Economy

Matrix On Point

Recap

Published April 17, 2023

Matrix on Point: Wealth and Taxes

Recorded on April 3, 2023, this panel featured Duncan Wigan from Copenhagen Business School and UC Berkeley's Gabriel Zucman discussing aspects of the global ecosystem of tax avoidance, including how corporations and individuals move across multiple legal jurisdictions to maintain wealth and avoid paying taxes. Moderated by Marion Fourcade, Director of Social Science Matrix.

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Lecture

Recap

Published April 15, 2023

Jo Guldi, “The Long Land War: The Global Struggle for Occupancy Rights”

 Most nations in Asia, Latin America, and Africa experienced some form of “land reform” in the 20th century. But what is land reform? In her book, The Long Land War: The Global Struggle for Occupancy Rights, Professor Jo Guldi approaches the problem from the point of view of Britain’s disintegrating empire. She makes the case that land […]

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Panel

Recap

Published April 15, 2023

Economics and Geopolitics in US International Relations: China, Europe, and the Global South

 The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have reshaped global geopolitics, trade, and security. How will these changes affect the relationship between the US and China, Europe, and the Global South? How will they impact US firms operating globally, and how might foreign leaders — and notably the Chinese leadership — respond? Recorded on […]

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Authors Meet Critics

Recap

Published March 21, 2023

To Defend This Sunrise: Black Women’s Activism and the Authoritarian Turn in Nicaragua

Recorded on March 7, 2023, this Authors Meet Critics panel focused on "To Defend This Sunrise: Black Women’s Activism and the Authoritarian Turn in Nicaragua," by Courtney Desiree Morris, Assistant Professor and Vice Chair of Research in Gender and Women’s Studies at UC Berkeley. Morris was joined in conversation by Tianna Paschel, Associate Professor in the UC Berkeley Department of African American Studies. The panel was moderated by Lok Siu, Chair of the Asian American Research Center and Professor of Ethnic Studies and Asian American/Asian Diaspora Studies at UC Berkeley.

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Affiliated Centers

News

Published February 9, 2023

Economy and Society Initiative to Launch at UC Berkeley

UC Berkeley is launching a new research center dedicated to political economy, a cross-disciplinary field focused on the interplay of markets and government. Funded through a generous seed grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Berkeley Economy and Society Initiative (BESI) will be housed within the UC Berkeley College of Letters & Science, and will be supported by Social Science Matrix.

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Alumni Interview

Podcast

Published December 6, 2022

Alumni Interview: Adriana Kugler, World Bank Executive Director for the US

This episode of the Matrix Podcast features an interview with Adriana D. Kugler, the World Bank Group Executive Director for the United States, who graduated with a PhD from the Department of Economics in 1997. Professor Danny Yagan conducted the interview.

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Authors Meet Critics

Recap

Published October 12, 2022

Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley

Recorded on September 30, 2022, this Matrix “Author Meets Critics” panel focused on the book "Work Pray Code: When Work Becomes Religion in Silicon Valley," by Carolyn Chen, Associate Professor in the UC Berkeley Department of Ethnic Studies. Professor Chen was joined in conversation by Arlie Hochschild, Professor Emerita in the UC Berkeley Department of Sociology, and Morgan Ames, Assistant Professor of Practice in the UC Berkeley School of Information and Associate Director of Research for the Center for Science, Technology, Medicine and Society. The conversation was moderated by Marion Fourcade, Professor of Sociology at UC Berkeley and Director of Social Science Matrix. The event was co-sponsored by the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion and the Berkeley Culture Center.

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Article

Podcast

Published September 30, 2022

The Rise of Mass Incarceration: An Interview with Chris Muller and Alex Roehrkasse

On this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Julia Sizek spoke with two UC Berkeley scholars whose work focuses on explaining how mass incarceration has changed over the last 30 years. Alex Roehrkasse is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Butler University. He studies the production of racial, class, and gender inequality in the […]

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Authors Meet Critics

Recap

Published September 21, 2022

The Government of Emergency: Vital Systems, Expertise, and the Politics of Security

Watch the video (or listen to the recording) of our recent "Authors Meet Critics" panel discussion on the book "The Government of Emergency: Vital Systems, Expertise, and the Politics of Security," by Stephen Collier and Andrew Lakoff, which explores the evolution of how experts and officials prepare for catastrophic risks. The authors were joined in conversation by Cathryn Carson and Michael Watts, with Aihwa Ong moderating.

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Podcast

Interview

Published September 12, 2022

Economic Benefits of Higher Education: Zach Bleemer and Maximilian Müller

Why do people choose to go to college (or not)? What impact do race-based or financial aid policies have on higher education and the broader economy? In this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Julia Sizek spoke with two UC Berkeley-trained economists whose research focuses on the economic impacts of higher education. Maximilian Müller completed his PhD […]

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Book Talk

Recap

Published September 6, 2022

Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century

Recorded on Sept. 1, 2022, this video features a panel focused on Professor J. Bradford DeLong's book, "Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century." Response by Robert Brenner, Professor Emeritus and Director of the Center for Social Theory and Comparative History at UCLA. Moderated by Steven Vogel, Co-Director of the Network for a New Political Economy (N2PE).

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Article

Interview

Published August 31, 2022

The Effects of Reparations: A Visual Interview with Arlen Guarin

What are the impacts of reparations on the lives of victims of violence? Read our visual interview with Arlen Guarin, a PhD Candidate in Economics at UC Berkeley, who studies the effects of policies that aim to reduce poverty and inequality, including reparations given to victims of human rights violations in Colombia.

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