The Othering and Belonging Institute (formerly the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society) is a left-of-center research center within the University of California, Berkeley. ¹ The Institute advocates for increasing entitlement spending, increasing government-controlled urban planning, expanding government-controlled health care, and implementing expansionist immigration policy. The Institute has also adopted left-wing stances on LGBT issues. ²

Immigration Policy

The Institute supports immigration policies endorsed by Joshua Clark, the former Tides Senior Fellow at the Institute. In a 2018 policy memo written by Clark and used by the Institute, Clark seeks to draw a connection between distrust in media and opposition to affirmative action and left-of-center immigration policies. Clark argues that the correlation between these factors indicates that portions of American society who do not embrace expanded immigration policy and affirmative action “pose a formidable challenge to those committed to an inclusive electorate…[and] the kind of civic solidarity needed to carry out constructive dialogue among people of different opinions.” ³

The policy paper goes on to claim that because portions of American society are opposed to expanded immigration and affirmative action, “there is urgent need for compelling and culturally salient counter-narratives that support inclusive conceptions of civic solidarity.” The policy memo suggests that productive immigration reform cannot be achieved through consensus-building and the democratic process, but rather that it can only be achieved by creating a cultural shift in which most of society is made to agree with expansionist immigration policy within the United States. ⁴

The Institute also published a paper that opposes policies that limit the movement of non-American citizens between Mexico and Southern California. ⁵

Healthcare Policy

The Institute advocates for increased government spending on urban development to reduce health complications. ⁶ Malo Hutson of the Institute advocates for increasing the availability of government-controlled housing. Huston has also been critical of city planning across the country, arguing that cities have devoted too many resources to public transit at the expense of investment in public housing. Hutson has claimed that the phenomenon is connected to white families moving into  urban areas and shifting urban planning priorities. ⁷

The Institute has supported the implementation of a government-controlled single-payer healthcare system and has advocated for mass government spending on urban planning and infrastructure to increase physical access to healthcare. ⁸

Paul Pierson, a political scientist affiliated with the Institute, similarly claims that the American government must maintain “strong political authority” in order to create wage growth and prosperity. ⁹

LGBT Policy

The Institute has been critical of mainstream campaigns to normalize same-sex relationships and promote practices such as the adoption of children by same-sex couples. The Institute claims that such campaigns, by highlighting the “normal” variants of same-sex relationships, such as those that include nuclear families and monogamy, have ostracized other forms of purportedly common same-sex relationships that may include multiple or changing partners and non-traditional forms of work and living arrangements. ¹⁰ Institute affiliate Juana Maria Rodriguez claims that this results in limitations in advocating for increased LGBT rights in various settings, such as the commercial service industry. ¹¹

Similarly, Institute faculty member Sonya Katyal has advocated for allowing transgender individuals to use restrooms assigned to the gender with which they identify, rather than their biological sex. Katyal has also promoted the increased use of government employment, housing, and healthcare services by transgender people. ¹²

Critical Race Theory

In 2021, a report card of various educational contractors and consultants was released by Parents Defending Education (PDE). The report listed consultants and organizations that work with schools implementing Critical Race Theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion curriculums and policies. According to PDE Starting, the Othering and Belonging Institute was among those organizations, and had worked for the Sacramento City Unified School District. PDE cited videos produced by the Institute such as “Why Race Matters in College Admissions” and “The Roots of Structural Racism: Segregation in the US” as evidence of support for Critcal Race Theory in schools. PDE also pointed to the Institute’s “Race, Diversity and Educational Policy Cluster,” which advocates for left-leaning educational reforms that it claims will reduce educational inequality. ¹³

1. “Vision” Othering & Belonging Institute. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/vision
2. “Faculty Research Clusters” Othering & Belonging Institute. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/faculty-clusters
3. Clark, Joshua. “Realizing a More Inclusive Electorate” Haas Institute. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/diversitydemocracypolicybrief2018
4. Clark, Joshua. “Realizing a More Inclusive Electorate” Haas Institute. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/diversitydemocracypolicybrief2018
5. Carpio, Genevieve. “The Road to Inequality” The Othering & Belonging Institute. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/road-inequality
6. “Faculty profile: Malo Hutson on Health Disparities and the Built Environment” The Othering & Belonging Institute. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/faculty-profile-malo-hutson-health-disparities-and-built-environment
7. “Faculty profile: Malo Hutson on Health Disparities and the Built Environment” The Othering & Belonging Institute. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/faculty-profile-malo-hutson-health-disparities-and-built-environment
8. “Targeted Universalism” Haas Institute. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/targeted_universalism_primer.pdf
9. “Thinking Ahead: Paul Pierson on How a Strong Government is the Key to Prosperity” Othering & Belonging Institute. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/thinking-ahead-paul-pierson-how-strong-government-key-prosperity
10. “Faculty Profile: Juana María Rodríguez on sexuality in public discourse” Othering & Belonging Institute. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/faculty-profile-juana-mar%C3%ADa-rodr%C3%ADguez-sexuality-public-discourse
11. “Faculty Profile: Juana María Rodríguez on sexuality in public discourse” Othering & Belonging Institute. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/faculty-profile-juana-mar%C3%ADa-rodr%C3%ADguez-sexuality-public-discourse
12. Peterson, Eric. “Creating Bathroom Access & a Gender Inclusive Society” Othering & Belonging Institute. https://belonging.berkeley.edu/bathroomaccesspolicybrief
13. “Othering and Belonging Institute.” Parents Defending Education. Accessed October 27, 2021. https://defendinged.org/report/othering-and-belonging-institute/.