Matrix Podcast

Recorded on May 5, 2026, this video features a talk by Benjamin Recht, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley, focused on his book, The Irrational Decision: How We Gave Computers the Power to Choose for Us . Professor Recht was joined in conversation by Marion Fourcade, Professor of Sociology and Director of Social Science Matrix.  This event was co-sponsored by t...

Recorded on April 9, 2026, this Authors Meet Critics panel features the book Incommunicable: Toward Communicative Justice in Health and Medicine , by Charles Briggs , the Alan Dundes Distinguished Professor and Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at UC Berkeley, co-director and graduate advisor of the UCB-UCSF Joint PhD Program in Medical Anthropology, and co-director of the Berkeley Center fo...

On April 7, 2026, Social Science Matrix hosted an Authors Meet Critics panel on the book The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World , by Trevor Jackson , Associate Professor of History at UC Berkeley. Professor Jackson was joined in conversation by Chenzi Xu , Assistant Professor of Economics at UC Berkeley, and Dylan Riley , Professor of Sociology at UC Berkeley. Abhishek Kaicker,...

The global dominance of the U.S. dollar has long shaped international trade, financial markets, and geopolitical power. Amid shifting global dynamics and the rapid development of stablecoins and other digital assets, new questions are emerging around the structure and evolution of dollar hegemony. How are technological innovation and geopolitical change reshaping the international monetary system,...

Recorded on March 18, 2026, this podcast features a lecture by Julien Migozzi, an economic geographer and Assistant Professor in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge. Dr Migozzi's lecture, "Algorithms of Distinction: Class, Credit Scores, and Property in South Africa," examined how 21st-century class dynamics become connected with data-driven stratification systems, focusing on the d...

Higher education is facing mounting pressures, from political intervention and financial challenges to attacks on academic freedom. These tensions are visible in the University of California system, where debates over funding, governance, labor, and public mission are increasingly shaping the future of public universities. Recorded on February 9, 2026, this panel brought together leading scholars...

Recorded on February 19, 2026, this video presents a lecture by Ula Taylor , Professor and Chair of the Department of African American Studies & African Diaspora Studies. The talk centered on Professor Taylor's current work in progress, an oral biography of Frances M. Beal. The talk was co-sponsored by the UC Berkeley Department of African American Studies and the Department of Gender and Women's...

Corruption is a persistent challenge in America, shaping institutions, influencing policy, and eroding public trust. Understanding its roots, mechanisms, and consequences is essential for assessing the health of democratic governance. On February 3, 2026, Social Science Matrix brought together leading scholars from business, political science, and law to examine the many facets of corruption in th...

What are the economic consequences of starting, but not completing college? On this episode of the Matrix Podcast, Sarah Harrington, Program Manager at Social Science Matrix, spoke with Sarah Payne , a sociologist who recently published a paper in Sociology of Education that examined what happens when students begin college but fail to graduate. "Although non-completion yields higher income than n...

Recorded on December 4, 2025, this video features a Social Science Matrix Distinguished Lecture, "To Know a Place," presented by journalist and author Alexis Madrigal.   Madrigal has long explored how technology, culture, and environment shape our lives; from his work co-founding The COVID Tracking Project to his books Powering the Dream and The Pacific Circuit . In this talk, Madrigal turns his a...

  Recorded on December 2, 2025, this video features a talk by Maximilian Kasy, Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford, presenting his book The Means of Prediction: How AI Really Works (and Who Benefits) . This talk was part of a symposium series presented by the UC Berkeley Computational Research for Equity in the Legal System Training Program  (CRELS), which trains doctoral students r...

Recorded on November 17, 2025, this recording features a talk by Seth Lunine , Lecturer in the UC Berkeley Department of Geography, who presented a talk reflecting on his experiences with collaborative scholarship between UC Berkeley undergraduates and community-based organizations in Oakland's Fruitvale District. Lunine's courses are part of the  American Cultures Engaged Scholarship (ACES) Progr...

