UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies

UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies Connecting students to politics since 1919 The Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS) is an interdisciplinary organized research unit (ORU) at UC Berkeley.

IGS and its affiliated centers organize and promote research, programs, seminars and colloquia, training, educational activities, and public service in the fields of politics and public policy, with a strong focus on national and California politics.

Fall is here, and we can't wait to welcome you back! 🍂 Join us next week for our Fall 2026 Welcome Reception, a chance t...
09/05/2026

Fall is here, and we can't wait to welcome you back! 🍂 Join us next week for our Fall 2026 Welcome Reception, a chance to reconnect with fellow IGS-affiliated faculty, graduate students, student assistants, staff, and fellows (and meet some new faces too!).

Enjoy sweet and savory bites, swap stories from your summer, and hear from IGS Co-Directors Cristina Mora and Eric Schickler about everything we have planned for the year ahead.

Fall 2026 Welcome Reception
📆 Tuesday, September 8, 2026
đź•“ 4:00PM - 5:30PM
đź“Ť IGS Library, 109 Philosophy Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720

New and returning students, faculty, staff, and visiting scholars are all welcome!

Please note: the area around Philosophy Hall is under construction through January 2029. Visit the link in our bio for building access and parking details ahead of the event. For more information visit: https://igs.berkeley.edu/news/igs-events-notice-2026-2027-building-access-advisory

Image description: A maroon flyer bordered with illustrated autumn leaves in orange, yellow, and red. At the top are the Institute of Governmental Studies and Matsui Center logos in white. Below, bold white text lists the event date, time, and location. On the right side, three young women stand together smiling at the camera, dressed in fall-toned outfits. Cursive white script at the bottom reads 'Fall 2026 Welcome Reception.

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/institute-of-governmental-studies-fall-2026-welcome-reception-tickets-1997638426308

What does it mean to be banished from your own country?Working-class women and children, many of them US-born, were forc...
09/03/2026

What does it mean to be banished from your own country?Working-class women and children, many of them US-born, were forced across a border they'd never crossed before. This is their story. 🇺🇸

Join us for the next Race, Ethnicity and Immigration Colloquium featuring Marla A. RamĂ­rez, Associate Professor of History and Chicanx & Latinx Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, presenting her book Banished Citizens: A History of the Mexican American Women Who Endured Repatriation.

Between 1921 and 1944, roughly a million ethnic Mexicans living in the US were forced across the border to Mexico under what officials called "repatriation," though most were actually US citizens, largely working-class women and children. Drawing on archival records, oral histories, and private collections, RamĂ­rez traces how this coerced removal shaped three generations of ethnic Mexican families, and how officials on both sides of the border had a stake in the policy.

Race, Ethnicity and Immigration Colloquium: Banished Citizens
📆 Thursday, September 17, 2026
đź•› 12:00PM - 1:30PM
đź“Ť Harris Room, 119 Philosophy Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720

This event is co-sponsored by IGS and the Center for Race & Gender.

If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) or information about campus mobility access features, please contact [email protected] with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7-10 days before the event.

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rei-colloquium-banished-citizens-tickets-1998552486286



Image description: A flyer for 'Banished Citizens,' with a peach header, a maroon speaker banner, and a photo of RamĂ­rez in a blue blazer. Event details appear below on a tan background with a faint archival watermark, followed by an accessibility notice and the IGS and Center for Race & Gender logos.

Are you a UC Berkeley undergrad who wants to be a change-maker at the federal level? Join us in 2 weeks at the Matsui Ce...
09/03/2026

Are you a UC Berkeley undergrad who wants to be a change-maker at the federal level? Join us in 2 weeks at the Matsui Center's Pathways to Federal Public Service Info Session to learn how you can spend spring and summer 2027 in Washington, DC, in collaboration with the UC Berkeley CalInTheCapital program.

The Pathways to Federal Public Service Fellowship pairs spring coursework on federal politics and policymaking with a 9-week summer residency and public service internship in DC, complete with free housing and a living stipend.

Open to all majors and class years, including graduating seniors and transfer students, as long as you're also accepted into the Cal in the Capital (CITC) Program for Spring 2027.

Pathways to Federal Public Service Info Session
📆 Wednesday, September 16, 2026
đź•• 6:00PM - 7:30PM
đź“Ť IGS Library, 109 Philosophy Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2027-pathways-to-federal-public-service-fellowship-info-session-tickets-1998828271166

đź“Ś Application Deadline: September 27, 2026 @ 11:59PM

Scan the QR code to apply, or visit the link in our bio.
Questions about Pathways? Email [email protected].
Questions about CITC? Email [email protected].



Image description: At the top left is a photo of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial with a group of students, and at the top right is a group photo of program participants posing indoors. Below, the left side lists info session details (date, time, location) with a QR code to apply and the application deadline. The right side lists program highlights in white and pink text: spring coursework, a 9-week DC residency and internship, and free housing with a living stipend. A white box at the bottom right contains two QR codes for Pathways and CITC program questions.

