Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences

Workshops 2015-16

Religion, Ritual, Conflict, and Cooperation: Archaeological and Historical Approaches - April 29-30, 2016 

This workshop brings together the major projects focuses on creating large-scale databases of cultural history -- particularly those concerned with the role of religion and ritual in the formation of early societies. Two main discussion areas are: 1) ways in which information about the role of religion and ritual in the formation of large-scale societies can be extracted from the archaeological and early written record; and 2) methods for synthesizing and integrating historical and archaeological work being done in different regions and times, how this data can be brought to bear upon theories in the scientific study of religion, and how digital humanities resources can be used to improve research and pedagogy. Principal convener: Edward Slingerland (CASBS fellow 2015-16), professor of religious studies, University of British Columbia. 

Ethical Choosers - January 22-23, 2016

This workshop will identify the conditions under which individuals, groups, or organizations put ethics over personal cost in their behavior. Principle conveners: Margaret Levi (CASBS fellow, 1993–94), professor of political science and Sara Miller McCune Director of CASBS, Stanford University; Mark Snyder (CASBS fellow, 1980–81; 1989–90), professor of psychology and law, University of Minnesota; Massimo Tavoni (CASBS fellow, 2014–15), professor of economics, Politecnico di Milano; and Paul Brest (CASBS fellow, 1983–84), professor of law, Stanford University.

Anthropological Epistemology and Cross-Cultural Meta-Categories - November 13-14, 2015

This workshop will develop insights to help interdisciplinary discourse and translation across disciplines and concepts. Co-sponsored by the Wenner-Gren Foundation. Principle conveners: Howard Morphy (CASBS research affiliate, 2015–16), professor of anthropology, Australian National University; Frances Morphy (CASBS research affiliate, 2015–16), visiting fellow, Australian National University; Sarah Ogilvie, lecturer in linguistics, Stanford University; and Don Brenneis (CASBS fellow, 2007–07; 2014–15), professor of anthropology, University of California, Santa Cruz. 

Regulation as Organizations Acting on Organizations - October 23-24, 2015

New ways to think about regulation by utilizing the tools of behavioral economics, organizational economics, political economy, and law will be considered in this workshop. It is co-sponsored by the Sloan Foundation. Principle conveners: Robert Gibbons (CASBS fellow, 1994-95; 2014-15), professor of economics, MIT; Daniel Carpenter (CASBS fellow, 2003–04), professor of government, Harvard University; Margaret Levi (CASBS fellow, 1993–94), professor of political science and Sara Miller McCune Director of CASBS, Stanford University; and Paul Brest (CASBS fellow, 1983–84), professor of law, Stanford University. 

Brightspots - October 22, 2015

This workshop will identify promising lessons learned in education and healthcare that could be used elsewhere. It is co-sponsored by the Sloan School at MIT and the Clinical Excellence Research Center (CERC) at Stanford University. Principle conveners: Robert Gibbons (CASBS fellow, 1994–95; 2014–15), professor of economics, MIT; and Arnie Milstein, professor of medicine at Stanford and director of CERC. 

The Future of Work and Workers - October 2-3, 2015

Participants are engaging in a series of meetings to discuss the sources and implications of the ways in which work is changing globally, including the effect of technological changes, skill preparation, and the norms and practices of different generations and groups throughout the world. Co-sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation and in partnership with Pacific Standard magazine. Principle conveners: Margaret Levi (CASBS fellow, 1993-94), professor of political science and Sara Miller McCune Director of CASBS, Stanford University; and Paul Saffo, technology forecaster. 

Pacific Standard magazine is publishing essays from this project in its series on The Future of Work and Workers.

The Social Life of Climate Change - October 1, 2015

The purpose of this workshop is to identify promising social science contributions to climate change-adaptation efforts. Participants will include scholars from environmental sciences, cultural studies, geography, history, cultural studies, political science, and sociology; as well as individuals from foundations, architects, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This workshop is co-sponsored by the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford. Principle conveners: Buzz Thompson, director of the Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University; and Eric Klinenberg (CASBS fellow, 2007-08), professor of sociology, New York University. 

