Harvard International Review

What Harvard International Review does

Harvard International Review (HIR) is a quarterly magazine and accompanying website covering international affairs, published since 1979 and operated as a division of the Harvard International Relations Council at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The publication delivers long-form analysis, interviews, and editorials on topics spanning defense, cybersecurity, trade, public health, science and technology, and regional affairs across the U.S., Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, the Americas, and Oceania. It has featured commentary from 43 Presidents and Prime Ministers, 4 Secretaries-General, 4 Nobel Economics Prize laureates, and 7 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, and is run by student editors with faculty oversight.

HIR monetizes through four distinct streams: recurring print and digital subscriptions managed via the Subsail platform, registration fees from the HIR Academic Writing Contest (launched 2020 for grades 7-12, with a Junior division for 7th-8th graders added in Spring 2026), one-time back-issue and historical volume sales through a Shopify storefront, and advertising inquiries handled separately from newsroom decisions. Its content distribution is digital-first via hir.harvard.edu (built on Ghost CMS) supplemented by the quarterly print edition and the annual contest as a mid-funnel engagement channel.

The publication is a nonprofit, student-run organization with no external investors and no disclosed financial metrics. Its primary customer segments are scholars, leaders, and policymakers seeking scholarly international affairs coverage; middle and high school students participating in the contest; and a general readership of informed consumers of foreign policy content. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, and the business operates with a rotating student editorial body rather than a fixed professional headcount.

Name

Harvard International Review

Legal name

Harvard International Review

Website

https://hir.harvard.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Harvard International Review is a student-run quarterly magazine and website, founded in 1979 and operated under Harvard University, that publishes international affairs analysis and contests for middle and high school students globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Affairs Journalism

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

News, Politics & Current Affairs Magazines (MPAJAEAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC), Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• International affairs journalism
• Quarterly policy magazine
• Academic writing contest
• Global affairs publication
• Student-run journal

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Subscription Revenue: The HIR generates revenue through print and digital subscriptions managed via Subsail platform. Subscriptions can be viewed and managed at their subscription portal.
2. Academic Writing Contest Fees: Revenue generated from contest registration fees for the HIR Academic Writing Contest. Contestants are required to register and pay before becoming eligible to submit articles prior to submission deadlines.
3. Back Issue Sales: Sale of historical volumes and back issues through their Shopify store at harvard-international-review.myshopify.com
4. Advertising: The organization accepts advertising, with business inquiries directed to [email protected]. Commercial activities are kept entirely separate from newsroom decisions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Harvard International Review publishes a quarterly magazine on international affairs featuring exclusive interviews with heads of state, policymakers, and scholars, paired with expert staff analysis. The publication operates a website with free and premium subscription access and runs the annual HIR Academic Writing Contest for middle and high school students, including a virtual Defense Day presentation event for finalists.

Product overview

Harvard International Review is a quarterly magazine published since 1979 by the Harvard International Relations Council. The publication offers scholarly insight on international affairs through exclusive interviews, editorials, and expert analysis. Associated with the magazine is the HIR Academic Writing Contest, a competition for middle and high school students launched in 2020, featuring a Junior division for 7th-8th graders and a Senior division for 9th-12th graders. Contest finalists participate in HIR Defense Day, a virtual presentation event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Harvard International Review (Quarterly Magazine) A quarterly print and digital magazine published since 1979 by the Harvard International Relations Council, offering scholarly insight on international affairs through exclusive interviews with world leaders, editorials by leading international figures, and expert staff analysis of topics including defense, cybersecurity, trade, public health, and science and technology. Distributed via the HIR website and through print and digital subscriptions.
• HIR Academic Writing Contest An annual paid academic writing competition for middle and high school students in grades 7-12, with a Senior division (9th-12th grade) writing on themes such as Global Culture in the Digital Era, Security in a Multipolar World, and Technology, Innovation, and Power, and a Junior division (7th-8th grade) writing on a different international affairs theme. Finalists are invited to present at HIR Defense Day and earn certificates and medals.
• HIR Defense Day A virtual presentation event where Academic Writing Contest finalists deliver a 15-minute presentation and oral defense of their articles to Harvard International Review judges, followed by Q&A, with medal recognition for top performers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured commentary by 43 Presidents and Prime Ministers, 4 Secretaries-General, 4 Nobel Economics Prize laureates, and 7 Nobel Peace Prize laureates

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Economist: The Economist is a global weekly newspaper and digital subscription product covering international politics, economics, and business. It overlaps with HIR on international affairs and policy coverage, and represents a broader incumbent with vastly greater scale, paid subscriber base, and editorial resources.
• Brookings Institution press: Brookings publishes reports, articles, and policy papers on international economics, foreign policy, and governance. It shares HIR's expert-driven analytical lens and academic-policy bridge, but operates as a much larger, well-funded think-tank publishing operation.
• The Atlantic: The Atlantic is a long-running American magazine with deep international affairs and policy coverage alongside broader cultural content. It overlaps with HIR in featuring high-profile interviews and long-form analysis on global issues, but at vastly larger scale and a broader editorial remit.
• Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) publications: CFR is a major think tank publishing books, reports, and online analyses on international affairs. It overlaps heavily with HIR's editorial territory on U.S. foreign policy and geopolitics, but operates as an institution with much broader content and convening power.

Direct peers

• Georgetown Journal of International Affairs: GJIA is a student-run journal on international affairs produced at Georgetown University, with both a print edition and digital articles. It is structurally analogous to HIR (university-affiliated, student-edited, scholarly, recurring publication), making it a tight direct peer even though the audience is more academic than public-facing.
• Foreign Affairs: Foreign Affairs is the flagship American magazine on international relations and foreign policy, published by the Council on Foreign Relations since 1922. It is the closest direct competitor to HIR: both are quarterly periodicals featuring expert commentary, interviews, and analysis for a policy-academic audience.
• Foreign Policy: Foreign Policy magazine covers global affairs, geopolitics, and policy analysis with a print edition and a major digital subscription business. Like HIR, it serves scholars, policymakers, and engaged readers, but operates at significantly larger commercial scale with professional staff.
• Yale Journal of International Affairs: YJIA is a student-led publication from Yale University covering international affairs through essays, analysis, and a twice-yearly print issue. Like HIR, it operates out of an elite university, leverages institutional brand, and serves an audience interested in policy and global issues, making it a near-twin direct peer.
• Columbia Journal of International Affairs: CJIA is an internationally focused journal run by students at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. It mirrors HIR's model: a recurring publication on global issues edited by graduate and undergraduate students under the umbrella of a leading university's international-relations community.

Others

• Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI): FPRI is a Philadelphia-based think tank publishing books, articles, and newsletters on international affairs, security, and foreign policy. Adjacent to HIR's editorial scope, it serves as an ecosystem peer - research and analysis on global issues - though its primary channel is policy research rather than a consumer-facing magazine.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HarvardIR

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harvard International Review