Law: Government Design for Legal Implementation Advisor: Robert H. Bates

Fausto Alzati

Dissertation Title: The Political Economy of Growth in Modern Mexico Advisor:  C. Peter Timmer

Job Placement: Private Law Practice

Mark S. Bonchek

Dissertation Title: From Broadcast to Netcast: The Internet and the Flow of Political Information Advisor: Sidney Verba

Job Placement: Consultant Private Software Company

Alan C. Hartford

Dissertation Title: Academic-Industry Relationships in the Biomedical Sciences: Academic Norms and Conflicts of Interest Advisor: David Blumenthal

Job Placement: Academic Researcher Beth Israel Hospital

Steven J. Kafka

Dissertation Title: Delegation and Institutional Design: Bureaucratic Structure and the Political Control of Agencies Advisor:  Kenneth A. Shepsle

Adam S. Posen

Dissertation Title: Monetary Realism: Central Banks and the Political Economy of Disinflation Advisor: Benjamin Friedman

Job Placement: Economist Federal Reserve Bank

Nicholas n. Eberstadt

Dissertation Title: Policy and Economic Performance in Divided Korea, 1945-1995 Advisor:  C. Peter Timmer

Job Placement: Consultant American Enterprise Institute

Lionel R. Ingram

Dissertation Title: Major Factors Influencing Allied Decisions Regarding the Allocation of Resources to Defense Advisor: Richard Neustadt

Lora L. Sabin

Dissertation Title: The Development of Urban Labor Markets in Contemporary China Advisor: Dwight H. Perkins

Job Placement: Researcher College of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Alexander Schuessler

Dissertation Title: Symbols, Intention and Mass Participation: The Political Economy of Non-Rational Motivation Advisor:  Kenneth A. Shepsle

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Politics New York University

Steven A. Block

Dissertation Title: Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa Advisor:  C. Peter Timmer

Job Placement: Research Associate Harvard Institute for International Development

Jeffrey R. Franks

Dissertation Title: Collective Action in the Informal Sector of Developing Countries: A Rational Choice Approach Advisor:  Kenneth A. Shepsle

G. Oliver Fratzscher

Dissertation Title: The Political Economy of Trade Integration: Welfare Implications in a Trading Block Model, Political Sustainability in a Pressure Group Model, and Effects of FDI in a Gravity Model Advisor:  Robert Lawrence

Janet C. Gornick

Dissertation Title: Women, Employment, and Part-Time Work: A Comparative Study of the United States, The United Kingdom, Canada and Australia Advisor: William Julius Wilson

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science City University of New York

Robert Lowry

Dissertation Title: The Political Economy of Environmental Citizen Groups Advisor: Joseph Kalt

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Department of Political Science Michigan State University

Kalypso a. Nicolaidis

Dissertation Title: Mutual Recognition Among Nations: The European Communities and Trade in Services Advisor: Robert O. Keohane

Job Placement: Assistant Professor of Public Policy Harvard Kennedy School

Subramanian Rangan

Dissertation Title: The Pricing and Sourcing Responses of United States Multinationals to Exchange Rate Changes Advisor:  Robert Lawrence

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Corporate Strategy and International Management Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD)

Francois DeGeorge

Dissertation Title: Essays on Initial Public Offerings of Stock Advisor:  Richard Zeckhauser

Job Placement: Assistant Professor Hautes Études Commerciales

Catherine A. Rielly

Dissertation Title: Do Households Pool Their Savings? An Empirical Investigation of Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (RoSCAs) in Cameroon Advisor:  C. Peter Timmer

Job Placement: Consultant Abt Associates

Gangadhar P. Shukla

Dissertation Title: Taxation of Exhaustible Natural Resources with Stochastic Prices Advisor: Glenn P. Jenkins

Job Placement: Research Associate Institute for International Development Harvard University

Library Services

UCL LIBRARY SERVICES

• Guides and databases
• Library skills

Thesis or dissertation

• A-Z of Harvard references
• Citing authors with Harvard
• Page numbers and punctuation
• References with missing details
• Secondary referencing
• Example reference list
• Journal article
• Magazine article
• Newspaper article
• Online video
• Radio and internet radio
• Television advertisement
• Television programme
• Ancient text
• Bibliography
• Book (printed, one author or editor)
• Book (printed, multiple authors or editors)
• Book (printed, with no author)
• Chapter in a book (print)
• Collected works
• Dictionaries and Encyclopedia entries
• Multivolume work
• Religious text
• Translated work
• Census data
• Financial report
• Mathematical equation
• Scientific dataset
• Book illustration, Figure or Diagram
• Inscription on a building
• Installation
• Painting or Drawing
• Interview (on the internet)
• Interview (newspaper)
• Interview (radio or television)
• Interview (as part of research)
• Act of the UK parliament (statute)
• Bill (House of Commons/Lords)
• Birth/Death/Marriage certificate
• British standards
• Command paper
• European Union publication
• Government/Official publication
• House of Commons/Lords paper
• Legislation from UK devolved assemblies
• Statutory instrument
• Military record
• Film/Television script
• Musical score
• Play (live performance)
• Play script
• Song lyrics
• Conference paper
• Conference proceedings
• Discussion paper
• Minutes of meeting
• Personal communication
• PowerPoint presentation
• Published report
• Student's own work
• Tutor materials for academic course
• Unpublished report
• Working paper
• Referencing glossary

To be made up of:

• Year of submission (in round brackets).
• Title of thesis (in italics).
• Degree statement.
• Degree-awarding body.
• Available at: URL.
• (Accessed: date).