Self and the Meaning of Life - September 17-19,2015

This workshop will examine conceptions of the self/the person from a particular ethical or religious perspective. Participants include scholars from religious studies, philosophy, comparative studies, and religious leaders and writers. Principle conveners: Nicolas Berggruen, founder of the Berggruen Center for Philosophy and Culture; and Daniel Bell (CASBS fellow, 2003–04; CASBS research affiliate, 2015-16), professor of ethics and political philosophy, director of the Berggruen Center for Philosophy and Culture. This workshop is co-sponsored by the Berggruen Center for Philosophy and Culture.

Post-Party Politics - September 12, 2015

This workshop will examine whether a post-party system with robust non-partisan mediating practices and institutions might offer a better way of governing than the current system. Attendees will include philosophers, political scientists, political leaders, and economists. Principle conveners: Nicolas Berggruen, founder of the Berggruen Center for Philosophy and Culture; and Nathan Gardels, senior advisor to the Berggruen Center for Philosophy and Culture, editor-in-chief of The World Post. Co-sponsored by the Berggruen Center for Philosophy and Culture. 

Immigration Policy Lab - September 2, 2015

Participants in this workshop will discuss the creation of a lab at Stanford for immigration policy and integration research. Invited attendees are from the fields of political science, economics, sociology, and research methodology. This workshop is sponsored by the dean of research at Stanford. Principle conveners: David Laitin (CASBS fellow, 1999-00), professor of political science, Stanford University; Jens Hainmueller, professor of political science, Stanford University; and Duncan Lawrence, executive director of the Stanford Immigration and Integration Policy Lab, Stanford University.

History, Networks, and Evolution - June 6-12, 2015

The purpose of this workshop was to map or model the emergence of novelty through a synthesis of social systems, network models, and evolutionary biology. The long term goal is the publication of a book outlining a new theory of novelty. Attendees were from the fields of political science, sociology, systems biology, behavioral economics, paleontology, theoretical biology, and history. This project is co-sponsored by the Social Science Research Center and the Santa Fe Institute. Principal conveners: John Padgett (CASBS fellow, 1990–91), professor of political science, University of Chicago; and Woody Powell (CASBS fellow, 1986–87, 2008–09), professor of sociology, Stanford University. 

Opening Governance - May 27-28, 2015

This workshop brought together researchers studying processes of collective information processing and problem solving to establish dialogue between those using macro-level techniques for modeling these processes and those using micro-level theories of problem solving. Attendees included scholars of political science, computer science, economics, statistics, and library science. Principal conveners: Henry Farrell, associate professor of political science and international affairs, George Washington University; and Cosma Shalizi, associate professor of statistics, Carnegie Mellon University. May 27–28, 2015.

The Future of Latinos in the United States: Law, Opportunity, and Mobility - May 4, 2015

The purpose of this workshop was to develop a research agenda with which to examine Latino issues. It included scholars from law, history, sociology, and political science. This workshop was co-sponsored by the American Bar Foundation. Principle conveners: Tino Cuellar, justice of the California Supreme Court; Rebecca Moran, dean, UCLA Law School; and Robert Nelson (CASBS fellow, 1992-93), professor of sociology, Northwestern University, and director of the American Bar Foundation. 

Crossing Boundaries - April 23-24, 2015

This workshop explored how cultural agents (scientists, writers, or artists) who have crossed geographic boundaries shaped the intellectual, scientific, and cultural landscape in receiving countries, and how, in turn, displacement, migration, and exile influenced intellectual and artistic production. Principle conveners: Jeremy Adelman, professor of history, Princeton University; Annie Cohen-Solal, author of books on Rothko, Sartre, and others. 

The State of the Contemporary Art Market and the Prospects for the Future in the Age of the Internet - March 21-22, 2015

Participants discussed how the Internet and globalized Internet technology have altered the nature and landscape of the global art market. Attendees included artists, collectors, gallery owners, authors, museum directors, and scholars from sociology, political science, and art history. This workshop was co-sponsored by the USC Annenberg School. Principle conveners: Jonathan Aronson, professor of communication, USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism; Margaret Levi (CASBS fellow, 1993–94), professor of political science, Sara Miller McCune Director of CASBS, Stanford University.