Henry Brady | Research UC Berkeley

Research Bio

Professor Brady's current research interests include:

The dynamics of public opinion and political campaigns
Trust in institutions
Future of California politics and public policy
Future of democracy in America
Unequal political participation in America.
Strategic and foresight methods for thinking about the future
Statistical methodology and data science

Brady has co-authored numerous books including Letting the People Decide: Dynamics of a Canadian Election (1992) which won the Harold Adams Innis Award for the best book in the social sciences published in English in Canada in 1992-1993; Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics (1995) which was featured in an American Political Science Review symposium in 1997 and which won the Converse Award for making a lasting contribution to research on political behavior; Expensive Children in Poor Families: The Intersection of Childhood Disabilities and Welfare, 2000; The Unheavenly Chorus: Unequal Political Participation and the Broken Promise of American Democracy (2012), and Unequal and Unrepresented: Political Inequality and the People's Voice in the New Gilded Age (2018). He has also co-edited Capturing Campaign Effects (2006), Rethinking Social Inquiry: Diverse Tools, Shared Standards (2004, 2010), and The Oxford Handbook of Political Methodology (2008). Brady has also authored numerous articles on political participation, political methodology, the dynamics of public opinion, and other topics. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Research Expertise and Interest

comparative politics, public policy, electoral politics, political participation, survey research, program evaluation, statistical methods in the social sciences, social welfare policy, Soviet Union, inequality in America

In the News

Trump May Be Planning a Sharp, Extended Conflict with California

Berkeley analysts say Trump may be planning an offensive against the state that extends from public health and climate to immigration, energy and education.

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.

UC Berkeley scholars say President Joe Biden’s departure from the race could expand Democrats’ base. But the outcome may turn on whether they can craft a message that will ease race and gender tensions and galvanize young voters.

a graphic illustration in blue and yellow features seas, farms, cities and the sky in concentric circles

To Solve Challenges, Californians Broadly Favor a Mix of Bold, Practical Solutions

Californians have a vision for 2050 with broad agreement on ways to improve health care, education and government efficiency, according to an innovative new poll co-produced at UC Berkeley.

People voting in the Bronx borough of New York.

America on edge: Berkeley scholars’ early election thoughts

UC Berkeley scholars awoke Wednesday, Nov. 4 to signs of a deeply divided U.S. electorate, and no blue wave on the horizon. Despite a surge in early voting, ballots were still being counted in several battleground states. As of noon that day, the race between President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden remained too close to call.

Berkeley Experts Offer Critical Perspectives on Election Integrity and Security

The 2020 U.S. presidential election is fraught with ways in which the integrity and security of the results can be unduly influenced, according to five UC Berkeley experts.

How COVID-19 will shape the 2020 election

Will there be an election in November? Almost certainly, agreed a panel of UC Berkeley experts in politics, public policy, cybersecurity and law.

COVID-19: Economic impact, human solutions

The COVID-19 pandemic is confronting every level of the U.S. economy with an unprecedented challenge, and the government must mount a sustained, ambitious economic response lasting months and perhaps years, UC Berkeley economists said in an online forum today.

Berkeley a big part of new UC initiative on global food needs

The University of California is launching an initiative to marshal resources across the UC campuses — including Berkeley’s 90 courses, 150 faculty and staff and multiple institutes and centers devoted to the study of agriculture and food — to address global food challenges.

Berkeley researchers find big benefits for students, taxpayers and state from funding of higher education

The State of California needs to consider the whopping return on investments for higher education as it tries to balance its budget, UC Berkeley researchers say in new study, "California's Economic Payoff: Investing in College Access and Completion."

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