Brookings Fellows and speak with noted political scientist and author Robert Putnam, professor of public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, about his new book . Putnam explains how an “opportunity gap” has emerged over the past twenty-five years between education for wealthy and poor children in America, and how differences in politics, class, and race are impacting the American dream. Also in this episode, Governance Studies Fellow explains "What's Happening in Congress." Show No...
Apr 02, 2015•22 min
“The forces of darkness, the terrorists, know that education is a powerful change agent,” says former Australian Prime Minister in this podcast about her commitment to global education. Ms. Gillard, now a distinguished fellow with the at Brookings and chair of the Global Partnership for Education, discusses a variety of topics, including her path to becoming Australia’s 27th prime minister; overcoming barriers to achieving universal education; why quality of education matters as much, or more, t...
Mar 19, 2015•22 min
“The real question is, are the proponents of ‘Audit the Fed’ legislation seeking to make the Fed more accountable …? Or are they basically people who don’t like what the Fed is doing and see ‘Audit the Fed’ as a lever to change the Fed?” asks Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy Director in this podcast. Listen to find out why Wessel calls “Audit the Fed” a misnomer, but also how he explains why we are asking the Fed to do too much in the economy. He also offers ideas on useful reforms ...
Mar 03, 2015•29 min
"We have a deficit of knowledge about the Koreas" in both the academy and public discourse, says , the SK-Korea Foundation Chair in Korea Studies and a senior fellow in the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at Brookings. In this podcast, Moon, who is also a political science professor at Wellesley College, describes her own journey to becoming a scholar with a focus on Asia and the Koreas; talks about what she observed during her trip to North Korea; explains the sources of North Koreans' nati...
Feb 20, 2015•56 min
"I think the Affordable Care Act is actually doing quite well," says Senior Fellow in this podcast. Rivlin, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Chair in Health Policy Studies and director of the at Brookings, cited the expansion of medical insurance coverage, declining cost growth, and other positive factors for the ACA. She also reflects on continued political opposition to the law, the impending King v. Burwell Supreme Court case, and what it was like to stand up a new federal agency, the Congressional B...
Feb 06, 2015•31 min
“Cities and metro areas are networks, they are not governments; therefore we need to put them central to the debate of how the country moves forward,” says in this podcast on the metropolitan revolution—metro areas’ recognition that they are where change does and should happen, especially in an era of congressional gridlock. Katz, vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program and also the Adeline M. and Alfred I. Johnson Chair in Urban and Metropolitan Policy, explains that the ...
Jan 20, 2015•37 min
In this podcast, Brookings President reflects on growing up in Cleveland, his career—as a journalist, State Department Official, and think tank leader—and today’s challenges for governance and stability. Learn how a career in journalism prepared him for State Department diplomacy; about his role in defusing two international crises in one dangerous week in June 1999; what he thinks about Vladimir Putin and Russia’s course; and why nuclear proliferation and climate change are “existential threats...
Jan 09, 2015•48 min
In 1969, a conservative president made a liberal professor his urban affairs adviser in the White House. When Richard Nixon brought Daniel Patrick Moynihan onto the White House staff, the consequences for both would be tremendous, as recounted by in this podcast based on his fascinating tale of those years, (Brookings, 2014). Hess, a senior fellow emeritus at Brookings who was not only Moynihan’s deputy on the Urban Affairs Council but also a close friend, offers vivid anecdotes of what he witne...
Dec 18, 2014•59 min
“One thing most people don't know is that our [social] programs don't work,” says Senior Fellow in this podcast about how the Obama administration is starting to create a “culture of evidence” for the design and evaluation of government programs, with the ultimate aim to increase equality of opportunity in America and spend less money doing it. Haskins, the Cabot Family Chair and co-director of both the Center on Children and Families and the Budgeting for National Priorities project, is the co-...
Dec 05, 2014•48 min
“The Republican Party has become like a parliamentary party, vehemently oppositional and opposed to anything that the other party would do,” says in this podcast in which he shares his expertise and insight on political dysfunction in America, on the roots of today’s divisive partisanship, on ideas for solutions, and on the 2016 presidential contest. Mann, a senior fellow in Governance Studies and the W. Averell Harriman Chair in American Governance, also reflects on his 45 years studying and en...