The technical world of insurance is a critical lens through which to understand the escalating crises in climate change and housing. As climate risks intensify, both public and private homeowner insurance markets face unprecedented pressure, revealing the interconnections between housing affordability, wealth inequality, and the broader financialization of our communities. Recorded on November 13,...

Physical spaces profoundly influence community well-being. Understanding this relationship is crucial for leveraging planning and policy to foster equitable outcomes. Recorded on November 3, 2025, this panel brought together experts to explore how thoughtful planning and strategic policy can shift power toward communities, creating conditions where all can thrive. The discussion bridged diverse pe...

Conspiracy theories are a pervasive and powerful force in contemporary society, shaping public discourse and influencing real-world events. Understanding their origins, spread, and impact is crucial in navigating today's information landscape. Recorded on October 27, 2025, this panel brought together experts to delve into the multifaceted world of conspiracy theories. Drawing on diverse academic p...

On October 15, 2025, Matrix hosted an Authors Meet Critics panel on the book Engendering Blackness: Slavery and the Ontology of Sexual Violence , by Patrice Douglass , Assistant Professor of Gender and Women's Studies at UC Berkeley. Professor Douglass was joined in conversation by Salar Mameni , Associate Professor of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley, and Henry Washington, Jr. , Assistant Professor...

Recorded on September 22, 2025, this video features a talk by Davon Norris , Assistant Professor of Organizational Studies and Sociology (by courtesy) and Faculty Associate at the Stone Center for Inequality Dynamics at the University of Michigan. Professor Norris's research is broadly oriented to understanding how our ways of determining what is valuable informs patterns of inequality with an acu...

Borders reflect the many social, historical, and political forces that shape global movement and identity. While borders often suggest fixed lines of division, the experiences within and around them increasingly influence national and global understandings of belonging, sovereignty, and human rights. Recorded on October 1, 2025, this panel together a group of UC Berkeley graduate students from the...

The innovation, use and experience, and exchange of new and emerging technologies today are influenced by the role that China plays in global politics and economy. Recorded on April 18, 2025, this Matrix on Point panel brought together experts of the Chinese political economy and law and society in a conversation to discuss the political, economic, security, and social dimensions and complexities...

Large corporations increasingly dominate markets, the flow of information, and political influence. In response, many governments have used antitrust policies in an attempt to rein in companies. Examples include investigations and cases brought by the United States and the European Union against Google, in addition to major investigations against Microsoft, Facebook, and others. Recorded on April...

Recorded on April 23, 2025, this event marked the 150th anniversary of the Page Act of 1875, one of the first federal laws to restrict immigration to the United States — especially Asian immigration, as the law prohibited the importation of Asian contract workers, prostitutes (a provision targeted against Chinese women), and criminals. The interdisciplinary panel of UC Berkeley professors discusse...

Are we witnessing a backlash to the progress of gender equality around the world? New research reveals a growing gender gap in attitudes across a range of topics, particularly striking among younger generations. From polarized views on social issues to contrasting expectations regarding marriage and family, this divergence in outlook between genders points to deeper societal fissures. This panel b...

Recorded on April 4, 2025, this video features an Authors Meet Critics panel on the book Native Lands: Culture and Gender in Indigenous Territorial Claims, by Shari Huhndorf , Professor of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. Professor Shari Huhndorf was joined in conversation by Lauren Kroiz , Associate Professor of History of Art at UC Berkeley, and Luanne Redeye , Assistant Professor of Art Practice...

For this episode of the Matrix Podcast, recorded in Fall 2023, Julia Sizek interviewed  Morgan P. Vickers , an Assistant Professor of Race/Racialization  in the  Department of Law, Societies & Justice at the University of Washington. Vickers received their Ph. D. in Geography from the University of California, Berkeley, and their B.A. in American Studies, Communication Studies, and Non-Fiction Wri...

Recorded on April 1, 2025, this video features a talk by AJ Alvero , a computational sociologist at Cornell University, presenting findings from an analysis of parole hearing transcripts in California. This talk is part of a symposium series presented by the UC Berkeley Computational Research for Equity in the Legal System Training Program (CRELS), which trains doctoral students representing a var...