In-text citation: 

(Smith, 2019)

Reference List:  

Smith, E. R. C. (2019). Conduits of invasive species into the UK: the angling route? Ph. D. Thesis. University College London. Available at: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10072700 (Accessed: 20 May 2021).

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• Last Updated: Feb 28, 2024 12:08 PM
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• Dissertation Advisory Committee
• Introduction

Harvard Griffin GSAS strives to provide students with timely, accurate, and clear information. If you need help understanding a specific policy, please contact the office that administers that policy.

• Application for Degree
• Credit for Completed Graduate Work
• Ad Hoc Degree Programs
• Acknowledging the Work of Others
• Advanced Planning
• Dissertation Submission Checklist
• Formatting Your Dissertation
• Publishing Options
• Submitting Your Dissertation
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• PhD Program Requirements
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Dissertation Advisory Committee; Thesis Acceptance Certificate

The Dissertation Advisory Committee formally approves the dissertation by signing the Thesis Acceptance Certificate . In PhD programs that are not lab-based, this committee also guides the student in writing the dissertation. The committee should work cohesively in supporting the student to produce their best work. The signatures of these faculty members on the Thesis Acceptance Certificate indicate formal acceptance of the student’s scholarly contribution to the field.  

In some fields, especially in the sciences, the Dissertation Advisory Committee described below is known locally as the “Dissertation Defense Committee.” In these programs, a separate additional committee (also called the Dissertation Advisory Committee) that includes the student’s primary advisor, will guide the student’s progress until submission for formal review by the DAC/defense committee. The members of the DAC/defense committee give formal approval to the finished work, but the student’s work will be understood to have occurred under the guidance of the primary advisor. The changes to the DAC/defense committee as described below do not in any way affect the essential structure of dissertation advising that already exists in lab-based PhD programs. 

The following policy applies to every Harvard Griffin GSAS Dissertation Advisory Committee formed on or after July 1, 2024. Any Dissertation Advisory Committee approved before July 1, 2024 is subject to the rules outlined below, see “Grandfathering.”  

Effective July 1, 2024:  

•  The graduate thesis for the PhD shall be accepted, and the Thesis Acceptance Certificate signed, by at least three advisors, who will form the Dissertation Advisory Committee (DAC). At least two members of the committee shall be on-ladder faculty members. 
• In FAS-based programs, the Director of Graduate Studies or Department Chair or Area Chair shall sign off on the proposed committee.  
• For programs based outside the FAS, the Program Head shall sign off. 
• A program may petition the Dean of Harvard Griffin GSAS to consider a variation to the above requirement. 
• A Professor in Residence or Professor of the Practice may serve as a non-chairing member of the DAC, as long as the committee composition is consistent with “1.”  
•  Senior Lecturers and other non-ladder faculty may serve on the DAC as the third member when appropriate, as approved by the Director of Graduate Studies, Department Chair, Area Chair, or Program Head, as long as the committee composition is consistent with “1.” 
• Tenured emeriti faculty members (including research professors) may serve on the DAC. They may co-chair the DAC with a current on-ladder faculty member from the student’s department or program but may not serve as the sole chair. 
• Non-Harvard faculty of equivalent appointment rank to on-ladder faculty at Harvard may serve as one of the non-chairing members of the DAC.  
• A committee with co-chairs shall require a third member, consistent with ”1.” 
• Additional members may be appointed to the DAC, as long as the core three-member committee is consistent with ”1.” 
• They may continue to serve as a committee member if they have moved to another institution with an appointment rank equivalent to on-ladder at Harvard.  
• Or, if they are no longer serving on the DAC (by choice of the student, the student’s program, and/or the departing faculty member), the advisor must be replaced in accordance with ”1.” 
• If the departing faculty member will remain as chair on the DAC, a co-chair must be designated in accordance with “1.” The co-chair may, in this instance, be the Director of Graduate Studies in the student’s program if a faculty member with field expertise is not available to serve in this capacity. 

Please note:

• “On ladder” refers to faculty members with tenure or who are tenure-track. The phrase “on ladder” is generally not used at HMS, but all HMS and HCSPH assistant, associate, and full professors are considered to be “on ladder” according to HMS Faculty Affairs, and, for the purposes of this legislation, may serve on the DAC/defense committee. 
• With regard to paragraph 3.b.ii, and in keeping with the spirit of this legislation, ordinarily a scholar appointed as a College Fellow would not be ready to serve as one of the three core members of the committee. 
• With regard to paragraph 3.b.iv, individuals who do not fit this category (e.g., a scholar holding a non-ladder faculty position at another institution) may sit on the committee as a fourth member, in accordance with paragraph 3.d.  
• On the rare occasion that a situation requires special consideration, programs are advised to consult with the Dean of Harvard Griffin GSAS.  

