Welcome! We are thrilled to serve as co-directors of IGS, where we train and mentor young people committed to public service, support and share game-changing research, and work to inform and elevate discourse on California and American politics and policy making here on campus and beyond.
Through the Matsui Center we provide some of the country’s most promising students with internships and real-world learning opportunities. In our faculty-led research groups, we develop and support state-of-the art research on critical issues facing the nation today. With the Berkeley IGS Poll we provide accurate, unbiased information on what Californians think and how they are voting. And through our seminar series, public lectures and other events, we invite local and national scholars, elected officials, journalists and public intellectuals to give us first-hand insight on US democracy in action.
We’ve come together as co-directors because we value an interdisciplinary approach and envision IGS as a welcoming space for all who are interested in politics and governance issues defined broadly. We also value collaboration and work to make IGS a place that fosters community as it encourages deep conversations across disciplines. Whether you are in Political Science, Sociology, History, Ethnic Studies, Economics, Public Health or another field we hope you will see IGS as a home to develop big ideas and produce cutting-edge research. Our IGS Library and staff are also here to help students and members of the public access important resources and archives.
At IGS, we’re supporting reliable, top-flight research and preparing the leaders of tomorrow. Our goal is to build on what previous directors have developed and make sure that through our student programs, working groups, and events, UC Berkeley remains central to the most important governance actions and conversations unfolding today. American democracy faces deep and systemic challenges; by training the next generation of leaders and citizens, incubating policy-relevant research, and elevating critical public discussions IGS is determined to be a part of the solution.
G. Cristina Mora & Eric Schickler
IGS Co-Directors