The U.S. Congress has passed a $2 trillion economic support package in response to coronavirus. To analyze what’s in the measure, a group of scholars from the Economic Studies program at Brookings linked up in a conference call. This episode is a replay of that conversation, which was moderated by Senior Fellow David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary policy. Also on the episode: Jay Shambaugh, senior fellow and director of the Hamilton Project at Brookings Ryan Nunn,...
Mar 28, 2020•27 min
In a new book from the Brookings Institution Press, titled "The Iranian Revolution at Forty," more than two dozen experts look back on the rise of the Islamic Republic and explore what the startling events of 1979 continue to mean for the volatile Middle East as well as the rest of the world. On this episode, the editor of this volume, Suzanne Maloney, joins Brookings Press Director Bill Finan to discuss the Iranian Revolution’s continued relevance today. Maloney is the interim vice president an...
Mar 27, 2020•30 min
On this episode, Brookings President John R. Allen interviews Brookings Senior Fellow Fiona Hill about the role that public servants and expertise have during a time of crisis. Also on the show, Senior Fellow David Wessel offers six points on economic stimulus in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts or on , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .
Mar 20, 2020•45 min
On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, perhaps the most significant change in health care policy since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. But opposition to the law has been unrelenting since before its enactment, and efforts to repeal it in the courts are ongoing. In this episode, Christen Linke Young, a fellow with the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy, discusses where we are a decade after the law’s enactme...
Mar 13, 2020•36 min
Jenny Schuetz, a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program and an expert on housing issues, interviews Conor Dougherty, an economics reporter at the New York Times and author of the new book Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America. In his book, Dougherty reports on the housing crisis as seen in the San Francisco Bay area and what it may mean for the nation’s future. Also on this episode, Senior Fellow Jonathan Rauch answers a student’s question about how to combat extreme polarization in o...
Mar 06, 2020•50 min
Andre Perry, a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings is the co-author of a new report that shows that highly rated businesses in Black-majority neighborhoods experience annual losses in business revenue of up to nearly four billion dollars when compared to highly-rated businesses in other neighborhoods. On this episode, he talks about the report’s findings. The report is titled "Five-star reviews, one-star profits: The devaluation of businesses in Black communities," co-authored...
Feb 28, 2020•21 min
In this special edition of the Brookings Cafeteria, , a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Foreign Policy, interviews Brookings Senior Fellow , director of the Center on the United States and Europe, about China’s relationship with Europe. The discussion comes as the Global China project at Brookings releases that explore China’s ties with the great powers as well as the implications of those relationships for the U.S. and international order. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts or on , send feedback ema...
Feb 25, 2020•26 min
In the new book "," published this month by the Brookings Institution Press, author shows how U.S.-India relations have been shaped in the past and present by China. On this episode, Madan a senior fellow in Foreign policy and director of the India Project, is interviewed by Brookings Press Director Bill Finan about the book. Also on the program, in his Economic Update, Senior Fellow asks whether the global economy could drag down the strong U.S. economy. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts or on , ...
Feb 21, 2020•35 min
Giovanna DeMaio and Célia Belin, two Brookings visiting scholars from Europe, were recently in New Hampshire and Iowa to observe American politics up close. They offer fascinating insights on what they saw, and share some comparisons between American and European politics in terms of populism, nationalism, and the use of social media. Also, Sarah Binder on what's happening in Congress after the end of the impeachment trial. And Gary Burtless, in a new Policy 2020 Ask an Expert, answers a student...
Feb 14, 2020•59 min
In this special episode, join us for a trip to New Hampshire in the lead up to the first-in-the-nation primary. Brookings podcast producer Chris McKenna joined Senior Fellow Elaine Kamarck for a visit to the Granite State in January, where they spoke to some of the people involved in the event. These include Ray Buckley, chair of the state Democratic Party, Larry Drake, chair of the Rockingham County Democratic Party, and Bill Weld, former Massachusetts governor and candidate for the GOP nominat...