We're proud to spotlight IGS Co-Director and Professor of Sociology G. Cristina Mora, who co-authored a powerful new boo...
09/03/2026

We're proud to spotlight IGS Co-Director and Professor of Sociology G. Cristina Mora, who co-authored a powerful new book with Tianna S. Paschel (Associate Professor of African American Studies): Normalizing Inequality: How Californians Make Sense of the Growing Divide.

Mora and Paschel dig into a striking paradox: Californians see the systemic roots of inequality clearly, yet often explain it away through individualism and "it's worse elsewhere" thinking. Join them, along with panelists Lisa GarcĂ­a Bedolla and Desmond Jagmohan, for a conversation moderated by Nicholas Vargas.

Authors Meet Critics: Normalizing Inequality
📆 Wednesday, September 9, 2026
đź•“ 4:00PM (reception to follow)
đź“Ť 820 Social Sciences Building, UC Berkeley

IGS is honored to co-sponsor this event alongside UC Berkeley Social Science Matrix, the School of Education, the Othering and Belonging Institute, and the Departments of Political Science and African American Studies.

Register: https://matrix.berkeley.edu/events/normalizing-inequality-how-californians-make-sense-of-the-growing-divide/



Image description: A navy blue flyer for "Authors Meet Critics: Normalizing Inequality." The top right shows the book cover, an abstract coastal landscape in blue, teal, and gold. Below it are five square headshots of the panelists, stacked vertically, next to a QR code for event registration. The left side of the flyer contains the event title, date, time, location, and a summary of the book.

It’s good to be back on campus! We’re kicking off the first day of instruction with our Research Workshop in American Po...
08/26/2026

It’s good to be back on campus! We’re kicking off the first day of instruction with our Research Workshop in American Politics Seminar (RWAP) Seminar! RWAP brings together faculty and graduate students in American politics to share their work in an informal setting. The seminar meets weekly and covers a broad range of topics in American politics. It is primarily a forum for the presentation and discussion of research in progress by graduate students at UC Berkeley. Students who take the workshop for credit as PS 291 will make at least one presentation of work-in-progress per semester and will serve as a discussant for another student or faculty member’s presentation at least once per semester. There are also occasional presentations by invited speakers. This seminar is closed to the public, and attendance is up to the professor’s discretion.

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Institute of Governmental Studi...
07/06/2026

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Institute of Governmental Studies Library spent the spring semester inviting our community into conversation.

Each week, students, faculty, staff, and visitors responded to a different question inspired by American democracy, history, government, and civic life. Some reflected on the meaning of equality. Others debated which branch of government they would "mute" for a day, shared the figures who inspire them most, or even nominated the soundtrack for America's 250th anniversary.

Rather than searching for one right answer, the campaign celebrated what universities do best: creating space for curiosity, disagreement, reflection, and thoughtful dialogue.

As we commemorate this milestone, we're grateful to everyone who stopped, wrote on the board, shared a perspective, or simply took a moment to think a little more deeply about democracy.

Happy Independence Day from IGS.

07/04/2026

🎵 If America had a theme song for its 250th birthday... what would it be?

One of the questions we posed to the IGS community this spring invited students to imagine the soundtrack to America's semiquincentennial. Their answers ranged from hopeful to humorous, reflective to critical—much like democracy itself.

Throughout the semester, the IGS Library transformed a simple whiteboard into a space for civic reflection, inviting our community to engage questions about government, history, equality, and American identity.

What song would you choose?

! Today in Sacramento, is a proud partner of the Statewide Survey of California Opinions on Democracy, a critical pane...
04/27/2026

! Today in Sacramento, is a proud partner of the Statewide Survey of California Opinions on Democracy, a critical panel discussion on Californians’ perspectives, resources, and actions being taken to protect their democratic rights. Featuring insights from some of the latest findings from the , this event is generously sponsored by the in partnership with the and the

“The systems of checks and balances have to work, and the only way it’s going to work, is through the power of the peopl...
04/10/2026

“The systems of checks and balances have to work, and the only way it’s going to work, is through the power of the people…so you all please…get engaged, and it doesn’t matter at what level; local, statewide, nationally, in your neighborhood…but engagement right now is the only option.”
- Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, 2026 Barbara Boxer Lecturer

This past Tuesday, The Institute of Governmental Studies and the Bancroft Library hosted the 2026 Barbara Boxer Lecture, which featured a candid, passionate, and insightful conversation between two iconic, pioneering California women leaders: Oakland Mayor, Cal alum, and longtime Bay Area public service leader Barbara Lee, and former U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. Throughout their conversation, Mayor Lee reflected on her trailblazing career across every level of governance while staying true to her activist roots. Both leaders gave impassioned appeals to the current generation to protect our democracy from efforts being made to undermine and dismantle our democratic system.

We are extremely grateful to the Mayor for taking the time out of her busy schedule to speak to the next generation of young public service leaders, to the former Senator’s continued support engaging and uplifting women leaders at all levels of California state and national public service, and for our campus partners in bringing this event together.

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109 Moses Hall
Berkeley, CA
94720

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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