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Brookings Podcast on Economic ActivityDo American workers still move to find work?Interstate migration has declined in the U.S. in recent decades, suggesting that workers are less likely to move in order to find employment. Such a trend would have significant policy implications for state and local governments, as well as at the federal level. But new research by Andrea Foschi, Christopher L. House, Christian Proebsting, and Linda L. Tesar suggests that it isn’t workers who have changed as much as differences in regional economies. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, House and Tesar join Brookings Senior Fellow Tara Watson to discuss the findings of th...2025-06-1221 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWas the economic recovery from COVID-19 unique?In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck national economies like a hammer. As the disease spread, workers went home, businesses were empty, and economic indicators crashed. Now, five years later, the U.S. economy looks in many ways like it did pre-pandemic, with GDP back on to the pre-pandemic trend and unemployment down to around 4% after spiking to over 10% in 2020. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Brookings Senior Fellow Louise Sheiner is joined by Harvard University’s James Stock to discuss his new paper, “Recovering from COVID,” in which he and coauthor Mark Watson of Princeton explor...2025-05-2923 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWhat is driving up housing costs across the US?Housing prices nationally are at an all-time high, including in many metro areas that were previously considered affordable alternatives to coastal markets. While prices have been rising over recent decades, the average growth rates of housing stock have been in decline. In a new BPEA paper, Edward Glaeser and Joseph Gyourko explore the evolving dynamics of the U.S. housing market, focusing on six metropolitan areas and in particular on steep housing stock decreases in Sun Belt cities. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Gyourko joins Brookings Vice President and Director of Economic Studies Ben Ha...2025-05-1529 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityHow does the Federal Reserve affect the Treasury market?At around $900 billion in transactions daily, the market for U.S. Treasuries is massive, not only in terms of quantity but also in terms of importance to the U.S. and global economies. The Treasury market is tied to interest rates, the value of the dollar, and financial markets around the world. So when shocks hit the Treasury market, as they did during the COVID-19 crisis, the ripple effects can be global. In a new paper, “Treasury market dysfunction and the role of the central bank,” Anil K Kashyap, Jeremy C. Stein, Jonathan L. Wallen, and Joshua Younger explore how...2025-05-0124 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWhy does the US have a trade deficit?The U.S. trade deficit has long been a source of political consternation, but it has come to the forefront in recent weeks. Just a few months into Donald Trump’s second term, he has made the trade deficit a key target of his aggressive tariff policies. On the day that President Trump announced a new, sweeping round of tariffs on all U.S. trade partners, Brookings Senior Fellow Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti was joined by Maurice Obstfeld of the Peterson Institute for International Economics to discuss Obstfeld’s new paper, “The U.S. Trade Deficit: Myths and Realities.” On this epi...2025-04-1731 min
Democracy in QuestionDemocracy in Question podcast season two is coming soonDemocracy in Question, a podcast about American politics and the future of democracy, and hosted by Brookings scholar Katie Dunn Tenpas, returns for its second season soon. Learn more about the podcast here. Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.2025-02-2002 min
Foresight Africa PodcastIntroducing Season 4 of Foresight Africa podcastWith 2030 on the horizon—the looming deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals, now is a critical time to assess the progress, gaps, and road ahead for the top policy and development priorities for Africa, U.S.-Africa relations, and the continent’s broader global partnerships. In season four of Foresight Africa podcast, host Landry Signé, senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program and the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings, and guests share their unique insights and innovative solutions to Africa’s most complex development challenges, while highlighting the continent’s opportunities to advance impactful engagements between Africa, the Unite...2025-01-2203 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityHow will the Federal Reserve revise its monetary policy framework in 2025?The Federal Reserve’s “Statement on Longer-Run Goals and Monetary Policy Strategy”—commonly referred to as its monetary policy framework—is composed of guiding principles the central bank uses in setting and communicating policy. Since the Fed last updated this framework in 2020, the global economy has faced unique challenges: COVID-19 shutdowns, widespread supply chain issues, and multiple global wars. In 2025, the Fed Board will be tasked with reviewing the framework, identifying what has worked well and what hasn’t, and updating it accordingly. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, David Wessel sits down with Brian Sack and Chr...2024-12-1833 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityHow will the clean energy transition affect wages?The clean energy transition has quietly pushed ahead in recent decades, with solar and wind energy accounting for almost 15% of total U.S. energy production in February 2024. The benefits of this transition on climate change have been celebrated, but less acknowledged have been the potential economic benefits. In a new paper, “The economic impacts of clean power,” Costas Arkolakis and Conor Walsh explain how cheaper electricity resulting from this transition could lead to a 2-3% increase in national wages. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Walsh discusses his research with Sanjay Patnaik, director of Brookings’s Cent...2024-12-0418 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWhat role should sanctions play in foreign policy? The case of Russia.Since 2022, Western nations have put a number of sanctions on Russia in response to its war in Ukraine. Policymakers and pundits have debated the efficacy of these measures, but this debate is belied by a deeper question: what does it mean for sanctions to “work”? In new BPEA research, Oleg Itskhoki of Harvard and Elina Ribakova of the Peterson Institute for International Economics explore fundamental questions of the theory and practice of sanctions in the Russia context. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Ben Harris, director of Economic Studies at Brookings, joins the authors for a di...2024-10-2333 min