Feb 07, 2020•33 min
On this episode: the Iowa caucuses, tax reform, and meet a scholar who studies global poverty reduction. First up, a Brookings expert answers a student’s question about why the Iowa caucuses are so important. This is part of the Policy 2020 Initiative at Brookings. If you have a question for an expert, send a audio file to Second, Hamilton Project Director Jay Shambaugh interviews former treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, now a professor at Harvard University, about reforming the tax code to r...
Jan 31, 2020•49 min
This episode features an interview with Dr. Brahima Sangafowa Coulibaly, senior fellow and director of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings, about the initiative’s new report, "Foresight Africa: Top priorities for the continent 2020-2030." In the conversation, he addresses some of the report’s key findings, including progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, job creation on the continent, new strategies to address the impacts of climate change, and the effect of the fourth industri...
Jan 24, 2020•43 min
This is an episode in three parts. First, Marcus Casey interviews James Bessen, executive director of the Technology and Policy Research Initiative at Boston University’s School of Law, on how automation and artificial intelligence are affecting middle-class jobs. Then, in David Wessel’s Economic Update, Wessel talks about how government policy might respond to the next recession. Finally, we launch Ask an Expert, student questions for Brookings scholars about issues students care about in the 2...
Jan 17, 2020•31 min
Bill Frey, a senior fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings and one of the nation’s leading experts on U.S. population demographics, talks about his new analysis of Census Bureau data on America’s population dynamics and their meaning for immigration, the Electoral College in future presidential elections, and the nation’s future generally. Also on today’s show, Senior Fellow Molly Reynolds discusses what's happening in Congress, including impeachment, the trade deal, and U.S. con...
Jan 10, 2020•33 min
, vice president and director of Economic Studies at Brookings, and , the Robert S. Kerr Senior Fellow and policy director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, share their views on the state of the U.S. economy and the top economic issues facing the country in the upcoming year. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts or on , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .
Jan 03, 2020•26 min
To celebrate the closing of the year, this episode features our favorite clips from past 12 months. We hope you enjoy it and perhaps take the opportunity to download full episodes that interest you, share the show with friends, and . Visit the episode's show notes to get links to all of the episodes. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts or on , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .
Dec 27, 2019•50 min
How will artificial intelligence (AI) affect work? While it seems likely that automation and robotics will impact, or even displace, jobs on the lower-end of the income and education spectrum, AI may have impacts on better-paid and more educated workers, according to from , Robert Maxim, and Jacob Whiton. On this episode, Muro discusses the findings. Also, meet , a post-doctoral fellow in Foreign Policy. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts or , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at ...
Dec 20, 2019•37 min
Senior Fellow , the Lee Kuan Yew Chair in Southeast Asian Studies at Brookings, interviews , a Burmese historian, writer, and former government advisor. Thant is the author of the new book, . Also on this episode, Senior Fellow talks about the most significant economic developments of the last decade, including interest rates, life expectancy, inequality, and health care. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts or , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeter...
Dec 13, 2019•39 min
Dany Bahar, fellow in Global Economy and Development at Brookings, shares his interview with Felipe Muñoz, advisor to the President of Colombia for the Colombian-Venezuelan Border. Mr. Muñoz is the Colombian government official in charge of managing his government’s response to the humanitarian crisis of Venezuelan refugees. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts or , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .
Dec 10, 2019•28 min
In a new book from the Brookings Institution Press titled “U.S. Inspectors General: Truth Tellers in Turbulent Times,” authors Charles Johnson and Kathryn Newcomer explore the strategic environment in which IGs operate and explain how these public servants do their work. On this episode, Brookings Press Director Bill Finan interviews the authors. Also on the program, Senior Fellow Molly Reynolds tells us what’s happening in Congress. No surprise that it’s impeachment, but she explains what could...
