Four UC Berkeley units will take on key California public policy problems

Four UC Berkeley research entities have received research awards from California 100, an ambitious statewide initiative to envision and shape the long-term success of the state. The awards, along with technical assistance from the Institute For The Future, will enable the Berkeley Institute for Young Americans, the Center for Environmental Public Policy, the Graduate School of Education and the Terner Center for Housing Innovation to evaluate current facts, origins and future trends in issues critical to California’s next century.

• The Berkeley Institute for Young Americans, which is affiliated with the Goldman School of Public Policy, will collaborate with the school of education to examine trends in education governance, school finance and technology. One report will address the innovations, challenges and equity issues in these areas across California’s preschool, K-12 and higher education systems. Another will offer insights into how technological changes will influence higher education, and how finance and governance of K-16 education may evolve over time. The project is being led by Erin Heys, policy director and senior researcher at the institute, and Zach Pardos, assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education.

• The Center for Environmental Public Policy at the Goldman School will evaluate climate-related challenges affecting the state in the coming decades, and build a long-term road map for California to eliminate its contribution to global climate pollution and inspire other jurisdictions to do likewise. The center’s research will address and help solve the threats created by an unstable, warming climate by concentrating on how to achieve a zero-carbon economy in the next 25 to 30 years, while improving environmental quality and preserving economic prosperity. Specifically, it will address embedded equity issues associated with vulnerability to climate impacts and the transition to a low-carbon economy. Its results will assess the trends and future scenarios for these interlocking sectors and project the policy, market and technological changes needed to secure a livable and prosperous future for California. The research will be led by the center’s executive director, David Wooley.
• The Terner Center will collaborate with the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies and UCLA’s cityLAB to explore the key trends and factors influencing housing and community development in California. The UCLA/Berkeley research team will solicit input from stakeholders to develop scenarios for the future of housing in the state, as well as identify policies needed to create more equitable and climate-resilient communities. The project will be led by Faculty Research Adviser Carolina Reid, an associate professor of city and regional planning at Berkeley.

All projects will commence this summer to be complete by December 2021 and will lead to a set of policy alternatives for the future of California. These alternatives will be developed in conjunction with research teams from 12 other issue areas and will be coordinated by Henry Brady, director of research of the California 100 Initiative and former dean of the Goldman School. “We are excited to work with our research partners who are international experts in their issue areas,” Brady said. “We will not only develop a comprehensive knowledge base on various policy issues, but we will also offer actionable recommendations for the California 100 Commission and the larger public to consider.”

The California 100 Commission is a multi-generational advisory body that will develop recommendations for the state’s future and test those across a broad set of policy areas by directly engaging Californians. Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of the California 100 Initiative, is tasked with assembling and engaging the commission and ensuring that the research stream intersects with the initiative’s other activities, including advanced technology, policy innovation and stakeholder engagement.

“From climate change to aging populations and rapid changes in industry, California will face enormous challenges in the years ahead,” Ramakrishnan said. “We are fortunate to be able to draw on the deep talent of researchers in California to produce evidence and recommendations that will inform robust public engagement and set the state on a strong, long-term trajectory for success.”

About the California 100 Research Grants

California 100 is a new statewide initiative being incubated at the University of California and Stanford University that is focused on inspiring a vision and strategy for California’s next century that is innovative, sustainable and equitable. The initiative will harness the talent of a diverse array of leaders through research, policy innovation, advanced technology and stakeholder engagement. As part of its research stream of work, California 100 is sponsoring 13 research projects focused on the following issue areas:

• Advanced technology and basic research
• Arts, culture and entertainment
• Education
• Economic mobility, inequality and workforce
• Energy, environment and natural resources
• Federalism and foreign policy
• Fiscal reform
• Governance, media and civil society
• Health and wellness
• Housing and community development
• Immigrant integration
• Public safety and criminal justice reform
• Transportation and urban planning

For more information about California 100, please visit California100.org.