Over a thousand people gathered at UC Berkeley’s Sproul Plaza on March 7 to protest cuts to federal research funding in a nationwide “Stand Up for Science” movement. Speakers criticized the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts, which threaten funding for institutions like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as mass firings and the elimination of USAID research programs.

Professor Edward Miguel, who was part of the rally organizers, emphasized that these cuts undermine both science and democracy, contradicting the U.S. founding fathers’ vision of supporting scientific research. “This dual assault on science and democracy is not aligned with our country’s founding vision,” said Miguel. “The founding fathers created scientific societies to promote scientific research and they saw it as essential to our democracy. … And their vision has paid off handsomely. The U.S. has been the world’s unrivaled scientific and technological leader for the last 80 years.”

The event highlighted concerns that reduced funding would stifle curiosity-driven research and limit opportunities for aspiring scientists, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Many protesters held signs emphasizing the vital role of science in public health and environmental protection, with messages like “Science Saves Lives” and “Fund Science Like Your Life Depended on It.” The protest concluded with a march through campus, reaffirming the commitment of researchers, students, and faculty to defending scientific research and its societal impact,

Robinson helped to transform the study of development in low-income countries, and built a network of influential former students. His win is now one of four 2024 Nobel Prizes awarded to scholars with UC Berkeley connections.

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This article discusses some of the highlights from the 2024 Africa Evidence Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

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Ted Miguel is the Oxfam Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics at UC Berkeley. He is a founder of CEGA, and his research focuses on development economics, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Two Berkeley Economic Review members got the chance to ask him about his background and research earlier this year.

Evidence-informed policies are what Africa needs to improve people’s lives, experts meeting in Nairobi for the 11th Africa Evidence Summit on evidence-informed policy governance said.

According to experts at the meeting and drawn from worldwide, governments will begin setting the right development priorities, design cost-effective interventions, and enhance program implementation when using research evidence.