Elaine Kamarck, senior fellow in Governance Studies and director of the Center for Effective Public Management, talks about why we need a managerial presidency, a central argument in her most recent book Why Presidents Fail and How They Can Succeed Again. Also in this podcast, Aaron Klein, fellow in Economic Studies and policy director of the Initiative on Business and Public Policy, discusses what inspires him in public policy and public service. Finally, Steve Hess looks back on his time in th...
Sep 02, 2016•23 min
John Villasenor, nonresident senior fellow in Governance Studies and the Center for Technology Innovation, discusses his new report on digital and financial inclusion. Also stay tuned for our regular election update from John Hudak, deputy director of the Center for Effective Public Management and a senior fellow in Governance Studies. Thanks to audio producer Mark Hoelscher and producer Vanessa Sauter, and also thanks for additional support from Jessica Pavone, Eric Abalahin, and Rebecca Viser....
Aug 26, 2016•19 min
Mireya Solís, senior fellow and the Philip Knight Chair in Japan Studies in the Brookings Center for East Asia Policy Studies, explores the domestic and international importance of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, comments on what the presidential candidates are saying about trade, and also addresses the fears people have about losing their jobs to trade. Also stay tuned for our regular economic update from David Wessel, senior fellow and director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Poli...
Aug 19, 2016•32 min
Jonathan Rauch, senior fellow in Governance Studies, expands on his widely popular new article in The Atlantic titled, “How American Politics Went Insane.” Also in this episode, Metropolitan Policy Program Associate Fellow Devashree Saha examines the impact of crashing oil prices on state and metro economies. Thanks to audio producer Mark Hoelscher, plus thanks to Carisa Nietsche, Bill Finan, Vanessa Sauter, Jessica Pavone, Eric Abalahin, and Rebecca Viser. Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria o...
Aug 12, 2016•24 min
Harold Trinkunas, senior fellow and director of the Latin America Initiative at Brookings, and David Mares, guest scholar in the Latin America Initiative, discusses their new book Aspirational Power: Brazil’s Long Road to Global Influence. Also in this episode, Steve Hess recounts navigating a challenging request from President Nixon. Finally, Metropolitan Policy Program Fellow Adie Tomer narrates his path to public policy research on infrastructure. Thanks to audio producer Mark Hoelscher, plus...
Aug 05, 2016•28 min
After the conventions, a presidential election update from . In the interview, , senior fellow and policy director of the discusses a plan to address the economic boom-bust cycle in states that rely heavily on “fracking” and how this plan can spur innovation, inclusive economic development, and de-carbonization in the U.S. Also in this podcast a Coffee Break from Eyerusalem Siba, research fellow with the Africa Growth Initiative in the Global Economy and Development program. LINKS:
Jul 29, 2016•34 min
Kemal Kirişci, TÜSİAD Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy, discusses the recent coup in Turkey and its implications for Turkey’s regional role, foreign policy, and its democracy. Also in this podcast our final Syrian Refugee series segment with Matteo Garavoglia, a visiting fellow in the Foreign Policy Center on the United States and Europe. Also stay tuned for William Frey, Senior Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program as he discusses America’s racial and age divide and its effect on the political env...
Jul 22, 2016•33 min
Shadi Hamid, senior fellow in the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World in the Center for Middle East Policy and author of the new book , discusses his own personal experience as an American Muslim, and talks about Islam in the context of modern America and the world. Also in this episode Constanze Stelzenmueller, Robert Bosch Senior Fellow in the , discusses refugee integration in Germany. Links Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World<> Islamic Exceptionalism: How the ...
Jul 15, 2016•56 min
, director of the at Brookings and a senior fellow in , discusses the decision of a majority of voters in Britain to leave the E.U. and the consequences of Brexit for the country’s economy, politics, position as a world power, and implications for its citizens. Show Notes Thanks to audio engineer and producer Zack Kulzer, with editing help from Mark Hoelscher, plus thanks to Carisa Nietsche, Bill Finan, Jessica Pavone, Eric Abalahin, Rebecca Viser, and our intern Sara Abdel-Rahim. Subscribe to t...
Jul 08, 2016•50 min
, former U.S. secretary of education during the Obama administration and now a nonresident senior fellow with the Brown Center on Education Policy, discusses the crisis of youth violence in Chicago and solutions that strengthen schools and encourage more opportunities for those who are marginalized to make a living in the legal economy. “The best thing we can do is create hope, opportunity and jobs particularly on the South and West side for young and black men who have been disenfranchised, who...
