Events

25th Annual Travers Conference on Ethics & Accountability in Government

April 21, 2023 9:30am - 3:00pm

California confronts a set of interlocking policy challenges that threaten its future vitality. The state has long been a magnet to people across the U.S. and the world seeking economic opportunity and a high quality of life. But as the price of housing has spiraled out of control and as climate change has multiplied the risks posed by drought and wildfires to communities, the state must develop new strategies that safeguard its future. This conference will bring together academic experts, policymakers, and advocates for a discussion of...

2023 Barbara Boxer Lecture with Representative Judy Chu

April 3, 2023 4:00pm - 5:15pm Please join us in conversations with Representative Judy Chu.

From her position on the House Ways and Means Committee and as a member of the Subcommittees on Health, Worker and Family Support, and Oversight, Congresswoman Judy Chu has distinguished herself as a champion of working families. The first Chinese American woman elected to Congress, Rep. Chu has served as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus since 2011, and has been a leading advocate for the needs and concerns of the Asian American Pacific Islander community...

REI Colloquium: Colonial Bureaucracy & Contemporary Citizenship: Legacies of Race & Emergency in the Former British Empire

March 3, 2023 12:00pm - 1:30pm Please join us as we explore the contents of Yael Berda's latest book, examining how the legacies of colonial bureaucracy continue to shape political life after empire.

Yael Berda is an Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) of Sociology & Anthropology at Hebrew University and a non-resident fellow with the Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy school of government.

Berda publishes, teaches, and speaks on the intersections of law & society, bureaucracy and the state, race and racism and sociology of...

Women Leaders & The Future of California

March 2, 2023 4:00pm - 5:30pm Please join us as we ask four prominent women leaders: What role do politically engaged women of color play in shaping the next decade for the Golden State?

In the midst of historic partisanship, geopolitical upheaval, ecological disasters, and the remnants of a once in a generation pandemic, how can California leaders guide one of the largest and most influential cultural and economic regions in the world towards a brighter future? On the national scale, how does California continue to stand at the forefront on major issues...

2023 Percy Synar Award Ceremony and Reception

February 24, 2023 2:00pm - 4:00pm Please join us as we congratulate the 2023 recipients of the Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant for Public Affairs Research and the Mike Synar Graduate Research Fellowship.

An Awards Ceremony and Reception for the 2023 Charles H. Percy Undergraduate Grant and the Mike Synar Graduate Fellowship Recipients, by the Institute of Governmental Studies.

Each year, the Institute of Governmental Studies awards up to four Charles H. Percy research grants in the amount of $500 each to U.C. Berkeley undergraduate students who...

REI Colloquium: How Group Competition, Apathy, & Antipathy Influence Intergroup Harm

February 14, 2023 12:00pm - 1:30pm The Institute of Governmental Studies, Center for Race & Gender, and Berkeley Ethnic studies is excited to announce the upcomin REI Colloquium by Professor Sa-Kiera Hudson.

Empathy is often hailed as the emotion to target in intergroup conflicts, as it predicts consequential prosocial behaviors. I argue, however, that while empathy is relevant for prosocial and helpful behaviors, it cannot adequately explain why people harm members of other groups. In my work I have developed a model that proposes incorporating another, understudied...

Election Night @ IGS: 2022 Midterm Election Watch Party

November 8, 2022 5:00pm - 9:00pm The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics & Public Service, and the Institute of Governmental Studies are hosting an fun, friendly, and informative evening of food, trivia games, and healthy discussion as we livestream the election results from the 2022 Midterm elections!

Join us as we track election results in California and across the nation in a monumental midterm year that will determine party control of both the House and the Senate! Food and drinks will be provided along with games and prizes, too.

The 2022 Midterms & The State of American Democracy

November 4, 2022 12:00pm - 1:30pm Join us for a presentation and panel discussion on the latest Berkeley IGS Poll results and impacts prior to the 2022 midterm elections.

What are the main factors shaping the landscape for the 2022 Midterm elections in California and across the nation? With closely contested battles for control of the House and Senate, along with high-profile races for other offices, including the mayor of Los Angeles, our expert panel will consider what the latest polling data and on-the-ground reports tell us to expect. How has the Dobbs decision...

Book Talk: Arc of Power: Inside Nancy Pelosi's Speakership 2005-2010

October 27, 2022 4:00pm - 5:30pm Join Berkeley IGS for a book talk with John Lawrence, former chief of staff to Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, documenting his insider perspective from 2005 to 2010.

Date: Thursday, October 27th, 2022 at 4:00pm

Where: 109 Moses Hall (IGS Library), UC Berkeley

Note: The Event will also be broadcast via Zoom.

About the...

2022 Diversity and Entrepreneurship Research Symposium

September 30, 2022 9:30am - 4:00pm

In Spring of 2021, the Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) at the University of California, Berkeley, was awarded a grant of more than $333,000 from the Wells Fargo Foundation to launch a two-year Diversity and Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program. The new initiative expands Berkeley undergraduate research, advocacy and internship experiences that focus on how small businesses, especially those that are POC (People of Color)- and women-owned, are faring across California and what can be done to strengthen them. IGS’s Diversity and...