UC Riverside should investigate economics research center, faculty say
LOS ANGELES — Some University of California faculty members are raising the alarm about a research center affiliated with UC Riverside that they say uses corporate funding for reports "attacking proposals to improve the lives of working Californians."
The research center, known as the UC Riverside School of Business Center for Economic Forecasting and Development, is not operated by university faculty and is instead run by private consulting company Beacon Economics. The firm produces economic research reports for the university but also pays UC Riverside royalty fees to publish its own reports using the center's name.
A letter signed by more than 100 faculty and graduate students from across the UC system argues the arrangement allows corporations and industry groups to sponsor research and use the findings to advance their interests without academic oversight or transparency. The letter, submitted Tuesday to UC regents, urges the university system to investigate its relationship with the center.
"We unequivocally support academic freedom and freedom of speech," the letter reads. "We believe, however, that Beacon's UC-branded, corporate-funded reports often fail to meet the high