Nov 21, 2014•53 min
"I am convinced that the United States is in the midst of a pivotal period ushering in extraordinary shifts in the nation's racial demographic makeup," writes in his new book, . In this podcast, Frey, a senior fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program and an internationally regarded demographer, explains what he means by "diversity explosion"; why growing minority populations are so important for America; and what public officials, community leaders, and decision-makers need to understand about ...
Nov 14, 2014•36 min
In this special edition of the Brookings Cafeteria, Senior Fellows ,, and offered their insights and analysis about the 2014 midterm election results. Listen to find out why Mann called the results "a red tsunami"; why Binder said it was "oddly predictable"; and why, for Galston, the outcome was "challenging" in a variety of ways. Mann is the W. Averell Harriman Chair in American Governance and co-author of . Binder is a professor of political science at George Washington University, a contribut...
Nov 05, 2014•41 min
“Latin America actually lacks an identity because it has them all,” says —a Brookings nonresident senior fellow—as he reflects on how Peruvian poet Mario Vargas Llosa described Latin America. In this podcast, Talvi, who directs the , explains why there are actually three Latin Americas based on macroeconomic factors; why nations such as Chile, Peru, Mexico and Colombia have very strong fundamentals (and why Argentina and Venezuela are troubling); why economic growth has slowed in the region sinc...
Oct 31, 2014•29 min
“Two married parents are the best environment for kids, on average,” says in this podcast about her new book, . Adding that “we all know single parents who are doing a great job,” Sawhill explains how her research and data show that gaps in education, family structure and parenting styles create unequal starts for American children in the aggregate. Seventy percent of all pregnancies to unmarried women under 30 are unplanned, she says, and today 40 percent of all children in American are born ou...
Oct 17, 2014•32 min
Every increase of $1 billion in U.S. exports is estimated to support 6,000 jobs, and 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the United States, says in her new report, “.” It clearly matters, as she explains in this wide-ranging interview about the importance of trade, how trade negotiations work, why trade leads to net job gains, the prospects for ongoing trade negotiations with European and Asia-Pacific countries, and more. Sapiro, a visiting fellow in Global Economy and Development a...
Oct 03, 2014•41 min
The 1,645 wealthiest men and women worldwide—492 of them in the United States—who control assets worth $6.5 trillion are shaping the world for the better and sometimes for the worse. In this podcast and in his new book, , vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings, explains who the billionaires are, how they are more involved than ever in politics and society, why this matters, and how, for many reasons, they really are not like the rest of us. Also, hear what has to say abou...
Sep 17, 2014•30 min
ISIS establishes a jihadist caliphate across Syria and Iraq. Iran pursues its nuclear ambitions. Syria remains mired in a terrible civil war, exacting a toll on the civilian population and region. In this podcast, Senior Fellow () offers his views on these and related developments, the Obama administration’s response to them, and what he believes is the “great white whale” of President Obama’s Middle East strategy. Although he says that Obama’s initiatives in the region have failed, he explains ...
Sep 05, 2014•41 min
(originally aired on 8/30/13) In this inaugural edition of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast, , senior fellow in Governance Studies, talks with host Fred Dews about a range of issues at the junction of liberty and security, privacy and government surveillance. Wittes explains how liberty and security are not always in tension; how we might think about the government's surveillance activities; and why technology makes this moment in the history of the world both exciting and terrifying. Wittes is t...
Sep 04, 2014•30 min
(originally published 9/13/13) What is the state of health care in America? Can costs be reduced and outcomes improved? Will the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) implementation be successful? Which aspects of ACA are already having a positive impact? What to expect on October 1 when state health exchanges go online? , a fellow in the at Brookings and also a practicing internal medicine physician with Johns Hopkins Medicine, speaks with host Fred Dews about these and other questions related ...
Sep 04, 2014•40 min
(originally published 9/27/13) The foreign-born population in America is over 13 percent of the total population, the largest share of immigrants since the 1920s. Over 40 million immigrants—documented and undocumented, young and old—live and work in towns and metropolitan areas throughout the country. In this podcast, , a senior fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, puts today's immigrant population into historical context, explains where they live now and how they contribute to their commu...
