News

Democratizing Access: The IGS Library Digitizes Local Government Documents

February 26, 2025
Paul King

The California Local Government Documents Collection (LoCALDig) is live! This new collection from the Institute of Governmental Studies Library (IGSL) is now available to search and explore at the Internet Archive. Find digitized documents of over 3000 (and growing) plans, policy reports, and more.

Democratizing Access: The IGS Library Digitizes Archive of Local Government Documents

A key principle of a democratic society is the...

Student Research Opportunity - We the Cities Project

February 21, 2025
You are invited to get involved in the We the Cities Project at the Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS)!

IGS Visiting Scholar and Law Professor Kathleen Morris is looking for student volunteers to help collect data for a project called "We the Cities" (WTC). WTC will work with local governments to create teaching materials that allow young people (in and out of college) to learn the nuts and bolts of "running" local governments. The WTC project's next step is to conduct short (1 hour) interviews with 50 or so Bay Area cities and counties. WTC has developed a simple...

Berkeley IGS Poll in Progress this Week (Oct 22 - Oct 29)

October 22, 2024
Berkeley IGS Poll in Progress This Week

This week the Institute of Governmental Studies will be conducting another of its periodic polls of the California public about major political and public policy issues facing the state. It is a legitimate non-partisan poll sponsored by the University that is carried out by distributing email invitations via Qualtrics to a carefully constructed random sample of the state’s registered voters. Data collection will continue through Tuesday, October 29.

The opinions of all survey participants will remain confidential and not be...

Berkeley IGS Poll in Progress this Week (Feb 17 - Feb 24)

February 17, 2025
Berkeley IGS Poll in Progress This Week

This week the Institute of Governmental Studies will be conducting another of its periodic polls of the California public about major political and public policy issues facing the state. It is a legitimate non-partisan poll sponsored by the University that is carried out by distributing email invitations via Qualtrics to a carefully constructed random sample of the state’s registered voters. Data collection will continue through Monday, February 24.

The opinions of all survey participants will remain confidential and not be...

The Library Corner - Fall 2024 Edition

November 25, 2024
IGS Library and Internet Archive Digitization Project aka LoCal Dig Project

The IGS Library (IGSL) kicked off its multi-year California Local Government Documents digitization project in earnest this Summer! With funding from the State of California, and in collaboration with the California State Library and UCLA, we have initiated a partnership with the Internet Archive (IA) to digitize what is anticipated to be a one-of-a-kind digital collection of more than ten...

Blog: IGS Fellows in the World

Our Matsui Center undergraduate fellows share their unique and transformative experiences in public service, research, and public policy opportunities.

Spotlight: The Center for Community Innovation at IGS equips small and mid-sized cities with data analysis and storytelling training to further equitable development

November 25, 2024

The Equitable Development Data Insight Training (EDDIT) initiative has had an eventful year! Launched by Professor Emerita Karen Chapple of the Center for Community Innovation in early 2023, EDDIT has been incredibly successful in its venture to provide data analysis and storytelling training to organizations working towards urban equity.

EDDIT works closely with organizations in small and mid-sized cities across the U.S. and Canada to help them...

Spotlight: Transforming the Public Sector with Research on the People in Government and the Communities they Serve

January 22, 2021

IGS's newest research center, The People Lab, "aims to transform the public sector by producing cutting-edge research on the people in government and the communities they serve." We are thrilled to welcome Faculty Directors Amy Lerman and Elizabeth Linos, along with their talented group of interdisciplinary graduate student researchers, to IGS.

The People Lab now has over thirty projects underway, ranging from recruiting and retaining a diverse set of talented public servants to assessing and addressing the burnout of 911 dispatchers. No matter what project The Lab is...

IGS Co-Director Cristina Mora featured at UCLA panel

September 19, 2024

On Thursday, September 19, the Latina Futures 2050 Lab hosted an engaging panel discussion featuring prominent scholars, including IGS Co-director Cristina Mora, a leading voice in the study of race, identity, and politics. The event focused on the critical role of women of color in shaping the 2024 general election.

Mora and fellow panelists examined how the unique experiences and intersectional identities of women of color are reshaping the political landscape. The conversation provided key insights into voter behavior in communities of color and underscored the growing influence...

IGS Co-Director Schickler quoted in New York Times article; California's slow ballot counting process becoming "fodder for conspiracy theories" questioning election integrity

November 11, 2024
Soumya Karlamangla, Olando Mayorquín, Coral Murphy Marcos

With almost a week having past since Election Day, California's top election official, Shirley Weber, defends its slower-than-average, deliberate process of counting mail-in ballots to ensure an accurate election result. With nine of 16 the remaining Congressional races to determine control of the House of Representatives still uncalled, IGS Co-Director Eric Schickler weighs in, saying, "'Even actions that are actually just good-faith efforts to have a reliable election' can become fodder for conspiracy theories."...