The Killing Drugs: Synthetic Opioids around the WorldIntroducing The Killing Drugs, a new podcast about synthetic opioids around the worldOver 100,000 Americans are dying of drug overdoses annually. On The Killing Drugs: Synthetic Opioids around the World, host Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, interviews leading experts on the devastating synthetic opioid crisis to find policies that can save lives in the United States and around the world. Brought to you by the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at: Brookings.edu/KillingDrugs2024-08-1202 minDemocracy in QuestionIntroducing Democracy in Question, a new podcast on the state of democracyOn Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas—a visiting fellow in Governance Studies and director of the Katzmann Initiative on Improving Interbranch Relations and Government—interviews expert guests about American politics and the future of democracy. Each episode poses a different question to better understand the contours of our democratic system and what is at stake. Brought to you by the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at: Brookings.edu/DemocracyInQuestion 2024-08-0801 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityDid behavioral changes reduce COVID-19 deaths?As COVID-19 swept across the globe, many nations struggled to define a cohesive public health strategy to prevent the spread of the disease. However, in spite of the lack of a clear plan, improvised strategies of behavioral changes—e.g., masking, social distancing—slowed transmission until a vaccine could be developed. The new BPEA paper, “The impact of vaccines and behaviors on U.S. cumulative deaths from COVID-19,” estimates that the ad hoc strategy prevented close to 800,000 deaths. On this episode, epidemiologist and paper co-author Stephen Kissler talks with Brookings Senior Fellow Carol Graham about the model they used to study...2024-06-2026 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWhat should regulators do about the risks to mid-sized banks?The failure of three mid-sized banks in March 2023—three of the four largest bank failures in history—shook financial markets and could’ve spread to other banks if regulators hadn’t stepped in. Two on-going trends in finance contributed to these failures: an increase in uninsured deposits and the migration of business lending to non-banks. In a new paper, “The evolution of banking in the 21st century,” a group of Harvard researchers looked at regulations that could mitigate risks going forward as well as the potential implications for mergers and acquisitions among mid-sized banks. David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Cen...2024-06-0626 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWhat global factors could make inflation less stable?Most advanced economies enjoyed a long period of low, stable inflation prior to 2021, with inflation in the U.S. actually running below the Federal Reserve’s 2% inflation target for much of the 2010s. This stability was driven in part by factors external to monetary policy, including downward price and wage pressures from globalization and de-unionization. However, the authors of a new BPEA paper, “Changing central bank pressures and inflation,” argue that emerging trends may present headwinds to central banks trying to keep inflation steady. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, paper co-author Pierre Yared of Columb...2024-05-2323 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWhat do Americans think about inflation?Many indicators suggest that the U.S. economy is thriving, yet Americans continue to have a negative overall economic outlook. Stubbornly high inflation has played a significant role in this negative sentiment among consumers, even as wage growth has caught up with the rate of inflation. In a new study, “Why do we dislike inflation?” Stefanie Stantcheva fielded a survey to explore how Americans experience inflation and why they have such strong feelings about it. In this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Stantcheva discusses her findings with Economic Studies Vice President and Director Ben Harris. Sh...2024-05-0931 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityHow did Jamaica halve its debt in 10 years?Many countries have faced harrowing debt burdens, and reducing the national debt is usually a lasting challenge. But in just five years, the Jamaica reduced its debt-to-GDP ratio by 40 percentage points, something only a handful of other countries have done in that time frame. On this episode of the BPEA podcast, Peter Blair Henry of Stanford and UC Berkeley's Barry Eichengreen join Brookings Senior Fellow Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti to discuss their new BPEA paper on the unique factors that enabled Jamaica’s success. Show notes and transcript The Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity is part of...2024-04-1129 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityHow worried should we be about wage-price spirals?Economists have long debated the potential for rising wages and prices to push each other increasingly higher, driving inflation out of control—the so-called “wage-price spiral.” Concern about such a spiral has been high in the post-pandemic era, with inflation still running notably higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Martin Neil Baily of Brookings talks with the authors of a new BPEA paper on wage-price spirals, Guido Lorenzoni and Iván Werning. Their study, which developed a new model for this economic scenario, contends that because various factors drove pri...2023-12-0731 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityIs the post-pandemic surge in business dynamism here to stay?Predictably, the rate of new business formations and business expansions at the beginning of the pandemic plummeted. But, in two waves, applications for new businesses and expansions quickly recovered, countering several decades of decline in business dynamism. Surprising many economists, applications have remained much stronger than before the pandemic. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Hamilton Project Director Wendy Edelberg talks with John Haltiwanger of the University of Maryland about his new paper documenting this trend, whether it is a fleeting anomaly or the new normal, and how policymakers can balance cooling the overheated economy...2023-11-3034 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityHow have Fed interest rate hikes affected other national economies?In an effort to quell post-pandemic inflation, the Federal Reserve raised short-term interest rates eleven times since March 2022, with the federal funds rate now at its highest in over 20 years. Historically, such interest rate hikes—or even the suggestion of hikes—has triggered financial crises in emerging markets and developing economies. But, so far, that hasn’t happened. In this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Şebnem Kalemli-Özcan and Filiz Unsal discuss their new study, which examined how improved monetary policy credibility in these countries may have improved their resilience to American financial trends. Show not...2023-11-0931 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityHow did Germany fare without Russian gas?After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there was a heated debate in Germany about whether to embargo the import of Russian natural gas as a sanction against Russia’s aggression. Before Germany could act, Russian began cutting the flow of gas to Germany, eventually halting it entirely. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Benjamin Moll and Georg Zachmann talk with Economic Studies Director Ben Harris about how Germany navigated this tense situation, as well as their prior work that helped spur the "Great German Gas Debate." Show notes and transcript The Br...2023-10-2637 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWhy is life expectancy falling faster for adults without a BA?In their latest research in the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Anne Case and Angus Deaton show that life expectancy for adults without a BA has been on the decline for almost a decade. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Case discusses the new findings with Carol Graham of Brookings. Show notes and transcript The Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu.2023-10-1234 min
Global IndiaIntroducing Global India, a podcast about India’s role in the worldHow does India deal with its friends and its rivals? How does it see its role in the world? On the new Brookings podcast Global India, host Tanvi Madan, senior fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings, and her guests unpack India’s foreign policy. This season focuses on India’s relationship with China. Follow Global India on YouTube or your preferred podcast app. Global India is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. 2023-09-1301 min
