Strategic human rights practice

The Carr Center promotes a more strategic and outcomes-oriented global human rights practice. We research and promote effective advocacy strategies to secure strategic human rights outcomes around the world.

Online Platforms & Mental Health: A Policy Proposal
Maria Carnovale and Samuel A. Ramirez. 9/22/2022. “Online Platforms & Mental Health: A Policy Proposal.” Carr Center Discussion Paper Series. Publisher's VersionAbstract
In recent years, there has been growing concern regarding the unintended mental health impact of online platforms and whether they might be driving a public health crisis, especially among children and teens. There is emerging evidence that spending too much time on digital platforms—like gaming sites, online pornography sites, and social media—can be associated with negative mental health effects such as depression and social anxiety, at least in some users. Yet most policy action and advocacy in this industry have focused on the issues of privacy and misinformation, relegating the mental health impact of digital technology as a secondary byproduct of the industry. In this paper, we provide an overview of the documented negative mental health effects associated with prolonged use of video games, online pornography, and social media. We outline the measures that have been taken to address the mental health impact of these technologies. Finally, we suggest that induced overuse is at the heart of the problem and we propose an incentive-based policy mechanism to address it.

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Populism, Authoritarianism, and Institutional Resistance: Constitutional Courts in the Game of Power
Justice Luís Roberto Barroso. 7/14/2022. “Populism, Authoritarianism, and Institutional Resistance: Constitutional Courts in the Game of Power.” Carr Center Discussion Paper Series. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Democratic constitutionalism was the victorious ideology of the 20th century, having defeated the alternatives that appeared over the decades: communism, fascism, Nazism, military regimes, and religious fundamentalism. However, in these first decades of the 21st century, something seems to not be going very well. Some describe it as a democratic recession. This paper identifies three phenomena that underlie this historical process: populism, extremism, and authoritarianism, as well as their political, economic-social, and cultural-identity causes. Then, after an analysis of the world context, this article focuses on the Brazilian experience in recent years, narrating the threats to constitutional legality and the institutional reaction. The final part discusses the limits and possibilities of constitutional courts in the exercise of their role of defending constitutionalism and democracy.

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2017 May 11

FINAL OPEN SESSION: The Democracy Crisis in Europe and the US: A Comparative Perspective" Study Group

11:30am to 1:00pm

Location: 

Carr Conference Room, Rubenstein 219, HKS, 79 JFK Street, Cambridge MA 02138

  World map.

The final open meeting of the Spring 2017 “The Democracy Crisis in Europe and the US: A Comparative Perspective” Study Group led by Ambassador John Shattuck will be held on:

Thursday, May 11th, 2017, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Carr Conference...

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shattuck2

John Shattuck

Senior Fellow
Program Lead for Renewing Rights and Responsibilities
Professor of Practice in Diplomacy, Fletcher School, Tufts University

John Shattuck is Professor of Practice in Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, a Senior Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and chairs the international advisory board of the Center on Ethics, Justice and Public Life at Brandeis University. His many publications include Freedom on Fire, a study of the international response to genocide and crimes against humanity, Rights of Privacy, and many articles on democracy, human rights, civil liberties, international relations and higher education. 

Shattuck comes to the Carr Center after a distinguished career spanning more than three decades in higher education, international diplomacy, foreign policy and human rights. Shattuck served as the President and Rector of Central European University, CEO of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, a national public affairs center in Boston, and Senior Fellow at Tufts University, where he taught human rights and international relations.... Read more about John Shattuck

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