Our Research
Many BCAD activities are organized around three central programs: Polarization and Threats to Democracy, Representation and Accountability, and Criminal Justice and Policing. BCAD supports rigorous, data-driven research to identify solutions to pressing challenges in these three areas.
Polarization and Threats to Democracy
The Berkeley Center for American Democracy is conducting cutting-edge research on how to reduce political polarization and address threats to democracy.
Our faculty are tackling the problem of political polarization from a number of important angles. BCAD affiliated faculty Professor Gabriel Lenz recently won Stanford’s Democracy Challenge for developing the most effective intervention for increasing support for democratic norms, and is currently working on plans to scale up this innovative technique. BCAD affiliated faculty Professor David Broockman was recently named a 2024 Carnegie Fellow to continue his research on how voters may be driving political polarization. BCAD affiliated faculty Professors Paul Pierson and Eric Schickler recently published a book identifying the historical roots of contemporary polarization. And BCAD affiliated faculty Professor Cecilia Mo is conducting cutting-edge research on how national service programs such as Teach for America can help prepare young people to be lifelong citizens.
Learn more about how BCAD supports research in this area on the Programs page.
Representation and Accountability
BCAD-affiliated researchers are also focused on issues of representation and accountability within the American political system. This includes understanding voters – how they make sense of the political landscape, reach judgments about issues, fashion their political identities, and determine whether and if so how to engage in politics. Other research concentrates on American political institutions (Congress, the Presidency, the Courts, State and Local Government), with a focus on the conditions influencing the effectiveness of government in confronting pressing problems and the extent to which these institutions are responsive to the concerns and priorities of the nation’s citizens.
For example, BCAD affiliated PhD student Jacqueline Colao and BCAD affiliated faculty Professor David Broockman, together with collaborators at Yale, have gathered first-of-its-kind data on how primary voters make their choices and make contribute to polarization. BCAD affiliated faculty Professor Omar Wasow has conducted important research on how protests can effectively change policy, and the conditions under which they might backfire. BCAD affiliated faculty Professor Sean Gailmard has also researched how bureaucrats are motivated, how they learn and gather expertise, and how politicians can effectively influence their actions. Crucial resources for these efforts include the Citrin Center for Public Opinion Research and the Possibility Lab.
Learn more about how BCAD supports research in this area on the Programs page.
Criminal Justice and Policing
The United States has some of the highest rates of crime in the developed world, as well as a crisis of mass incarceration. Issues related to criminal justice and policing are thus of great concern to Americans of all political backgrounds. BCAD affiliated faculty Gabriel Lenz is conducting a groundbreaking research project which traces the roots of America’s criminal justice crisis and suggests potential solutions. As part of his project, Professor Lenz and BCAD affiliated research staff have collected an unprecedented dataset of historical crime victimization, which will allow them to uncover the hidden roots of our criminal justice crisis and identify novel solutions.
Learn more about how BCAD supports research in this area on the Programs page.
