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Institute of Governmental Studies

  • About
    • IGS was created a century ago to provide research expertise to the Legislature regarding public issues of the day.  Our core mission remains promoting interdisciplinary research with a principal focus on American and California governance, politics, and policy. We bring together faculty members and students from across the Berkeley campus with an interdisciplinary focus not easily replicated by a single department

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      We are committed to establishing IGS as the place to go for informed analyses and discussions of the important policy and political challenges facing both California and the nation by amplifying the work and accomplishments of our esteemed students, faculty, and leaders.

      • Overview
      • IGS News
      • IGS in the News
      • Blog: IGS Fellows in the World
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  • Research
      • Overview
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      • Berkeley IGS Poll
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      • IGS Diversity and Entrepreneurship Initiative
  • Matsui Center
    • Our mission is anchored by the belief in the transformational power of public service.  IGS’s Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics & Public Service encompasses innovative student programming, internships, and experiential learning programs to provide opportunities and networks for outstanding students, nurturing a new and more diverse set of leaders for California and the nation.

      • Overview
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      • Group Study Room
      • About the Matsui Center
  • Student Opportunities
      • Overview
      • Awards & Grants
      • Democracy Camp
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      • Graduate Student Reading and Writing Groups
  • Library
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      The IGS Library is one of the nation’s major collections in public administration, public affairs, and public policy. The library holds more than 400,000 volumes and is a depository for California local government documents.

      • Overview
      • Special Collections
      • California Local Government Documents
      • California Ballot Measure Guides
      • PS171 California Politics LibGuide
      • Access, Reserves, Interlibrary Loan
      • Cal-in-Sac Project Resources
      • BIMI Cultures in Community Program Mural

Monica, Gao

2023 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient
Class of 2023

Monica is a fourth-year student majoring in sociology, with a concentration in research methodology. Her research interests include immigration, race and ethnicity, and social movement. Her honors senior thesis focuses on the naming preferences of Asian Americans to understand...Read more about Monica, Gao

Eva Michela Polovina

2023 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient
Class of 2025

Eva Michela Polovina is a second-year at Berkeley majoring in Legal Studies. She eventually wishes to pursue law school. Her passion for immigration law developed from learning about the injustices of the immigration system and observing the sentiments driving the anti-...Read more about Eva Michela Polovina

Sanjana Manjeshwar

2023 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient
Class of 2023

Sanjana Manjeshwar is a senior majoring in Legal Studies and Sociology. Her research interests include workers' rights and access to justice. At Berkeley, she has worked as a research assistant at the Othering & Belonging Institute, the UC Berkeley Labor Center, and...Read more about Sanjana Manjeshwar

Aaron Perry Hill

2023 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient
Class of 2023

I am a fourth-year student, originally from Forest Falls, California. I am a History major and Public Policy minor. The decision to pursue such coursework was fueled by my passion for the improvement of our Republic, something I have pursued via campaigning at the...Read more about Aaron Perry Hill

Anjika Pai

2022 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient
Class of 2022
Anjika Pai is a senior majoring in Environmental Sciences and minoring in Music. Throughout her time at Berkeley, she has developed experience in policy and communications with a strong focus on environmental justice. At Cal, Pai enjoys attending concerts at Hertz Hall and writing for Caravan...Read more about Anjika Pai

Emily Ma

2022 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient

Emily is a first-generation Chinese-American college student and a community college transfer. For the last six years, she has avidly volunteered for social and criminal justice centers, nonprofit organizations, homeless shelters, and mental health institutes throughout California. For personal...Read more about Emily Ma

Tomi Jinhuang Chung

2022 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient

Tomi is an ethnic studies scholar and sociologist who is curious about her cultural and built environment. In her interdisciplinary honors thesis project, she is studying the politics of youth identity formation, the ethnic suburb, and spatial racial formation. Her broader intellectual passions...Read more about Tomi Jinhuang Chung

Juliette Margaret Tafoya

2022 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient
Class of 2022

Juliette is a fourth year Legal Studies Major, Public Policy Minor. Her concentration of study is in Constitutional Law and History. She received a Certificate of Commendation from the City of Los Angeles for her outstanding service in the community when she worked for the city. She previously...Read more about Juliette Margaret Tafoya

Gracielle Li

2021 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient
Class of 2023

Gracielle Li (she/her) is a second-year undergraduate student, studying Political Science, Psychology, and Legal Studies. Originally from the Philippines, she came to the United States at age fourteen. Upon matriculation, Gracielle has been involved in many organizations on campus: the Risk...Read more about Gracielle Li

Tara Madhav

2021 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient
Class of 2022

Tara Madhav is a senior majoring in history and political science. Her research interests include twentieth-century American legal history, particularly with regards to the history of housing segregation and the history of educational inequality. Tara is an associate editor for Clio's Scroll,...Read more about Tara Madhav

Nabeela Syed

2021 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient
Class of 2021

Nabeela is a senior at UC Berkeley studying Political Science and Business Administration. As a first-generation Indian American, she cares deeply about Asian American and Muslim American advocacy. Nabeela has previously interned for EMILY’s List and New Blue Interactive, where she developed her...Read more about Nabeela Syed

Lesly Avendano

2021 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient
Class of 2021

Lesly Avendaño is a proud Oaxaqueña and community-college transfer. She is a senior now studying Legal Studies. Throughout her life, she has advocated for minorities and even led a movement to support undocumented students. She is passionate about socioeconomic issues that affect her community....Read more about Lesly Avendano

Corinne Biencourt

2020 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient

Thesis: Understanding the Modern Secession: The State of JeffersonRead more about Corinne Biencourt

Varsha Sarveshwar

2020 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient

Thesis: Leaders or Caretakers: Examining the Impacts of Ideological Diversity on California’s Legislative Leaders

As a UC Berkeley student, Varsha Sarveshwar dedicated herself to fighting for young people — in local politics, state politics, and student government. She aspires to...Read more about Varsha Sarveshwar

Jacob Levy

2020 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient

Thesis: In-Group Solidarity or Out-Group Resentment?: Measuring the Foundations of White PunitivenessRead more about Jacob Levy

Meanna Gray

2020 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient

Thesis: Black Evangelicals and the Democratic Party: Intersectionality and the Myth of the Monolithic Black VoteRead more about Meanna Gray

Lily Green

2020 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient

Thesis: Social Media and DemocracyRead more about Lily Green

Emily Breay

2019 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient

Thesis: "Beyond any Shadow of Doubt:" Cinema Newsreels and US Public Opinion, 1942-1944Read more about Emily Breay

Katherine (Katie) Kaufman

2019 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient

Thesis: REPURPOSED: A DocumentaryRead more about Katherine (Katie) Kaufman

Miranda Paez

2019 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient

Thesis: Oakland Ceasefire: Evaluating Ceasefire's Impact on Youth ViolenceRead more about Miranda Paez

Ella Smith

2019 Percy Undergraduate Grant Recipient

Thesis: Student Board Members in California: History, Impact, and ResourcesRead more about Ella Smith

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