Research

Boom and Bust: The Politics of the California Budget

Jeff Cummins
2015

Once regarded as a national model of policymaking, in recent decades, California’s reputation has deteriorated to a state more commonly associated with dysfunction. At the heart of this demise has been the state’s inability to manage its budget—a core function of any effective government. Historically, California, like other states, has been subject to boom-and-bust budget cycles that produce huge swings in revenue during periods of economic growth and precipitous revenue drops when recessions occur. However, these cycles became more severe in the 1980s and culminated in the crisis...

Reflections on Leadership from a Marine

James N. Mattis
2015

Jim Mattis, an Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, is an expert on national security issues, especially strategy, innovation, the effective use of military force, and the Middle East.

Before coming to Hoover, Mattis was the commander of the US Central Command from 2010 to 2013, responsible for military operations involving more than 200,000 US soldiers, sailors, airmen, coast guardsmen, and marines in Afghanistan, Iraq, and 18 other countries in the Middle East and south-central Asia.

He commanded at multiple levels, from second lieutenant...

Change from the Inside: My Life, the Chicano Movement, and the Story of an Era

Richard Alatorre with Marc Grossman
2016

Change from the Inside: My Life, the Chicano Movement, and the Story of an Era is the memoir of former Assemblymember and L.A. City Councilmember Richard Alatorre, chronicling his extraordinary role as a pioneering activist and political figure in the momentous events that advanced Latino empowerment from the 1960s through the 1990s—events that presaged the ascendency of contemporary Latino social and political influence.

Alatorre played a pivotal role across the length and breadth of the Chicano movement, so his story is more than a reflection on one person’s life....

Trumpism and its Discontents

Osagie K. Obasogie, editor
2020

There is no shortage of punditry on Donald Trump’s rise as a political figure. Yet, the unusual story of a real estate entrepreneur turned game show host turned politician has obscured deeper assessments of the political conditions and ideological reconfigurations that produced this moment. This volume offers a collection of essays that examine the political worldview that has come to be known as “Trumpism,” the circumstances that made this way of thinking and being possible, and the implications these transformations have for democracy and human well-being.

...

Modern War in Theory and Practice

John Nagl
2016

Dr. John Nagl is currently the ninth headmaster of The Haverford School. Prior to his assuming the role of headmaster in 2013, Nagl was the inaugural Minerva Research Professor at the U.S. Naval Academy. Previously, Nagl was the president of the Center for a New American Security in Washington, D.C., and he remains a nonresident senior fellow at CNAS. He was also a member of the Reserve Forces Policy Board for Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, [update?] a visiting professor in the War Studies Department at Kings College of London, and a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and...

Consequences of Party Reform

Nelson W. Polsby
1983

In this important and provocative book, Nelson W. Polsby argues that many of the most significant problems of American government and politics today are rooted in how we nominate our presidents and prepare them for office. Looking back at the revolutionary reforms undertaken by the Democratic Party after the 1968 convention, Polsby shows how those measures have rippled out into the whole political system. He argues that those reforms--which were meant to broaden democratic participation and unintended consequences, making elections less responsive to majority rule and more...

The Academic Senate of the University of California: Its Role in the Shared Governance and Operation of the University of California

Angus E. Taylor
1998

This book is out of print, but the contents are available as a free download:

Academic Senate of the University of California [pdf]

Party Planning Businesses You Absolutely Need to Know About

Allyson Velez
2021
Allyson Velez, Public Health, Class of 2022

Internship Office: California Department of Public Health

As COVID-19 cases surged all throughout 2020, birthday parties, weddings, and celebrations of all sorts were cancelled. This is a study of how small businesses, owned and operated by Latinx women, within the event planning industry managed mental health challenges amidst the COVID-19 closures.

Cannabis Social Equity: The Battle to Compete in a Competitive Marketplace

Victor Vasquez
2021
Victor Vasquez, Sociology, Class of 2021

Internship Office: CDFA CalCannabis, Department of Cannabis Control

Senate Bill No. 1294 creates funding for a state and local cannabis social equity programs. By examining local policy, speaking to and listening to stakeholders I was able to to determine what makes running a cannabis business as qualifying social equity candidate. I was able to examine three localities Oakland, Humboldt County, and Coachella. With these examples we are about to begin to understand the bigger picture of being BIPOC in the CA Cannabis industry.

How Diversity Affects California Nonprofit Organizations

Leslie Vasquez
2021
Leslie Vasquez, Political Science, Class of 2021

Internship Office: League of Women Voters of California

California is one of the most diverse states in the nation. According to the Public Policy Institute of California no race or ethnic group constitutes a majority of California’s population and almost 30% of the population are considered immigrants. With an increasingly diverse state, there is pressure to diversify the workplace particularly in the non-profit sector. Many advocates of educational equity believe non-profit organizations are stronger when directors closely reflect...