iGov - About



iGov-Institutions and Governance Program promotes interdisciplinary research and education on the origins, effects, and evolution of institutions. CIG is under the direction of Prof. Bob Powell and Director Heddy Riss. The goal of the Program is to advance our understanding of the ways that institutions shape economic and political outcomes as well as the ways that political and economic factors shape institutions.

Mission

  • Support for UC Berkeley researchers doing quantitative work related to institutions, politics and governments.
  • Introduction of a comparative and international perspective to government studies.
  • Outreach, increased visibility and quick reaction to current events.
  • Creation of new interfaces between faculty from different schools, departments, ORUs and disciplines on specific projects.

  • iGov also supports work in three broad areas:

    Politics and Policy in Weakly Institutionalized Environments: In weakly institutionalized environments, T actors cannot appeal to higher institutional authorities to enforce agreements. Consequently, the parties to an agreement must try to enforce it themselves. This may be very costly and may make it difficult for the parties to credibly commit themselves to following through on an agreement. Examples of weakly institutionalized environments include the international system as well as the domestic politics within developing countries in which the rule of law is weak. The Center actively supports research in international politics, political development, and institutionally weak settings more generally.

    Politics and Policy in Highly Institutionalized Environments: In highly institutionalized settings, institutions constrain actors' behavior and do much to define the strategic area in which the actors interact. These environments include states in which the rule of law is strong. Work in this area tries to understand how different institutional arrangements (e.g., presidential or parliamentary, proportional representation or majoritarian, federal or unitary, central bank independence) affect policy outcomes. Comparative institutional analysis is an important research activity at the Center.

    The Interface between Weakly and Highly Institutionalized Environments: The last half century has seen an astonishing effort among European states to institutionalize the weakly institutionalized environment in which they interact. The European Union is at the interface of weakly and highly institutionalized environments. Countries trying to establish the rule of law among competing domestic factions are also at this interface. The Center sponsors research that deepens our understanding of institutionalization, of how institutions take hold, begin to shape behavior, are shaped by that behavior, and may transform weakly institutionalized settings into more highly institutionalized environments.

    Current Visiting Scholars:

    Klaus Berend
    (June-December 2009)
    Head of the Unit Chemicals in DG Enterprise and Industry
    E-mail: klabe16@berkeley.edu

    Areas of interest: Green Chemistry in California, Possibilities for Co-operation with the EU, Reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) at Federal Level
    To learn more about his stay in Berkeley go to his Blog


  • Upcoming Events


    December 1st 2009: Panel on Business and Ethics, Boalt Law School

    December 10th-12th 2009: Workshop launching the Religious Norms in the Public Sphere network, European University Institute, Florence (IT)

    About CIG

    Director:
    Heddy Riss hriss@berkeley.edu

    Faculty Director:
    Robert Powell rpowell@berkeley.edu

    Address:

    Institute of Internationall Studies
    iGov- Institutions and Governance Program
    214 Moses Hall
    Berkeley, CA





    Website designed and maintained by Jason Anastasopoulos:
    janastas@berkeley.edu


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