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.

California Spotlight

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Event Date: February 9th, 2026
12:00 PM to 1:30 PM PT

California Spotlight: Higher Education Under Attack

This California Spotlight panel brings together leading scholars to examine the forces challenging public higher education today. Drawing on areas spanning finance, policy, and labor, the discussion will explore how these dynamics are shaping the UC system, and what is at stake for students, employees, the public, and the future of higher education.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published June 10, 2015

Penelope Anthias: “Gas and Land Rights in Bolivia”

In Bolivia, conflicting interests have led to complicated internal struggles over rights, land, and money, says a postdoctoral fellow in UC Berkeley's Department of Geography.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published June 1, 2015

Tribal Tongues

After nearing extinction, California Indian languages are gaining new speakers—and a digital presence—with the help of UC Berkeley’s Linguistics Department.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published May 12, 2015

After the Maidan

UC Berkeley scholars present diverse viewpoints on the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published May 7, 2015

Battling Ebola

A UC Berkeley professor has been part of a network of researchers working to apply local anthropological knowledge in the fight to contain the most deadly Ebola outbreak in history.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published May 7, 2015

Liz Carlisle: “Lentils to the Rescue”

Can lentils save American farms from drought? As California struggles with a water crisis, a UC Berkeley fellow shows how legumes can reduce dependence on irrigation.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published May 5, 2015

Center on the Politics of Development

A UC Berkeley research center advances mixed-methods research on development, envisions public policy solutions, and advocates for sustainable changes to the governance of developing communities.

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