Jul 01, 2016•38 min
, a visiting fellow in the , discusses the current situation with and solutions for the Syrian refugee crisis. “The scale, scope and complexity of the Syria crisis is staggering. Nearly half a million people have lost their lives, 13.5 million are in need of humanitarian assistance, 6.5 million are internally displaced, and there 5 million refugees in neighboring countries - namely, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. And hundreds of thousands have made their way to Europe in search of refuge and rights...
Jun 24, 2016•29 min
, deputy director of the and a senior fellow in , discusses the fundamental dynamics of the 2016 election, the importance of the ground game, vice presidential picks, and prospects for the Senate and/or House flipping from Republican to Democratic control. “I think policy itself is what’s not getting enough attention in these campaigns. … It is not something that is a sexy issue that people want to particularly hear about, they are more interested in the horse race or in this case the fighting t...
Jun 17, 2016•33 min
, senior fellow in the and a psychology professor at Temple University, and University of Delaware professor Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, also a psychologist, discuss their new book: "." In this podcast, Hirsh-Pasek and Golinkoff discuss ways to reimagine what successful learning looks like in a global world using six major skills that will help kids succeed beyond traditional perceptions of success such as good test scores. “What we need to do is train thinkers, to be able to attack the problems...
Jun 10, 2016•46 min
In this podcast, award-winning author and veteran Phil Klay discusses how his experience as a Marine Corps officer in Iraq informed his short-story collection Redeployment, which won the National Book Award in 2014; and also talks about the themes he explores in the new Brookings Essay, “The citizen-soldier: Moral risk and the modern military.” “Most people sign up with the hope of being part of an institution that is doing something good in the world,” Klay says, and that “they will be putting ...
Jun 03, 2016•44 min
, director of and senior fellow in Economic studies, discusses the importance of investments in children, especially those who are from low socio-economic backgrounds. She highlights issues such as early childhood education, child poverty, and food insecurity, issues about which The Hamilton Project has produced significant research and recommendations. “[W]e’re dangerously underinvesting in children today. And there’s emerging research that indicates that if we spend more on schools, if we make...
May 27, 2016•34 min
, a senior fellow in Governance Studies and co-founder and editor-in-chief of The LawFare Blog, is co-author of a new study,-“”; and a legislative proposal to close the sextortion sentencing gap. In the podcast, Wittes explains the crime itself; the importance of cyber security and how teens and parents can protect themselves online. “Teenager cyber security hygiene actually matters a great deal,” Wittes says. “It just matters a great deal to protect values and goods that the cyber security comm...
May 19, 2016•45 min
, executive vice president of the Brookings Institution, offers his take on a broad spectrum of foreign policy issues, including peace in the Middle East, the liberal international order, and his own journey in foreign affairs leadership and policymaking. He also discusses the contours of an "Obama doctrine" in foreign policy, and whether the next president will bring continuity or change. Also in this podcast: an economic update from , director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Poli...
May 13, 2016•44 min
Les Gelb, a former Brookings fellow and co-author of the 1979 book The Irony of Vietnam: The System Worked –which is being released this month as a Brookings Press Classic – discusses the influence the Vietnam War has had on how the U.S handles wars and the need for American pragmatism in foreign policy decision-making today. “What made this country great was Americans using their pragmatism, solving problems, and realizing there were certain problems they couldn’t solve--at least, not solve the...
May 06, 2016•25 min
Richard Feinberg, a nonresident senior fellow in the Latin America Initiative and author of the forthcoming book, “Open for Business: Building a New Cuban Economy” (Brookings, 2016), discusses current U.S. and Cuba relations after President Obama's visit and looks ahead to Cuba's increasing engagement with the global economy. “The younger generation does have a respect for Fidel Castro and what the older generation accomplished,” Feinberg says. “They want to see a fresh generation of leadership,...
Apr 29, 2016•25 min
, a nonresident fellow in the Center for Universal Education, and , a senior fellow and director of the Center for Universal Education, discuss a new report: . In this podcast, Robinson and Winthrop discuss the state of children’s education around the world while highlighting some cases that show how the quality and reach of children’s education can be improved. “Nine out of 10 kids in the world is in primary school, but there is still a lot to be done,” Winthrop says. “A lot of kids are droppin...
