Public Policy Institute of California

AI-generated language remains systematically distinguishable from human communication

Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used in the social sciences to simulate human behavior and communication, yet validation methods for these applications remain limited. Existing evaluations often rely on human judgments of plausibility, a coarse, difficult-to-scale,...

Towards understanding the benefits of shellfish aquaculture for U.S. coastal communities: Demographics, spatial concentration, and localness of leaseholders

Shellfish aquaculture in the U.S. is increasingly promoted as a climate-resilient, low-impact, and economically beneficial form of protein production that supports local and sustainable food systems. Yet, the development of marine resources can result in the marginalization of wo...

Farm ownership in the San Joaquin Valley highlights different capacities to adapt to changing groundwater regulations

California’s San Joaquin Valley is home to some of the nation’s most productive farmland. Yet, this agricultural productivity has been achieved through unsustainable groundwater use to support irrigation. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) seeks to address the nega...

Propaganda, Administrative Deformation, and the Erosion of State Capacity: The Case of the “Censorship Industrial Complex”

ABSTRACT This paper examines how a propaganda frame alleging the existence of a “Censorship Industrial Complex” was institutionalized and then helped justify the dismantling of US election information resilience infrastructure across multiple federal agencies. Drawing on document...

Beyond the conditional averages: a quantile-based analysis of effects of fiscal deficits on interest rates in India

Purpose The consequences of fiscal deficit on interest rate are a debatable issue. This study examines the differential impact of fiscal deficit on quantiles of interest rates depending on the different economic conditions by utilizing monthly data from January 2004 to July 2024...

Navigating the Battlefield: How Social Media Platforms Respond to Governance Demands From Legitimacy Communities in Geopolitical Conflicts

ABSTRACT Social media platforms have become central actors in governing online speech during geopolitical conflicts, navigating complex governance demands from diverse stake‐holding communities including states, civil society, and users. This paper explores these dynamics through...