Grandfathering

Grandfathering, and rules applying to all dissertation advisory committees, regardless of status prior to July 1, 2024:  

For dissertation advisory committees approved before July 1, 2024 under the former policy ( Two signatories must be members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS); FAS emeriti (including research professors) and faculty members from other Schools at Harvard who hold appointments on Harvard Griffin GSAS degree committees are authorized to sign DACs as FAS members. Harvard Griffin GSAS strongly recommends that the chair of the dissertation committee be a member of the FAS. If approved by the department, it is possible to have co-chairs of the dissertation committee as long as one is a member of FAS) , the following rules apply:   

Dissertation Advisory Committees approved prior to July 1, 2024 will be grandfathered, except in two situations:  

• An existing DAC chaired by an individual whose faculty appointment does not meet the requirements of the new rules will need to be adjusted. A co-chair should be designated, with the option of appointing the DGS to serve as co-chair, as allowed in paragraph 3.e.iii;  
• An existing DAC with fewer than three members should be updated, and the new member(s) should be consistent with the new policy.   

Thesis Acceptance Certificate

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How to tackle the PhD dissertation

Finding time to write can be a challenge for graduate students who often juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. Mabel Ho provides some tips to make the process less daunting

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Writing helps you share your work with the wider community. Your scholarship is important and you are making a valuable contribution to the field. While it might be intimidating to face a blank screen, remember, your first draft is not your final draft! The difficult part is getting something on the page to begin with. 

As the adage goes, a good dissertation is a done dissertation, and the goal is for you to find balance in your writing and establish the steps you can take to make the process smoother. Here are some practical strategies for tackling the PhD dissertation.

Write daily

This is a time to have honest conversations with yourself about your writing and work habits. Do you tackle the most challenging work in the morning? Or do you usually start with emails? Knowing your work routine will help you set parameters for the writing process, which includes various elements, from brainstorming ideas to setting outlines and editing. Once you are aware of your energy and focus levels, you’ll be ready to dedicate those times to writing.

While it might be tempting to block a substantial chunk of time to write and assume anything shorter is not useful, that is not the case. Writing daily, whether it’s a paragraph or several pages, keeps you in conversation with your writing practice. If you schedule two hours to write, remember to take a break during that time and reset. You can try:

• The Pomodoro Technique: a time management technique that breaks down your work into intervals
• Taking breaks: go outside for a walk or have a snack so you can come back to your writing rejuvenated
• Focus apps: it is easy to get distracted by devices and lose direction. Here are some app suggestions: Focus Bear (no free version); Forest (free version available); Cold Turkey website blocker (free version available) and Serene (no free version). 

This is a valuable opportunity to hone your time management and task prioritisation skills. Find out what works for you and put systems in place to support your practice. 

• Resources on academic writing for higher education professionals
• Stretch your work further by ‘triple writing’
• What is your academic writing temperament?

Create a community

While writing can be an isolating endeavour, there are ways to start forming a community (in-person or virtual) to help you set goals and stay accountable. There might be someone in your cohort who is also at the writing stage with whom you can set up a weekly check-in. Alternatively, explore your university’s resources and centres because there may be units and departments on campus that offer helpful opportunities, such as a writing week or retreat. Taking advantage of these opportunities helps combat isolation, foster accountability and grow networks. They can even lead to collaborations further down the line.

• Check in with your advisers and mentors. Reach out to your networks to find out about other people’s writing processes and additional resources.
• Don’t be afraid to share your work. Writing requires constant revisions and edits and finding people who you trust with feedback will help you grow as a writer. Plus, you can also read their work and help them with their editing process.
• Your community does not have to be just about writing!  If you enjoy going on hikes or trying new coffee shops, make that part of your weekly habit.  Sharing your work in different environments will help clarify your thoughts and ideas.

Address the why

The PhD dissertation writing process is often lengthy and it is sometimes easy to forget why you started. In these moments, it can be helpful to think back to what got you excited about your research and scholarship in the first place. Remember it is not just the work but also the people who propelled you forward. One idea is to start writing your “acknowledgements” section. Here are questions to get you started:

• Do you want to dedicate your work to someone? 
• What ideas sparked your interest in this journey? 
• Who cheered you on? 

This practice can help build momentum, as well as serve as a good reminder to carve out time to spend with your community. 

You got this!

Writing is a process. Give yourself grace, as you might not feel motivated all the time. Be consistent in your approach and reward yourself along the way. There is no single strategy when it comes to writing or maintaining motivation, so experiment and find out what works for you. 

Suggested readings

• Thriving as a Graduate Writer by Rachel Cayley (2023)
• Destination Dissertation by Sonja K. Foss and William Waters (2015)
• The PhD Writing Handbook by Desmond Thomas (2016).

Mabel Ho is director of professional development and student engagement at Dalhousie University.

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