The CurrentIndia in the world after the G-20 summitThis past weekend, India hosted its first G-20 summit, the annual gathering of leaders from the world’s largest economies. To assess highlights from the summit and India’s global role moving forward, Tanvi Madan, senior Fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings, joins the program. Madan is host of the new Global India podcast, debuting this month from the Brookings Podcast Network. Show notes and transcript. Follow The Current and all Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu. The Current is part of the Br...2023-09-1214 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWhat’s BPEA’s role in shaping economic policy?For over 50 years, the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity has published research on urgent public policy issues by some of the world’s leading economists. What has made it so successful, and how has it evolved over the years? On this special episode, the last of season 2, out-going BPEA coeditor and host of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity James Stock is joined by his coeditor of 8 years, Jan Eberly, and incoming coeditor Jón Steinsson for a discussion on the importance of BPEA in economic policy over the years, the evolution of economic methodologies and analysis, and the dir...2023-06-0828 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWhy haven’t workers returned to the labor force after COVID-19?Labor force participation plummeted by more than 3 percentage points during the first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, representing a decline of more than 8.2 million people. While about half of the drop was quickly regained, participation has stagnated at about 1 percentage point below its pre-pandemic level. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Louise Sheiner, policy director at the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, interviews Lea Rendell of the University of Maryland, one of the coauthors of a new BPEA study that asks, simply, “Where are the missing workers?” Sheiner and Rendell discuss seve...2023-05-2517 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWhat is the evidence for deglobalization?It is widely understood that the global economy has become increasingly interconnected over the last century, with especially rapid globalization trends for 20 years starting in the 1990s. That trend continued even through the COVID-19 pandemic, when countries were forced to close their doors and many supply chains were disrupted. However, new Brookings Papers on Economic Activity research by Pinelopi Goldberg and Tristan Reed uses trade, capital flow, and immigration to show that there has been a slowing in globalization beginning around 2015. In this conversation, recorded in March 2022, the authors joined Brookings Senior Fellow Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti for a discussion...2023-05-1134 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityHow did credit market interventions affect macroeconomies during COVID-19?In addition to large fiscal packages, governments around the world utilized credit market interventions to support their economies during the pandemic. However, the impact and importance of these policies has not been fully analyzed. Gee Hee Hong of the IMF and Deborah Lucas of MIT approach this problem in their new BPEA paper, and they discuss their findings on this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity with Wendy Edelberg of The Hamilton Project. Show notes and transcript: https://bit.ly/41oIDfA The Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity is part of the Brookings Podcast Ne...2023-04-1321 min
Dollar & Sense: The Brookings Trade PodcastDollar & Sense presents Reimagine Rural, a podcast about rural towns experiencing positive changeIn this special edition of “Dollar & Sense,” host David Dollar presents the first episode of a new podcast miniseries from Brookings: "Reimagine Rural," in which host Tony Pipa, a senior fellow at Brookings, visits rural towns across America, listening as local people tell the story of how they are enacting positive change in their communities and learning how public investment in rural people and places can lead to increased and equitable prosperity. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3AZXS3R Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcast...2022-11-2854 min
Reimagine RuralIntroducing Reimagine Rural, a new Brookings podcast featuring rural towns experiencing positive changeWhile the dominant narrative regarding rural America is one of decline and division, Reimagine Rural is a new podcast that visits rural towns across the United States that are experiencing positive change and explores how public investment in rural people and places can lead to increased prosperity. Hosted by Tony Pipa, a scholar in the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution and a product of rural America, each episode features local voices telling the story of progress in their community and consider the intersection with policy and public resources. Join Tony on this j...2022-11-1401 minDollar & Sense: The Brookings Trade PodcastDollar & Sense presents Climate Sense, a new podcast about energy and climate changeIn this special edition of "Dollar & Sense," host David Dollar presents the first episode of a new podcast miniseries from Brookings: "Climate Sense," hosted by energy and climate expert Samantha Gross, a fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings and director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3sUj2M7 Dollar & Sense is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Learn more at brookings.edu/podcasts, and send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.2022-11-0728 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityHow did pandemic payments affect the US economy?The COVID-19 Economic Impact Payments were not the first time the federal government has provided fiscal support to Americans during a crisis, but they did have a different purpose. The goal wasn’t to stimulate the economy but rather to offer “pandemic insurance”—money to pay bills and buy food for people who may have lost income due to the pandemic. In the latest episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Hamilton Project Director Wendy Edelberg and MIT finance professor Jonathan A. Parker discuss Parker’s recent BPEA study on how those payments were spent (or not spent) and the on...2022-11-0129 min
Climate SenseIntroducing Climate Sense, a podcast about climate change and what we can do about itFrom hurricanes and floods, to wildfires and extreme temperatures, climate change is happening all around us. In this podcast series, energy and climate expert Samantha Gross, director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at the Brookings Institution, sheds light on the essentials of climate change and how to deal with it. She talks to other experts in various climate-related areas to help you understand the issue. How serious is climate change and what causes it? How does our energy system work and why do we use fossil fuels anyway? What are potential solutions and are they ready for...2022-10-1801 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWill a strong dollar hurt emerging markets?A strong U.S. dollar reflects economic and political strength for the United States. But a new study published in the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity illustrates how a strong dollar might not be good for other countries, especially emerging and developing markets. On this episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Brookings Senior Fellow Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti interviews the authors of that study, Maurice Obstfeld of UC Berkeley and Haonan Zhou of Princeton University. Obstfeld and Zhou explain what’s driving the stronger dollar, why it might hurt emerging markets, and policies those emerging markets can use to...2022-10-1826 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityHow bad will the economy get before inflation gets better?While President Biden has officially declared the COVID-19 pandemic “over,” America now faces a new challenge in the form of an overheating economy and high inflation, and the prospect of a Federal Reserve-induced recession is looming. In the latest Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, spoke with Laurence Ball of Johns Hopkins University about his new paper, “Understanding U.S. inflation during the COVID