Sep 04, 2014•29 min
(originally published 10/11/13) The American Dream is not dead, but Americans today experience less socioeconomic fluidity between where they are born and where they end up than people in comparable nations, including Great Britain. It is "in need of some health care," says , an Economic Studies fellow and policy director of the . In this podcast, Reeves discusses his research on policies to make evidence-based social mobility—from birth, through childhood into adulthood—a priority, at both stat...
Sep 04, 2014•32 min
(originally published 10/23/13) Arms Control. Russia. Ukraine. Three distinct issues that share multiple connections. In this podcast, , senior fellow and director of the , connects the dots. A former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and career foreign service officer, Pifer calls for an additional round of strategic arms reductions between the U.S. and Russia, on top of those agreed-to under the New START treaty. He also examines Russian foreign policy and explains how Ukraine is attempting to follow...
Sep 04, 2014•30 min
Over 800,000 foreign students are studying in the U.S. at institutions of higher education. Where are they coming from? What are they studying? And how can U.S. visa policy be improved to take advantage of this talented group? To find out the answers to these questions, I spoke with Associate Fellow from the Metropolitan Policy Program. Show Notes: • • • • •
Aug 15, 2014•22 min
As of last year, student loan debt in the U.S. exceeded $1.2 trillion, more than any other type of household debt except home mortgages. Media accounts have described this as the "potential next debt bomb for the U.S." and "the next financial disaster." But is there really a student loan debt crisis? To find out, I spoke with , a fellow in the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings. She explains how evidence sheds light on the problem, noting that it's difficult to reconcile reports of ba...
Aug 01, 2014•27 min
This week's interview features part two of a conversation with , a Middle East expert and fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings. Hamid discusses the perception that Islam and democracy are incompatible. Plus, he goes into more detail about what to expect from Egypt's President Sisi, and why it's a cop-out for Americans to look at Middle East violence and say that there's nothing we can do about it because the hatreds are so ancient and deep seated. (In , Hamid talked about meeting Muslim Brother...
Jul 25, 2014•27 min
This week's interview features part one of a conversation with , a Middle East expert and fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings. In it, Hamid talks about Islamists and democracy, especially in Egypt. He also talks about meeting Mohamed Morsi before he became Egypt's first democratically-elected president, why the Muslim Brotherhood was cautious about attaining power, and why Islamists are willing, literally, to die for their cause. Part two of the conversation . Hamid is the author of the new bo...
Jul 18, 2014•28 min
Over the past decade, sub-Saharan African economies have grown 5 percent a year, and the region’s economy should double by 2030. Yet this growth is not enough to spread needed development and progress throughout the region. , a senior fellow with the at Brookings, talks about the role of foreign direct investment, priorities for African policymakers, and the prospect for conflict resolution in the most troubled areas. Show notes: • • (pdf)• • • • (blog)
Jun 20, 2014•32 min
"We need to change the way we think about infrastructure in America," says . It's not just about the federal government fixing roads and bridges anymore. In this podcast, Puentes, a senior fellow in the , explains how our states and metropolitan areas, through public and private partnerships, are moving forward on the nation's infrastructure goals. Show Notes: • (interactive)• (event)• (blog)• (project resources)
Jun 06, 2014•28 min
Economic issues are prolific in the public sphere, from taxes and inequality, to jobs and productivity and more. Even Thomas Piketty's book on wealth distribution is now a bestseller. How can a person make sense of the terms and of the discussion? One way is to talk to an economist, like , a senior fellow in the Economic Studies Program at Brookings. In this podcast, he offers his expertise to explain issues such as middle-class income gains, wealth distribution and Piketty's book in ways that b...
May 21, 2014•39 min
As nations across Latin America have become wealthier and more stable in recent years, they are seeking to engage with the world, including the United States, on a more level playing field. In this podcast, , senior fellow and director of the at Brookings, describes Latin America's economic, social, and political challenges and opportunities, with particular attention given to Brazil's rise as a potential major power. Show notes: • • • • •
May 09, 2014•29 min
