On behalf of UC Berkeley’s Political Economy Advisory Board, students, and faculty, we write to share some exciting updates from Berkeley Political Economy.
It has been six years since Cal’s first ever Political Economy Advisory Board was launched in September 2018, and we are heartened by the many continued successes as well as some new, positive changes happening within the Political Economy program. We celebrate these achievements with all of you, as always. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered their time, forwarded job and internship opportunities for students, participated in events, or supported the program with a philanthropic gift. Each of you has made an enormous impact.
2024 NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS
Political Economy as #1
EduRank’s 2024 global listing of Political Economy programs ranked Berkeley Political Economy as #1 in North America and #3 in the world. We are thrilled. We couldn’t have earned this honor without the support of alumni like you.
Professor Steve Vogel was interviewed in E-International Relations, and made the case for interdisciplinary political economy. Read his interview here.
The first-ever endowment in Political Economy
A lead donor and a small group of dedicated alumni have launched the very first endowed Chair in Political Economy. The G. Eric and Margaret Davis Professorship, named in recognition of one of the Board’s inaugural co-chairs, will be used to support a dedicated faculty member in Political Economy.
New Courses for Students
Alumni dollars have helped us offer more classes than ever before. These include Political Economy of Finance; Digital Technology, Political Economy, and Justice; Pandemics and Politics; and Global Trade and Finance–among others. And Professor Steve Vogel has offered a new Political Science course on Market Governance in the Digital Age, which also happens to be a good fit for Political Economy students.
The Designated Emphasis in Political Economy
The Designated Emphasis (Ph.D. minor) in Political Economy continues to grow, with 85 students from 14 departments/schools declared to date and 60 affiliated faculty.
Career Readiness for our students
This spring, we launched Career Readiness Week, with alumni speaking to groups of our undergraduate students in intimate Zoom sessions we call “mentorship pods.” We’ve had alumni speak about finance, law, networking, resume building, entrepreneurship, and empowering women in the workplace. We also continue to bring two career forums to our students each year.
The Berkeley Political Economy Journal
Our students have launched a journal. They are soliciting submissions of academic papers (including papers from courses) of a maximum of 3000 words. See the first three selected articles.
Fundraising and Networking
We continue to grow and strengthen our global Political Economy community through The Dean’s Society (formerly Charter Hill Society for Political Economy), a community based giving program that supports the very core of UC Berkeley Political Economy: our students and faculty. Our current members have made three-year pledges to support the Political Economy Annual Fund with an annual gift between $1,000-$25,000. Among other priorities, this support enables our program to offer more courses for Political Economy majors and ensures that our students are able to graduate on time. Dean’s Society members also receive a custom newsletter and invitations to special events in Political Economy and across campus. We deeply appreciate the generosity of our donors.
Events
Please join us for our upcoming events. The Political Economy Advisory Board and the Political Economy Student Association are also planning a mixer in early 2025 to continue to strengthen our Political Economy student and alumni community.
Stay involved
We would be honored if you wish to become more involved; please complete this volunteer form to do so.
Please also consider taking our alumni survey, if you haven’t already, so we can better know our alumni population, and your interests. It will only take a few moments to complete.
Please also join our LinkedIn community.
Thank you
As always, we are deeply grateful to you for your dedication. You have helped us reach our #1 Ranking and we look forward to celebrating all of our future milestones with you.
Wishing everyone a joyous and festive holiday season and a healthy, prosperous, and fun-filled 2025!
Sincerely,
Andy Barkett and Alison Shimada, Board Co-Chairs