era.” In the study, Ball and his co-authors find that the Fed may need to push unemployment higher than its 4.1% projection to return inflation to the 2...2022-10-0425 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityWhat does more remote work mean for workers and the economy?In the first episode of the Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity, Steve Davis of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and co-author of the new BPEA study “Working From Home Around the World,” discusses his findings on remote work in the post-pandemic recovery with Stephanie Aaronson, vice president and director of Economic Studies at Brookings. The study presents findings from a new survey conducted by Davis and his co-authors of more than 37,000 workers across 27 countries. Respondents reported their employers plan an average of 0.7 work-from-home days per week after the pandemic ends. Aaronson and Davis discuss what this shif...2022-09-2022 minBrookings Podcast on Economic ActivityIntroducing the Brookings Podcast on Economic ActivityThe Brookings Podcast on Economic Activity is a new podcast that connects listeners to cutting edge economic policy research and the renowned economists who create it. On each episode, Jan Eberly and James Stock, editors of the premier economic policy journal The Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, will introduce a new piece of BPEA research, its significance to economic policy studies, and the authors behind it. Then the author of the study will join a Brookings scholar for discussion to highlight key takeaways and policy implications of their work. New episodes will be released every week starting on September 20.2022-09-1602 min
Recession RemediesIntroducing Recession Remedies, a podcast about lessons learned from the economic policy response to COVID-19Recession Remedies is a podcast about the economic policy response to COVID-19 and the lessons it holds for future recessions. On each episode, expert guests join host David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center at the Brookings Institution, to evaluate a different aspect of the fiscal and monetary response. Show notes and transcript: https://brook.gs/3F31jYl Recession Remedies podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Google, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow and tweet at @policypodcasts on Twitt...2022-04-2601 min
The Brookings CafeteriaBrookings President John R. Allen on Russia, Ukraine, China, and leading the Institution forwardIn this final episode of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast, John R. Allen, president of the Brookings Institution, offers his views on Russia's war on Ukraine—including the February 4 joint statement between Russia and China; on China's continued ambitions for global leadership; and on the role of the Brookings Institution at a time when, as Allen says, "truth is under direct assault." Show notes and transcript: Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the .2022-03-2524 min
Vying for TalentIntroducing Vying for Talent, a podcast about the role human talent plays in the U.S.-China competitionVying for Talent is a podcast about the role human talent plays in the sprawling competition between China and the United States. Join Ryan Hass of the Brookings Institution and Jude Blanchette of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and their expert guests, as they explore what the United States can do to improve its competitive edge for the future. Vying for Talent podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow and tweet at @policypodcasts on Twitter.2022-03-2201 min
17 RoomsReimagining teaching and learning spacesIn this fifteenth interview of the “17 Rooms" podcast, Elizabeth King and Urvashi Sahni discuss the power of learning teams and their efforts to move education systems beyond the one teacher, one classroom model. King, nonresident senior fellow at the Center for Universal Education at The Brookings Institution and Sahni, founding president and CEO of the Study Hall Educational Foundation, moderated Room 4 focused on Sustainable Development Goal number 4—on quality education—during the 2021 17 Rooms flagship process. “17 Rooms” is a podcast about actions, insights, and community for the Sustainable Development Goals and the people driving them. The podcast is co-hosted...2022-01-2049 min
Foresight Africa PodcastIntroducing the Foresight Africa podcast, exploring Africa's dynamism and strategies to benefit all people in the regionThe Foresight Africa podcast celebrates the dynamism and optimism across Africa and explores strategies for broadening the benefits of growth to all people in the region. Host Aloysius Uche Ordu, director of the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution, interviews policy experts and leaders from the public sector, private sector, and civil society on key trends affecting people and nations on the continent. Foresight Africa podcast is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback email to podcasts@brookings.edu, and follow and tw...2022-01-1401 min17 RoomsA "breakthrough" agenda on climate financeIn this sixth interview of the “17 Rooms'' podcast, Amar Bhattacharya and John Podesta discuss a “breakthrough” agenda on climate finance, which is necessary to deliver on greater climate ambition and ensure synergy with the sustainable development agenda. Bhattacharya, senior fellow at the Center for Sustainable Development at The Brookings Institution and Podesta, chair and founder of the Center for American Progress, moderated Room 13 focused on Sustainable Development Goal number 13—on climate action—during the 2021 17 Rooms flagship process. “17 Rooms” is a podcast about actions, insights, and community for the Sustainable Development Goals and the people driving them. The podcast is co...2021-12-2141 minThe Brookings CafeteriaBrookings Metro at 25: Building a more prosperous, just, and resilient futureLast month, Brookings Metro, formerly the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, turned 25. Since Brookings Metro’s conception in 1996, America’s cities and urban communities have changed dramatically. On this episode of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast, you’ll hear from metropolitan experts on how America’s local communities have changed, where things stand at this crucial moment in time amid generational federal investment, and what it will take in the future for every community in America to be prosperous, just, and resilient. Show notes and transcript: Follow Brookings podcasts on Apple or Google podcasts, or on Spotify. Send feedback email to , and follow us a...2021-12-171h 1617 RoomsMetrics for job quality, mobility, and equityIn this second interview of the “17 Rooms'' podcast, Marcela Escobari and Ethan Rouen discuss elevating the “S” in ESG through a streamlined set of firm-level metrics that capture job quality and economic mobility. Escobari, senior fellow at the Center for Sustainable Development at The Brookings Institution, and Rouen, professor at Harvard Business School, moderated Room 8, alongside Otis Rolley of The Rockefeller Foundation during the 2021 17 Rooms flagship process. Room 8 is focused on Sustainable Development Goal number 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth. “17 Rooms” is a podcast about actions, insights, and community for the Sustainable Development Goals and the people dri...2021-12-0744 minThe Brookings Cafeteria17 Rooms, a new podcast for the Sustainable Development GoalsThis is a rebroadcast of the first episode of a new show from the Brookings Podcast Network—”17 Rooms,” a podcast about actions, insights, and community for the Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs) and the people driving them. In “17 Rooms,” co-hosts John McArthur—who directs the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings, and Zia Khan—senior vice president for innovation at The Rockefeller Foundation, talk with thought leaders and practitioners who are pushing to make change across all 17 of the SDGs as part of the 17 Rooms initiative, where people from diverse backgrounds meet in their own “Rooms,” one for each of the SDGs, to