Apr 22, 2016•34 min
In this episode, , a fellow in the Brookings Institution's , explains the current dilemma of security breaches of medical records that are hitting the health care industry. “The difference between the IT revolution in the health care sector and in any other sector is that other businesses embraced IT naturally and gradually and that allowed them to prepare in all other technological and organizational aspects that are necessary to appropriately use IT,” says Yaraghi. “In the health care sector i...
Apr 15, 2016•29 min
In this podcast, , a nonresident senior fellow in the , discusses Myanmar’s transition to democracy, examining the economic, social and political aspects of the transition, as well as potential obstacles in the short run. “So much foreign aid has poured in and will continue to pour in now that Aung San Suu Kyi is leading the government that it may do more harm than good, becoming a factor that actually derails the transition," says Rieffel. Also in this episode: another installment of "" with Se...
Apr 08, 2016•40 min
One year after: Observations on the rise of innovation districts , a fellow with the , discusses the current economic, social, and political situation in Baltimore a year after the riots. “1/5 people in Baltimore lives in a neighborhood of extreme poverty,” Vey says. In this podcast, Vey describes the current state of Baltimore and urges the start of discussions about the abject poverty facing many cities in the United States. Also in this episode: stay tuned for our presidential election update...
Apr 01, 2016•32 min
, a nonresident senior fellow in Governance Studies, explains his latest research on measuring achievement of American students. “The bottom line here: the implementation of the common core has appeared to have very little impact on student achievement,” Loveless says. In this episode, he discusses whether the common core is failing our students, whether AP achievement is indicative of student success, and the role of principals as instructional leaders. Also in this episode: Get to know , the R...
Mar 25, 2016•39 min
, a nonresident senior fellow in Economic Studies, explains her new research (with Phillip Levine for the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity) on high school students who are growing up in places with high income inequality and their decision to stay in high school or not. “Kids at the bottom of the income distribution are discouraged by higher levels of income inequality as opposed to being driven by it,” Kearney says. “Low income kids are more likely to drop out of high school than high inco...
Mar 18, 2016•26 min
, a visiting fellow in Governance Studies and an expert on federal courts, discusses the process and politics of replacing Associate Justice Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court given the current political climate. “This polarization our politics has affected the polarization of the confirmation and nomination process and I don’t see how it gets ratcheted down,” Wheeler says. “It gets ratcheted up but I don’t see what happens to get us back to the day in which the Senate basically fulfilled ...
Mar 11, 2016•32 min
Qutaiba Idlbi, a Syrian refugee and activist, and , a Brookings visiting fellow and expert on the Middle East and North Africa, discuss the Syrian crisis from a personal and public policy perspective. In this podcast, Idlbi shares his own experience participating in the Syrian revolution as it began and the repercussions for him and his family. McKenzie also provides feedback on the crisis from a policy perspective and the role that the United States should play in accepting refugees. “Getting a...
Mar 04, 2016•51 min
As a part of Brookings Centenary series, Strobe Talbott, current president of Brookings, and Bruce MacLaury, president of Brookings from 1977 to 1995, look to the major policy challenges that Brookings should take on in its second century while they reflect on their own periods of leading Brookings. Talbott and MacLaury discuss the role of Brookings in the past, present, and future as a nexus of non-partisan ideas, with a passionate commitment to the common good. From their perspectives, the two...
Feb 26, 2016•33 min
, a senior fellow in Economic Studies, explains new research on the growing longevity gap between high-income and low-income Americans, especially among the aged. “Life expectancy difference of low income workers, middle income workers, and high income workers has been increasing over time,” Burtless says. “For people born in 1920 their life expectancy was not as long typically as the life expectancy of people who were born in 1940. But those gains between those two birth years were very unequal...
Feb 19, 2016•18 min
, a senior fellow in the discusses the five rising democracies; Brazil, South Africa, India, Indonesia, and Turkey and their role in the international liberal order. “These countries show that you can have democratization and improvements in political freedom and at the same time grow your economies and improve in terms of human development,” Piccone says. In the podcast, Piccone provides an overview of each of the five nations highlighted in his new book, “Five Rising Democracies and the Fate o...
Feb 12, 2016•30 min
