Book Talk
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Event Date: May 5th, 2026
4:00pm-5:15pm
The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us
Join us on May 5 for a talk on "The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us," by Benjamin Recht, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley. The conversation will be moderated by Marion Fourcade, Professor of Sociology and Director of Social Science Matrix.
Learn More >Authors Meet Critics
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Event Date: April 29th, 2026
4:00pm-5:30pm
POSTPONED: Normalizing Inequality: How Californians Make Sense of the Growing Divide
In their new book, "Normalizing Inequality," sociologists G. Cristina Mora and Tianna S. Paschel illuminate how middle-class Californians perceive and come to accept the inequalities that surround them. At this Authors Meet Critics event, Professors Mora and Paschel will be joined in conversation by Desmond Jagmohan and Lisa García Bedolla, with Nicholas Vargas moderating.
Learn More >Matrix On Point
Recap
Published April 23, 2026
Matrix on Point: The U.S. Dollar Hegemony in Transition
Recorded on April 8, 2026, this panel brought together scholars to examine the foundation of U.S. monetary influence and the role of financial innovation in an evolving global economy. The panel featured Barry Eichengreen, Rohan Kekre, and Chenzi Xu, with Brian Judge moderating.
Learn More >CRELS
Recap
Published April 1, 2026
Algorithms of Distinction: Class, Credit Scores, and Property in South Africa
Watch or listen to a lecture by Julien Migozzi, an economic geographer and Assistant Professor in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge, examining how 21st-century class dynamics become connected with data-driven stratification systems, focusing on the digital transformation of property markets in South Africa.
Learn More >California Spotlight
Recap
Published March 3, 2026
California Spotlight: Higher Education Under Attack
Recorded on February 9, 2026, this panel brought together scholars — including Charlie Eaton, Katherine Newman, Juan Pablo Pardo-Guerra, and Christopher Kutz — to examine the forces challenging public higher education today. Drawing on areas spanning finance, policy, and labor, the discussion explored how these dynamics are shaping the UC System, and what is at stake for students, employees, the public, and the future of higher education.
Learn More >Matrix Teach-In
Recap
Published March 3, 2026
Matrix Teach-In: Ula Taylor, “The Making of Frances M. Beal’s Black Feminist House”
Recorded on February 19, 2026, this video presents a lecture by Ula Taylor, Professor and Chair of the Department of African American Studies & African Diaspora Studies. The talk centered on Professor Taylor’s current work in progress, an oral biography of Frances M. Beal. The talk was a Matrix Teach-In, a series designed to bring UC Berkeley’s most engaging social science lectures into a public setting.
Learn More >Matrix On Point
Recap
Published March 3, 2026
Matrix on Point: Corruption in America
Watch the video (or listen to the podcast) of our recent Matrix on Point panel focused on "Corruption in America," featuring leading scholars from business, political science, and law to examine the many facets of corruption in the United States and the ways it is identified, constrained, and addressed.
Learn More >Matrix News
Funding Opportunity
Published February 25, 2026
Applications Open: 2026-2027 Research Teams, Iris Hui Memorial Scholarship
Social Science Matrix is pleased to present two funding opportunities: for 2026-2027 Matrix Research Teams, and for the Iris Hui Memorial Scholarship.
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