ident...2021-12-0324 min17 RoomsGetting the world unstuck on the Sustainable Development Goals“The world feels pretty stuck in taking on its biggest issues—things like poverty, climate change, inequality,” says Brookings Senior Fellow John McArthur in this debut episode of “17 Rooms,” a podcast about actions, insights, and community for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the people driving them. In this new podcast, McArthur—who directs the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings, and co-host Zia Khan—senior vice president for innovation at The Rockefeller Foundation, talk with thought leaders and practitioners who are pushing to make change across all 17 of the SDGs as part of the 17 Rooms initiative, where people from diverse back...2021-11-3023 min17 RoomsIntroducing 17 Rooms, a podcast about the people driving a new approach for the Sustainable Development GoalsWelcome to 17 Rooms, a podcast about actions, insights, and community for the Sustainable Development Goals and the people driving them. The podcast is part of the 17 Rooms initiative, where diverse participants meet in their own “Rooms,” one for each of the SDGs, to identify concrete actions they can take over the next 12-18 months toward the Goals. In the podcast, co-hosts John McArthur—senior fellow and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at The Brookings Institution, and Zia Khan—senior vice president for innovation at The Rockefeller Foundation, interview Room Moderators to explore the issues and learn mo...2021-11-1500 minThe Brookings CafeteriaProposals for US climate leadership and managing built environment risks and costsOn this sixth and final episode from the Blueprints for American Renewal and Prosperity project, two Brookings experts discuss their blueprints for climate and resilience. Nathan Hultman is a nonresident senior fellow in Global Economy and Development at Brookings and also the director of the Center for Global Sustainability and associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. He is the co-author with Samantha Gross of “How the United States can return to credible climate leadership.” Joseph Kane is a senior research associate and associate fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, and is co-author with Jenn...2021-03-1241 minThe Brookings CafeteriaLessons from the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, 10 years onMarch 2021 marks ten years since an earthquake off Japan’s Pacific Coast and the tsunami it caused led to reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to melt down, releasing radiation and forcing the government to evacuate over 100,000 residents in surrounding areas. As the author of a new book from the Brookings Institution Press writes, failures at all levels of Japan’s government and private sector worsened the human and economic impact of the disaster and ensured that its consequences would endure for years to come. On this episode of the Brookings Cafeteria, Brookings Press Director Bill Finan interviews Yoic...2021-03-0531 minThe Brookings CafeteriaProposals to meet global challenges in artificial intelligence and technology regulationOn this fifth episode from the Blueprints for American Renewal and Prosperity project, two Brookings experts discuss their blueprints for strengthening governance to meet key international challenges in the technology arena. Senior Fellow Landry Signé is co-author with Stephan Almond of "A blueprint for technology governance in the post-pandemic world," and Senior Fellow Joshua Meltzer is co-author with Cameron Kerry of "Strengthening international cooperation on artificial intelligence." Also on this episode, Senior Fellow David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings, looks at the politics and the economics around raising the federal minimum wage t...2021-02-2646 minThe Brookings CafeteriaThe US-China strategic rivalry in Southeast AsiaIn this episode, a discussion about a new book from the Brookings Institution Press titled "Rivalry and Response: Assessing Great Power Dynamics in Southeast Asia." In this timely volume, leading experts from Southeast Asia, Australia and the United States assess great power dynamics between the U.S. and China in the region by examining the strategic landscape, domestic governance trends and economic challenges in Southeast Asia. The book's editor is Jonathan Stromseth, who hosted the Lee Kuan Yew Chair in Southeast Asian Studies and is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy, the Center for East Asia Policy Studies and the...2021-02-0919 minThe Brookings CafeteriaProposals for the Biden administration on the Middle East and countering extremismBrookings scholars Tamara Wittes and Madiha Afzal discuss their policy proposals for international security, part of the new Blueprints for American Renewal & Prosperity project at Brookings. Wittes focuses on what *not* to do in the Middle East; Afzal on countering extremism through education. Also David Wessel, focuses on the proposed child tax credit in President Biden's COVID-19 relief package, which Wessel says would substantially reduce the number of children living in poverty. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria...2021-01-2959 minThe Brookings CafeteriaAfter the insurrection, ideas to tackle polarization in AmericaAfter the assault on the U.S. Capitol, the nation is divided and on edge. Where do we go now? What kinds of political, social, and economic reforms could help us move forward as a more united nation? Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings, came on the podcast to offer some answers. The interview happened on Monday the 11th, so before the impeachment vote in the House of Representatives. But his analysis and policy prescriptions will remain relevant long after the passions of these weeks have cooled. Also on this episode, Molly Kinder, a David...2021-01-1553 minThe Brookings CafeteriaBest of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast in 2020To 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 rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Visit the episode's show notes to get links to all of the episodes. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.2020-12-3040 minThe Brookings CafeteriaOrganizing the presidency, from Roosevelt to BidenWhen Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as president in 1933, the White House staff numbered fewer than fifty people, and most federal departments were lightly staffed as well. As the United States became a world power, the staff of the Executive Office increased twentyfold, and the staffing of federal agencies blossomed comparably. On this episode airing in the midst of the transition of President Elect Joe Biden, Brookings Press Director Bill Finan interviews experts Stephen Hess and James Pfiffner, the authors of the Brookings Press title, "Organizing the Presidency." In this fourth edition of the landmark volume, first published in 1976, Hess...2020-12-2324 minThe Brookings CafeteriaPlayful learning: A new path to education reform“The American education system is not preparing all children to thrive,” say the guests on this episode, adding that many schools continue to operate according to an early 20th century “factory model” that aimed to mold students for the industrial economy. