BESI’s Capitalism and Democracy Research Cluster brings together UC Berkeley faculty and researchers from across political science, law, and public policy to identify the challenges to effective democratic governance and develop politically viable solutions.
Our research focuses on the contemporary United States, where the world’s foremost economy coexists uneasily with besieged and crisis-ridden institutions. In particular, we investigate how the preferences and behavior of powerful economic interests — extraordinarily wealthy individuals, large corporations, and business associations — play an outsized role in politics.
Our work reveals how a rapidly changing and highly unequal economy contributes to political gridlock, rising discontent, and institutional instability. Our task is ultimately to identify the preconditions for building a sustainable balance between the demands of capitalism and the imperative of democratic citizenship.
The latest in Capitalism & Democracy
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Berkeley economist Gabriel Zucman wins prestigious Clark Medal
Gabriel Zucman, a UC Berkeley economist who has helped propel globally influential research on tax avoidance and economic inequality, was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal by the American Economic Association (AEA).