Social Sciences

Robert Reich and Berkeley Economics professors talk to students about billionaire tax

October 1, 2026
By Jessica Ballardo

When California voters head to the polls this November, they could be setting a new precedent for the rest of the country.

Proposition 40 — which proposes a one-time, 5% wealth tax on California residents with assets over $1 billion to fund healthcare programs, food assistance programs and public education — could make California the first to enact a state-level billionaire wealth tax in the U.S.

To discuss the wealth tax’s origins and potential impacts on global policy if it passes, UC Public Policy Professor...

Why California's billionaire tax is a toss up as midterms near

September 30, 2026
By Miles Kofman

Proposition 40, commonly referred to as the billionaire tax, came out of the gates hot.

Its proposal for a one-time, 5% tax on billionaire wealth for health care resonated with Californians, especially after federal cuts to health care by Congress and the Trump Administration. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Reps. Ro Khanna and Maxine Waters have endorsed and campaigned for the tax. As billionaire wealth continues to grow at an astronomical rate (170% since 2023), the tax has proved appealing, especially for young voters and Democrats, according to UC...

Watch: the history of capitalism, explained in 101 seconds

September 28, 2026
By Charlotte Khadra, Lila Thulin, Andrei Valladolid

“Capitalism was under construction from about 1500 to about 1800,” says Professor Trevor Jackson. “It’s easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine the end of capitalism.”

Jackson’s recent book, The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World, details this complex history. In it, the UC Berkeley economic historian underscores that capitalism’s rise was not an inevitable or...

https://news.berkeley.edu/2026/09/18/watch-the-history-of-capitalism-in-101-seco…

Inside the No. 2 ranked undergraduate psychology program in the nation

September 22, 2026
By Esme Hyatt

UC Berkeley’s undergraduate psychology program has been ranked No. 2 for the second year in a row in the new 2027 U.S. News & World Report.

The rankings are based on peer assessments from deans, program directors and senior faculty members at colleges and universities across the country. Berkeley Psychology continues to be one of the nation’s best programs because of top faculty members and investments in student success, its faculty and students said. They point to the program's unique opportunities for students to engage in...

Why is UC Berkeley one of the top universities to study economics?

September 25, 2026
By Miles Kofman

Access to rigorous research opportunities and world-renowned faculty continues to make Berkeley Economics one of the nation’s top programs.

U.S. News & World Report ranked three Berkeley Economics programs — public finance, labor economics and international economics — No. 1 in its 2027 best colleges rankings. All eight programs in the Economics Department ranked in the top six.

UC Berkeley’s Economics Department — the only public university to rank in the top 10 for economics disciplines — has over 1,500...

The MTV of Gen Z: Berkeley Political Economy Alumna redefines entertainment

September 21, 2026
By Jessica Park

What does entertainment look like for a generation raised online? That’s the question Political Economy Alumna Alice Ma set out to answer when she co-founded Mad Realities, a media collective often described as the “MTV of the internet generation.”

At Mad Realities, Ma is reimagining how Gen Z audiences engage with entertainment, science and culture. The company has generated more than 1.3 billion organic views through viral series like “Shop Cats” and “Blow...

Healthier babies. Less red tape. Cash for pregnant mothers.

September 15, 2026
By Jessica Ballardo

Before a child even enters the world, the conditions into which they are born are already shaping their health and future.

Hilary Hoynes, UC Berkeley chancellor’s professor of economics and public policy and co-director of the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Wealth and Income Inequality, has spent decades researching how different economic and social factors affect children’s lives, and how government policy can help address...

New UC Berkeley study links deep-sleep loss to Alzheimer’s-related protein buildup

September 15, 2026
By Maya L. Kapoor
As tau builds up in our brains, non-REM brain waves necessary for memory formation become erratic.

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Berkeley Social Sciences: New Faculty 2026-2027

New ASUC president Margaret Solomon wants students to have a bigger voice on campus

August 26, 2026
By Jessica Ballardo

For Margaret Solomon, leadership begins with remembering what it felt like to be new. After immigrating from Nigeria at age nine, she was introduced to a new culture and school system and had to learn how to find her place in an unfamiliar environment.

Now, as the incoming Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) president, she is channeling that lived experience into her work at UC Berkeley — with a focus on ensuring students have a voice in the decisions that affect them.

An African American...