We are rethinking the conditions for genuine, widespread, and sustainable prosperity.
The Berkeley Economy and Society Initiative forges collaborations across fields to reframe the study of political and economic life. Hard questions are our starting point.
Learn more about the Berkeley Economy and Society Initiative (BESI).
The Latest at BESI
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Yoni Appelbaum and Jerusalem Demsas on Housing, Mobility, and the Thwarting of Economic Opportunity
On March 11, BESI welcomed Yoni Appelbaum and Jerusalem Demsas for a highly anticipated conversation on…
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Panel: ‘Democratic Backsliding in the United States’
Legal and political scholars contextualize the rapidly infolding constitutional crisis.
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BESI Director Paul Pierson Joins KQED’s ‘Forum’ for Discussion on Billionaires in the White House
Are we now a ‘broligarchy’? A record 13 billionaires could end up serving in Trump’s administration.
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Marion Fourcade: ‘The Ordinal Society’
Technologies of information management transform how we relate to ourselves and to each other.
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Brian Judge: ‘Democracy in Default’
Since the 1980s, liberal democracies have turned to finance as a way to depoliticize distributive conflict.
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BESI Director Paul Pierson’s ‘Partisan Nation’ Featured in Opportunity Now
Berkeley Political Economy program director Steven Vogel was also invited to share a book recommendation.
Events Hosted by BESI
April 24, 2025
12 p.m.
820 Social Sciences Building, UC Berkeley Right-wing politics came to Silicon Valley decades before Elon Musk began running DOGE. Becca Lewis recounts how activists operating within a loose network of think tanks and media publications enlisted Silicon Valley in the broader right-wing political project.Upcoming Events
Tech’s Right Turn: How Reactionary Politics Came to Silicon Valley
Designated
Emphasis (DE) in
Political Economy
BESI is proud to support the Designated Emphasis (DE) in Political Economy, through which doctoral students in various disciplines can expand their training in political economy and take classes across UC Berkeley departments.