UC Berkeley’s flagship institute for social science research

Our purpose is captured in our name: we provide an organizational framework—a “matrix”—that supports cross-disciplinary research pursued by social scientists across the University of California, Berkeley campus and beyond.

Matrix On Point

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Event Date: February 3rd, 2026
4:00pm-5:30pm

Matrix on Point: Corruption in America

This panel will bring together leading scholars from business, political science, and law to examine the many facets of corruption in the United States and the ways it is identified, constrained, and addressed. The panel will feature Sarah Anzia, Ernesto Dal Bó, and Erwin Chemerinsky, with Sean Gailmard moderating.

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Matrix Lecture

Recap

Published February 28, 2022

The Problem of Trust in the Digital Public Sphere

On February 24, 2022, Matrix was honored to host William Davies, Professor of Political Economy at Goldsmiths, University of London, for a Matrix Distinguished Lecture. Davies explored how the digitization of our public sphere has made trust harder to establish, as the ideal of “facts” has been challenged by that of “real-time data,” and consequently altered the forms of allegiance, organization, and political coalitions that are possible.

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Black History Month

Article

Published February 16, 2022

Honoring Black History Month at Social Science Matrix

In honor of Black History Month, we've rounded up a selection of 11 Social Science Matrix articles, podcasts, and videos of panel discussions with themes related to understanding Black lives in America.

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Authors Meet Critics

Recap

Published February 8, 2022

Bankers in the Ivory Tower: The Troubling Rise of Financiers in US Higher Education

Watch the video (or listen to the podcast) of our “Author Meets Critics” panel on the book, "Bankers in the Ivory Tower: The Troubling Rise of Financiers in US Higher Education," by Charlie Eaton, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Merced. Recorded on Feb. 3, 2022, the panel included Emmanuel Saez and Jonathan Glater, with Jennifer Johnson-Hanks as moderator.

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Article

Interview

Published February 8, 2022

Innovation Matters: Competition Policy for the High-Tech Economy

In his new book, "Innovation Matters: Competition Policy for the High-Technology Economy," Richard Gilbert, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Economics at UC Berkeley, argues that regulators should be considering the effects of mergers and monopolies on innovation, rather than price. Read our Q&A with Professor Gilbert.

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Authors Meet Critics

Recap

Published February 3, 2022

The King and the People: Sovereignty and Popular Politics in Mughal Delhi

On January 26, 2022, Social Science Matrix hosted an “Authors Meet Critics” panel discussion focused on the book, "The King and the People: Sovereignty and Popular Politics in Mughal Delhi" (Oxford University Press), by Abhishek Kaicker, Associate Professor in the UC Berkeley Department of History. Professor Kaicker was joined in conversation by Professors Asad Ahmed and Aarti Sethi. The panel was moderated by Professor Pradeep Chhibber.

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Podcast

Interview

Published January 20, 2022

Individual Trauma, Social Outcomes: A Matrix Podcast Interview with Biz Herman

In this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Julia Sizek interviews Biz Herman, a PhD candidate in the UC Berkeley Department of Political Science, a Visiting Scholar at The New School for Social Research’s Trauma and Global Mental Health Lab, and a Predoctoral Research Fellow with the Human Trafficking Vulnerability Lab. The podcast focuses on Herman's research on mental health and social stability at the Za’atri Refugee Camp in Jordan, as well as her broader research on the impacts of individual trauma on community coherence.

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