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Helen Hadani are co-authors of a new Big Ideas paper in the Brookings Policy 2020 series titled, “A new path to education reform: Playful learning promotes 21st-century skills in schools and beyond” In this interview, Hirsh-Pasek and Hadani explain what playful learning is and what it isn’t, what 21st-century skills are and why they are essential for our times...2020-12-0442 minThe Brookings CafeteriaTrump, Biden, and the future of the liberal world orderThe world is at a turning point as major institutions and alliances are being tested as never before in the post-Cold War period. On this episode, Brookings Institution Press Director Bill Finan speaks with Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger—once Germany’s representative in Washington and London and also former German deputy foreign minister—about his new book, "World in Danger: Germany and Europe in an Uncertain Time," just published by Brookings. In the conversation, Ambassador Ischinger explains four challenges to the global order, describes what impact the presidency of Donald Trump has had on the rules based international system, and cautions agains...2020-11-2719 minThe Brookings CafeteriaFuture trends for Israel and the Middle EastA number of major trends—including changes in climate, demographics, geopolitics, and technology—will shape the Middle East over the next two decades. In this special episode of the Brookings Cafeteria Podcast, a team of scholars examines the possible trendlines and what they presage for Israel and its neighbors in the region. Natan Sachs, a Brookings fellow and director of the Center for Middle East Policy, leads a discussion on these issues with Samantha Gross, Kevin Huggard, Shibley Telhami, and Tamara Cofman Wittes. Learn more in the new report, “Israel in the Middle East: The next two decades,” at brookings.edu. Sub...2020-11-2026 minThe Brookings CafeteriaState and local issues in the 2020 electionThe big contest in the 2020 election is the presidency, but Americans across the country are voting and will vote for governors, state lawmakers and other state officials, local officials, and for ballot measures of all kinds. On this episode , vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, talks about the election from a state and local perspective. In the conversation, she addresses these elections, the important relationships between the federal government and state leaders—especially during the coronavirus pandemic, and the longer-term work the Metropolitan Policy Program and Brookings are doing on post-COVID-19 recovery. Subscribe to Brookings po...2020-10-2328 minThe Brookings CafeteriaThe 2020 election in blue metros and red statesIn this special edition of the podcast, Bill Finan—director of the Brookings Institution Press—talks with two of the authors of a new Brookings press book that explores America’s current political division from demographic and geographic perspectives. David Damore, Robert Lang, and Karen Danielsen, all professors at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, are co-authors of Blue Metros, Red States: The Shifting Urban-Rural Divide in America’s Swing States. Damore and Lang join Finan for this episode in which they address some of the factors that tend to make large metropolitan areas lean Democratic while existing in a sea of r...2020-10-0623 minThe Brookings CafeteriaOur Nation of Immigrants: Solving the immigration challengeThis is the fifth, and final, episode of a special five-part series on the Brookings Cafeteria podcast—Our Nation of Immigrants—in which John Hudak, a senior fellow in Governance Studies, explores the facts and tackles the myths that underpin the current immigration policy debate. America’s immigration system is badly in need of reform and so in this episode, Hudak explores the real opportunity for bipartisan solutions to the immigration challenges. Guests include: Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Sarah Gardiner, policy director, Freedom for Immigrants. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow...2020-09-2546 minThe Brookings CafeteriaOur Nation of Immigrants: The search for belongingThis is the fourth episode of a special five-part series on the Brookings Cafeteria podcast—Our Nation of Immigrants—in which John Hudak, a senior fellow in Governance Studies, explores the facts and tackles the myths that underpin the current immigration policy debate. In this episode, Hudak takes a deeper dive into the immigrant experience and the idea of belonging: what it means to uproot your life from one country and to try to build a home in the United States. Guests include Carlos Guevara and Clarissa Martinez de Castro of UNIDOS US; Martine Kalaw, an author, speaker, and immigrant; and...2020-09-2444 minThe Brookings CafeteriaOur Nation of Immigrants: The economics of immigrationThis is the third episode of a special five-part series on the Brookings Cafeteria podcast—Our Nation of Immigrants—in which John Hudak, a senior fellow in Governance Studies, explores the facts and tackles the myths that underpin the current immigration policy debate. In this episode, Hudak and guests discuss the economics of immigration, including the important role immigrants play in both developing and sustaining the American economy. Guests include: Hugh Anderson, government affairs chair, Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce; Dany Bahar, senior fellow, the Brookings Institution; and Governor Gary Herbert (R-Utah). Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback emai...2020-09-2334 minThe Brookings CafeteriaOur Nation of Immigrants: On the borderThis is episode 2 of a special five-part series on the Brookings Cafeteria podcast in which John Hudak, a senior fellow in Governance Studies, explores the facts and tackles the myths that underpin the current immigration policy debate. In episode 2, Hudak explores the connections—social and economic—that span communities along the US-Mexico border, and gets a better understanding of issues from and rhetoric about border towns, such as crime and jobs. Guests include: - Michael Chertoff, former secretary, Department of Homeland Security - Mayor Donald “Dee” Margo, El Paso, Texas - Mayor Kevin Faulconer, San Diego, California Subscribe to Brookings podcasts o...2020-09-2248 minThe Brookings CafeteriaOur nation of immigrantsThis is the first episode of a special five-part series on the Brookings Cafeteria podcast in which John Hudak, a senior fellow in Governance Studies, explores the facts and tackles the myths that underpin the current immigration policy debate. In episode one, Hudak explores who are the immigrants that we hear so much about— Where are they coming from, why are they coming to the United States, and where are they going once they arrive? Guests include Brookings Senior Fellow William Frey, and a university student whose parents were, until recently, undocumented. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to...2020-09-2142 minThe Brookings CafeteriaGlobal China's energy and climate policiesIn this special edition of the Brookings Cafeteria Podcast, Lindsey Ford, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Foreign Policy, interviews two experts and authors of some of the latest papers in the Global China series: Samantha Gross is director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at Brookings, and a fellow in Foreign Policy. Jeffrey Ball is a scholar-in-residence at Stanford University and a nonresident senior fellow in Foreign Policy. Also on this episode, Annelies Goger, a Rubenstein Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, explains how the wreckage of the COVID-19 pandemic exposes the opportunity gap in the labor market. Bu...2020-09-1839 minThe Brookings CafeteriaHow education technology can improve learning for all studentsNew research from the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at Brookings finds that technology’s impact on learning and teaching has been limited, especially in low- and middle-income countries, largely because tech has been used to replace analog tools. On this episode, two of the authors of a new report, titled, “Realizing the Promise: How can education technology improve learning for all?,” discuss their findings. Alejandro Ganimian is an assistant professor of applied technology and economics at New York University, and a CUE nonresident fellow. Emiliana Vegas is co-director of the center and a senior fellow in the Global Economy and De...2020-09-1131 minThe Brookings CafeteriaTime for a new contract with the middle classBrookings scholars Isabel Sawhill and Richard Reeves discuss their new book--publishing this fall--that lays out their case for a new contract with the middle class in America. In this short book of policy solutions to improve the well-being of middle class Americans, they focus on five key areas that build a foundation for a good quality of life. Also, David Wessel, senior fellow and director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, explains the Federal Reserve’s recent statement in which it revised its long-term goals, including a revision to its approach to inflation. