Harvard Law scholars praise economy under Biden

Harvard Law School faculty evaluated the Biden administration’s performance through the first twelve months in a series titled “Weighing President Biden’s first year.” 

Despite record-high inflation and record low approval ratings for the Biden administration, scholars at Harvard Law praise Biden’s economy.

The articles cover Biden’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the environment, voting rights, and the federal court system.

“Harvard Law experts turn a critical eye to the Biden administration’s efforts on health care, the economy, criminal justice reform, and other areas important to Americans — and share their thoughts on its agenda for the future,” the series description reads. 

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The articles praise the Biden administration.

“The administration is oriented to using both monetary and fiscal policy (taxing and spending) to support equitable development, augment financial stability, as well as tackle problems like inflation,” Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law Christine A. Desan states in an interview for the series.

“The Biden administration is clear-eyed about the tools it has to support well-being and productive exchange,” she continued.

When asked what the Biden administration has done wrong, Desan responded, “we are perennially behind the ball on climate change, a matter that itself disproportionately affects underserved and minority communities.” 

The article does not mention labor shortages, supply chain issues, or rising inflation.

In the “Voting and elections” installment, Ruth Greenwood begins by tackling the question of “What has the administration done right so far?” 

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“The best thing the Biden administration has done for democracy so far is to revise and reintroduce the For the People Act (also called the Freedom to Vote Act), H.R. 1 of 2021, and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, H.R. 4 of 2021,” the Harvard Law School Visiting Assistant Clinical Professor of Law and Director of Election Law Clinic states. 

When asked where the administration faces challenges, Greenwood states that the filibuster is a major issue. “If it weren’t for the filibuster I believe the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would have been signed into law already,” Greenwood reasons. 

Campus Reform reached out to Harvard Law School for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication. This article will be updated accordingly.