Haas School of Business - UC Berkeley

09/02/2026

Pocketbook issues are often assumed to drive elections. But new research suggests it’s more specific than just “the economy, stupid.”

A National Bureau of Economic Research working paper by Haas Professor Francesco Trebbi and Georgetown’s Juan Felipe Riaño finds that inflation itself wasn’t what cost incumbents votes in 2024. It was falling real wages.

Using county-level data, the researchers found that once real wage growth is accounted for, counties with higher inflation actually shifted less toward Republicans—a reversal traced to wealthier, more urbanized counties where prices rose fastest but wages kept pace.

The implication for 2026: the same dynamic that helped Republicans in 2024 could work against them now.

”They are the incumbents now and real wages have been growing at half the pace of real GDP over the last two years,” Trebbi notes.

The research offers data-driven nuance on the most consequential economic issue in recent elections. Read more: https://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/falling-wages-not-rising-prices-drove-the-2024-election/

09/01/2026

A few scenes from around Haas. 💙💛

08/28/2026

Fernando Mendoza is putting the leadership lessons he learned at UC Berkeley Haas to work as he begins his journey with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Read more about how his time at Cal helped shape the leader he is today. sfchronicle.com/sports/article/raiders-fernando-mendoza-leans-cal-lessons-22407017.php

08/27/2026

Patrick O’Connor, EWMBA 27, is a senior AI prototyping engineer at Amazon Web Services, where he leads applied AI prototyping with customers and drives some of Amazon’s most ambitious agentic AI initiatives.

In this first person perspective, he traces his path from Ireland and Australia to AWS—and how the connections he’s making at UC Berkeley Haas are pushing his career into new territory.

Read more: https://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/patrick-oconnor-ewmba-28-an-aws-prototyping-engineer-is-building-whats-next/

08/27/2026

Some highlights from an incredible Berkeley Haas Entrepreneurship Program’s fall open house. Pokémon Go creator John Hanke, MBA 96, had advice for students: Don’t waste the bubble: build something. Janet Napolitano, president emeritus of the University of California and the former secretary of Homeland Security, also joined Jeff Fields, senior fellow of practice at the Berkeley Institute for Security & Governance and a member of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, to discuss how entrepreneurship can be applied to some of the most important challenges facing our world.

📸: Brandon Sanchez Mejia

08/26/2026

A new academic year is here! 🐻 Dean Jenny Chatman welcomes the UC Berkeley Haas community back to campus and looks ahead to an exciting year of connection, innovation, and purpose.

From inspiring leaders and community events to the next chapter of Haas’ strategic vision, there’s a lot to look forward to. Here’s to a great year, Bears! 💙💛

08/25/2026

Welcome to campus, Spieker Undergrads! We had a blast welcoming the incoming class and watching you start building the connections that will last a lifetime. We can’t wait to see how you’ll lead, innovate, and move business forward. 💙💛

08/24/2026

Who should pay for utility-ignited wildfires? It’s a complicated question with implications for electricity rates, insurance costs, and wildfire prevention.

In a new Energy Institute at Haas Blog post, Meredith Fowlie examines California’s approach to wildfire liability—and why the debate over who pays should also focus on how we can most effectively reduce wildfire risk.

This cost allocation fight is not a zero sum game On January 7, 2025, sparks from arcing electrical lines ignited dry brush in a canyon above Altadena. Powerful Santa Ana winds fanned flames that r…

08/21/2026

What do a doctor, an engineer, and a cyclops have in common? They’re all Haasies! 🐻

Meet the UC Berkeley Haas Full-time MBA class of 2028.

08/19/2026

Throughout his career, Bharath Kurapati, EWMBA 26, watched consumer packaged goods companies post millions in sales, only to go bankrupt anyway. The revenue was real, but too much of it was quietly leaking out the back door. He built startup FeatureBox AI to help companies stop the losses.

Read more here: https://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/how-featurebox-ai-is-helping-brands-stop-losing-money-they-dont-know-theyre-losing/