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on...2020-09-0457 minThe Brookings CafeteriaWhy Democratic communities flipped for Trump (and might do so again)Why did so many traditionally "blue" communities vote for Donald Trump in 2016, and why might they do so again in 2020? In this episode, Bill Finan, director of the Brookings Institution Press, interviews two authors of a new Brookings book that explores these and related questions. Stephanie Muravchik, a historian and an associate fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, and Jon Shields, an associate professor of government at Claremont McKenna College, are the authors of Trump's Democrats. Also in this episode, a look at hospitality industry workers during the coronavirus pandemic: how they...2020-08-2842 minThe Brookings CafeteriaReflections on gender equality and the 19th Amendment at 100We asked women at the Brookings Institution to share their thoughts on the 19th Amendment. One hundred years after American women gained the right to vote (on paper), what is the current state of gender equality in America? Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. 2020-08-2131 minThe Brookings CafeteriaThe evolution of the US vice presidentBrookings Senior Fellow Elaine Kamarck discusses the historical and contemporary role of the vice president, and offers thoughts on Joe Biden's selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate in the 2020 election. Also, Senior Fellow Sarah Binder on what's happening (or not happening) in Congress. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. 2020-08-1436 minThe Brookings CafeteriaScaling impact in education to reach the world's most vulnerable childrenPatrick Hannahan and Jenny Perlman Robinson from the Center for Universal Education at Brookings discuss how real-time scaling labs inform efforts to bring impact in education to children around the world. Hannahan is project director of the Millions Learning Project; Perlman Robinson is a senior fellow in CUE and Global Economy and Development at Brookings. In the episode, Hannahan also speaks with six education leaders in Real-time Scaling Labs around the world. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of t...2020-08-0755 minThe Brookings CafeteriaWill artificial intelligence lead to utopia or dystopia?This episode is a re-broadcast of a recent episode of the Lawfare Podcast in which Brookings Senior Fellow Benjamin Wittes interviewed Brookings President John R. Allen and Brookings Vice President Darrell West about their new book, “Turning Point: Policymaking in the era of Artificial Intelligence.” In their book, just published by the Brookings Institution Press, Allen and West discuss both the opportunities and risks posed by artificial intelligence—and how near-term policy decisions could determine whether the technology leads to utopia or dystopia. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet u...2020-07-3149 minThe Brookings CafeteriaGlobal China in the Middle EastIn this special edition of the Brookings Cafeteria Podcast, Lindsey Ford, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Foreign Policy, interviews two experts and authors of some of the latest papers in the Global China series. Bruce Riedel is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy and director of the Intelligence Project. Natan Sachs is a fellow in Foreign Policy and director of the Center for Middle East Policy. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.2020-07-2831 minThe Brookings CafeteriaHow cultural factors shape children's social and economic outcomesOn this episode, Ron Haskins and Melissa Kearney, co-editors of the Future of Children Journal, discuss the journal’s new edition that focuses how cultural factors—including religion, parenting styles, role models, mentors and the media—shape economic outcomes. Haskins is a senior fellow emeritus in Economic Studies at Brookings and Kearney is the Neil Moskowitz Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland, as well as a Brookings nonresident senior fellow. Also on this episode, David Wessel, senior fellow and director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy, has another economic update in which he shares his concer...2020-07-2454 minThe Brookings CafeteriaWhy we still use fossil fuelsWe know that humanity’s use of fossil fuels is damaging the planet’s climate, yet coal, oil, and natural gas generate most of the electricity we use to power our lives. We know how to use alternative sources of energy that generate less carbon—such as water, wind, and nuclear—yet replacing fossil fuels with other sources has proven difficult. Why? That's the central question asked by the guest on this episode in her new Foreign Policy essay, "Why are fossil fuels so hard to quit?" Samantha Gross is a fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings and director of the Ener...2020-07-1736 minThe Brookings CafeteriaOpioids in AmericaTo provide policy options and recommendations for addressing multiple dimensions of this epidemic, the Brookings Institution has brought together some of the United States’ leading experts on drug policy in a project called The Opioid Crisis in America. For over a year, Brookings and external experts undertook a multidisciplinary collaboration to develop new insights and best practices for policy stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as for members of the public who are on the front lines of the opioid crisis. On this special episode of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast, you will hear from six of th...2020-07-101h 02The Brookings CafeteriaA new social contract for Big TechIn this world of endless technology that permeates all our lives, how can individuals, institutions, and governments harness its positive contributions while protecting each of us, no matter who or where we are? That’s a central question addressed by the guest expert on this episode in his new book from the Brookings Institution Press, titled, "Terms of Disservice: How Silicon Valley is Destructive by Design." Author Dipayan Ghosh is Pozen Fellow at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. A computer scientist by training, he has served as a technology and economic po...2020-07-0329 minThe Brookings CafeteriaGlobal China's ambitions in the Indian Ocean regionIn this special edition of the Brookings Cafeteria Podcast, Lindsey Ford, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Foreign Policy, interviews two scholars on two important aspects of China's increasing global presence, including in the Horn of Africa and Chinese military activities in the Indian Ocean region as a whole. Joshua White is a nonresident fellow in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings and an associate professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Zach Vertin, also a nonresident fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings, is a lecturer of public and international affairs at Princeton University. Subscribe to B...2020-06-1631 minThe Brookings CafeteriaHow digital privacy law asymmetries can hurt criminal defendantsA defendant in a criminal trial is accused of threatening someone over a social media app. The prosecution can subpoena digital records from the social media company to build its case against the defendant. However, evidence that would prove the defendant’s innocence is also held by that company, and yet defense investigators are unable to obtain it due to the way data privacy laws are currently written. In this scenario, a privacy asymmetry exists between prosecution and defense that could keep an innocent person in jail. Rebecca Wexler, a law professor at the University of California Berkeley School of La...2020-06-0542 minThe Brookings CafeteriaA roadmap for reopening AmericaThe Brookings Institution hosted a virtual event to complement the launch of a new publication on how to reopen America. The event opened with keynote remarks from Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. An expert panel of Brookings experts discussed the roadmap for reopening America. Brookings President John R. Allen moderated the discussion. