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.

Book Talk

Recap

Published May 14, 2026

Benjamin Recht: “The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us”

Recorded on May 5, 2026, this video features a talk by Benjamin Recht, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley, focused on his book, The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us. Professor Recht was joined in conversation by Marion Fourcade, Professor of Sociology and Director of […]

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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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Research Highlights

Article

Published April 23, 2015

Emmanuel Letouzé: “Data for Development”

UC Berkeley demographer (and cartoonist) Emmanuel Letouzé seeks to reduce the gap in statistical data available about populations in developing nations.

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Culture

Published April 15, 2015

Thomas Laqueur: “Long Live the Dead”

In a forthcoming book, UC Berkeley Professor of History Thomas Laqueur examines how the peculiar relationship between the living and dead has evolved over time.

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Research Highlights

Article

Published April 1, 2015

Paul K. Piff: “Are the Wealthy More Narcissistic?”

Psychologist Paul Piff studies the link between wealth and social behavior, and shows how economic inequality shapes—and is shaped by—the mind.

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