Posts by Edward Lempinen

The U.S. Capitol dome against a backdrop of clouds and blue sky

Politics & society

Expect the worst? Political scientists have a pessimism bias, study finds

Political experts surveyed recently were prone to pessimism — and were often wrong, says a study co-authored at UC Berkeley. Still, when their predictions were averaged out, they were “remarkably accurate.”

A photo illustration showing students streaming down a campus walkway. The outer frame is in black and white negative; the central frame is in full color.

Education

With change coming to Washington, does higher education face a ‘dystopian’ future?

With a row of American flags on the left and right side of the frame, Donald Trump walks in the distance while supporters cheer

People

UC Berkeley scholars say the economy, sexism and conspiracies fueled Trump’s reelection

a casual portrait of john a. powell, tightly framed on his face. He is smiling and looking off to the side.

Politics & society

john a. powell: In a time of tense division, we must see the humanity in our opponents

The north entrace to the White House, in late-day sunlight, with a garden and fountain in the foreground and a deep blue sky in the background

Harris leads Trump by a wide margin in California, says new Berkeley IGS Poll

paired campaign-event images of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for president, and former president Donald Trump, the Republican candidate

A close presidential election could turn ‘messy’ — and maybe worse, scholars say

illustration featuring two views of the U.S. Capitol, mirror images in red and black

In a time of bitter polarization, Berkeley researchers find a promising solution

Economist James A. Robinson, sitted at a desk in a happily cluttered office, smiling as he waits to start a video interview

Economist James A. Robinson, a new Nobel laureate, left a lasting impact in his years at UC Berkeley

an older man, at left, confers in a medical office with a doctor (at right) who is holding out a prescription vial.

“Altruistic” doctors put patients before profits — and achieve better results, study finds

two women, left and center, listen to a third woman at right who is talking and gesturing

Bridging divides: from anger and mistrust to belonging — and hope

photo illustration showing, on left, two U.S. men in 2024 offering the Nazi salute, and on right, hundreds of Nazis offering the same salute in 1930s Germany.

Fascism shattered Europe a century ago — and historians hear echoes today in the U.S.

Vice President. Kamala Harris wears a serious expression as she stands before a pair of microphones

Kamala Harris’ hidden foe: pervasive bias against powerful middle-aged women

A robot made mostly of white plastic-like materials, with a round device at the back of its head, stands before a field of complex equations, pondering.

To err is human — and in the age of AI, it may be humanizing

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks into a microphone outside of the White House, with a serious expression. President Joe Biden is to her side and slightly behind her, also looking serious.

Shifting from Biden to Harris, Democrats reset the race. But scholars see risks.

At a table in the White House dominated by men, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lectures President Donald Trump

Berkeley scholar warns U.S. liberals: Either get tough, or get ready to lose

The pediment and frieze of the U.S. Supreme Court building, bearing the inscription: Equal Justice Under Law

High court ruling on presidential immunity threatens the rule of law, scholars warn

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