Tomas Garcia and Laura Williams participate in the 2004 program.Named in honor of

the Harvard economist John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006), the Galbraith Scholars program honors Professor Galbraith’s lifelong commitment to illuminating the economic ills of material hardship and inequality. One of the world’s most recognized economists, known for his development of Keynesian and post-Keynesian economics, a public intellectual whose lively mind and wit drew attention to some of the most fundamental economic and political challenges of our times, John Kenneth Galbraith signals the ideals that motivate the Galbraith Scholars

Program. A two-time recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1946 and 2000) and former Ambassador to India (1961-63), John Kenneth Galbraith’s contributions to American society underscore the possibilities and promise of public service in a new generation of Galbraith Scholars.

Who: The Galbraith Scholars program seeks students of exceptional promise and uncommon perspective who have demonstrated interests in issues of inequality and social policy. College sophomores, juniors, and seniors enrolled in any U.S. college or university are eligible for selection. The Galbraith Scholars program is designed to cultivate a diverse new generation of scholars and leaders, and students of color and students of limited economic means are particularly encouraged to apply.

What: The program aims to illuminate graduate school and career options for talented undergraduates who aspire to apply themselves to important social problems. Students selected for the program win full fellowships covering travel, accommodation, and activity expenses to attend a special five-day session at Harvard University led by Harvard faculty, doctoral fellows, and other invited speakers and social policy practitioners. Galbraith Scholars explore a range of social policy issues through graduate-style seminars, panel discussions, workshops, off-site field trips, and collaborative activities.