Dec 06, 2019•29 min
In this special edition of the Brookings Cafeteria, Lindsey Ford interviews a trio of Brookings experts on new papers from the Global China Project that focus on China's engagements with neighbors in East Asia, and how it secures its periphery. The guest experts are Richard Bush, Jonathan Stromseth, and Lynn Kuok. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts or , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .
Dec 03, 2019•56 min
The world faces a range of challenges, including increasing numbers of refugees, income inequality, loss of fertile land leading to rising hunger, and climate change. Governments and global institutions are addressing these problems using a variety of tools. On today's show, Maysa Jalbout explains the role that universities can play in addressing these challenges. She is a nonresident fellow in Global Economy and Development at Brookings, and is a visiting scholar and special adviser on the UN S...
Nov 29, 2019•26 min
Senior Fellow Elaine Kamarck helps make sense of the impeachment inquiry around President Donald Trump's actions regarding Ukraine in the context of impeachment’s history—from its inclusion in the US Constitution, to how impeachment was used in the cases of presidents Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Bill Clinton. Kamarck also answers the question of whether Congress should even be considering impeachment when President Trump faces re-election in less than a year. Also on the episode, Martha R...
Nov 22, 2019•29 min
Polls show that health care is one of the top issues American voters care about, but ideas about controlling costs and expanding coverage are divided along partisan lines. This episode features a deep dive into health care policy and what Democratic presidential candidates and Republican Party leaders are offering as their solutions. Guests are two of Brookings’s top health policy experts: is a fellow in the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health policy and, among her many roles in public...
Nov 15, 2019•35 min
On November 9, 1989, the government of East Germany announced that all of its citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of Germans from east and west climbed onto the heavily fortified wall surrounding West Berlin and began chipping away at the concrete with hammers and other tools in a celebratory atmosphere. East German guards stood down. Thus began the fall of the Berlin Wall that had divided the city since 1961. The beginning of the end of the Cold War was at hand. On this ep...
Nov 08, 2019•29 min
In July 1958, U.S. Marines stormed the beaches of Beirut, Lebanon, ready for combat in the midst of an escalating sectarian crisis in the country. But they were greeted by sunbathers and vendors selling shawarma. The rest of their mission went mostly peacefully, but future American interventions did not go so well. In his new book published by the Brookings Institution Press, "," Senior Fellow tells the story of the first U.S. combat operation in the Middle East and the lessons it continues to h...
Nov 01, 2019•25 min
Brexit—the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, has been scheduled to occur on October 31. But will it still happen? As events continue to evolve in Britain and in the European Union--including Prime Minister Boris Johnson's likely failed attempt to hold new elections in December--where do things stand? , the Robert Bosch Senior Fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings, explains what’s been going on, and what to expect next in Brexit. Also on this epi...
Oct 25, 2019•34 min
Senior Fellow interviews Senior Fellows and about the new project and resource at Brookings. Policy 2020 empowers voters with fact-based, data-driven, non-partisan information to better understand the policy matters discussed by candidates running for office in 2020. Plus, in a new Coffee Break segment, meet , the vice president and director of Economic Studies at Brookings. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts or , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Brookings Cafe...
Oct 18, 2019•44 min
How can girls, especially in developing countries, get the education that will prepare them with skills needed for lifelong success? On this episode, , fellow in the Global Economy and Development program, interviews three educators in the program. They are from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Learn more about their backgrounds, who inspired them, and the important work they are doing in girls' education. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts or , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at o...
Oct 11, 2019•57 min
This is the fifth of five special episodes in a takeover of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast by the at Brookings, a multi-year endeavor drawing on expertise from across the Institution. In this series, , a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Foreign Policy, speaks with experts about a range of issues related to Global China. In this episode, she speaks with Leah Dreyfuss and Mara Karlin, co-authors of the paper, "All that Xi wants: China attempts to ace bases overseas," in which they explore how China ...
Oct 04, 2019•31 min
