In many developing countries, the disparity between relative improvements in literacy and education on the one hand and economic stagnation, centralization, mismanagement, and widespread un- and under-employment on the other has been accompanied by, and in part given rise to, a plethora of social and environmental ills–ranging from pollution and water scarcity to high levels of addiction, prostitution, and depression to rising fatalities from collisions and increasing divorce rates and disparities in income distribution–all of which cry out for systematic analysis and innovative resolution.

What We Do:

The primary task of the Berkeley initiative on Global Development and Prosperity is to close the gap between academic and policy research by producing policy relevant working papers providing rigorous analyses of the underlying causes and offering effective approaches for resolving the most pressing socio-economic and environmental problems facing developing countries.

The initiative also seeks to contribute to the establishment of knowledge based, productive, high value added economies by identifying local talents, enhancing their innovative and entrepreneurial capabilities, improving their business and management skills, and teaching them how to commercialize ideas, find a niche, and link into the global value-chain.