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.2020-06-031h 32The Brookings CafeteriaGender equality, unpaid work, and women's suffrageSenior Fellow Isabel Sawhill leads a conversation with Stephanie Aaronson, the vice president and director of Economic Studies at Brookings, and Molly Kinder, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, about some of the key issues in women’s participation in the workforce and society, with attention to the gender impact of the coronavirus pandemic. This episode marks the launch of "19A," the new gender equality series at the Brookings Institution. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is...2020-05-1545 minThe Brookings CafeteriaThe case for reparations for Black AmericansIs it time to pay reparations to the descendants of enslaved Black Americans? That’s the topic of a new Big Ideas paper from the Brookings Policy 2020 initiative, and the authors--Rashawn Ray and Andre Perry--are on the show to discuss it. Ray is a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings and also an associate professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, where he serves as executive director of the Lab for Applied Social Science Research. Perry is a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings and a scholar in residence at American University. He is also auth...2020-05-1237 minThe Brookings CafeteriaTechstream: Where technology and policy intersectOn this episode, a discussion about a new Brookings resource called Techstream, a publication site on brookings.edu that puts technologists and policymakers in conversation. Chris Meserole, a fellow in Foreign Policy and deputy director of the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative, explains what Techstream is and some of the issues it covers. Also on the episode, Darrell West, the vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings, answers a listener’s question about how the coronavirus might affect the U.S. presidential election. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and fol...2020-05-0829 minThe Brookings CafeteriaTechnology competition between the US and a Global ChinaIn this special edition of the Brookings Cafeteria Podcast, Lindsey Ford, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Foreign Policy, interviews two scholars on some of the key issues in the U.S.-China technology competition, which is the topic of the most recent release of papers in the Global China series. Tom Stefanick is a visiting fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings, and Chris Meserole is a fellow and deputy director of the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on...2020-05-0537 minThe Brookings CafeteriaGlobal China's advanced technology ambitionsIn this special edition of the Brookings Cafeteria Podcast, Lindsey Ford, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Foreign Policy, interviews two authors of the most recent release of papers in the Global China series focused on China's aspiration to be a global technology leader. Saif Khan and Remco Zwetsloot are both research fellows at the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) at Georgetown University, which collaborated with Foreign Policy at Brookings to release this new tranche of papers. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brooki...2020-04-2828 minThe Brookings CafeteriaHow the US embassy in Prague aided Czechoslovakia's Velvet RevolutionIn late 1989, popular protests against the communist government in Czechoslovakia brought an end to one-party rule in that country and heralded the coming of democracy. The Velvet Revolution was not met with violent suppression as had happened in Prague in 1968. A new book from the Brookings Institution Press documents the behind the scenes role that the US Embassy in Prague, led by Ambassador Shirley Temple Black, played in meeting with students and dissidents, and helping to prevent a violent crackdown by the regime. Norm Eisen, a senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings and a former US Ambassador to the...2020-04-2422 minThe Brookings CafeteriaWhy Boko Haram in Nigeria fights western educationThe terrorist group Boko Haram has killed tens of thousands of people in Nigeria, displaced millions, and infamously kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls in 2014, many of whom remain missing. The phrase “boko haram” translates literally as “Western education is forbidden.” In this episode, the author of a new paper on Boko Haram talks about her research and findings on this dangerous militant group. Madiha Afzal, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings, is the author of “From ‘Western Education is Forbidden’ to the world’s deadliest terrorist group: Education and Boko Haram in Nigeria.” She’s interviewed by Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fel...2020-04-1732 minDollar & Sense: The Brookings Trade PodcastIntroducing Dollar & Sense, a trade podcast from the Brookings InstitutionFrom tariffs and trade wars to the new Trans Pacific Partnership and NAFTA’s replacement, trade has been making a lot of headlines recently, especially since the election of Donald Trump who’s redefined America’s role on the global stage with his America-first posture. Dollar & Sense is a podcast about all things trade. From local ports and markets to international trade and diplomacy, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow David Dollar and guests explain how our global trading system is built and its effect on our everyday lives. Stay tuned for upcoming episodes on the U.S.-Chin...2018-11-1401 min
IntersectionsHow to make infrastructure work for peopleIn this episode, Brookings Fellow Adie Tomer, CityLab's Tanvi Misra, and Route Fifty's Mitch Herckis revisit the themes of Infrastructure Week with an examination of historical patterns of urban and suburban planning that separated communities and discuss infrastructure as system for stitching communities together and creating access to opportunity. Show notes: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/how-to-make-infrastructure-work-for-people With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, and Fred Dews for additional support. Send feedback email to intersections@brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Inters...2018-06-2737 minThe Brookings CafeteriaOn Brookings and its role in today’s policy debatesOn the 200th episode of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast, , Brookings’s executive vice president and the vice president for Economic Studies, discusses his role at the Institution and some of the policy issues Brookings scholars are prioritizing in their research. Also in this episode, describes the current immigration debates in Congress and divisions within the House Republican conference. And finally, meet David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the latest edition of our “Coffee Break.” Subscribe to Brookings podcasts or on , send feedback email to , and follow us and tweet us at on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is a part of the .2018-06-2247 minIntersectionsThe politics of reconstruction in SyriaIn this episode, Tamara Cofman Wittes, senior fellow with the Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings, and Steven Heydemann, nonresident senior fellow at Brookings and Janet Wright Ketcham ’53 Chair of Middle East Studies at Smith College, break down the difficult questions of how and when external actors should engage in reconstruction efforts in Syria without legitimizing the repressive regime of Bashar al-Assad. Show notes: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/the-politics-of-reconstruction-in-syria/ With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Chris McKenna, Brennan Hoban, and Fred Dews for additional support. Send feedback email to intersections@brook...2018-06-0642 min
IntersectionsAn Israeli Knesset member's perspective on activism and politicsFor the last Intersections episode of the year, we're releasing a short conversation with Stav Shaffir, the youngest female member of Israel's Knesset, and Brookings Senior Fellow Tamara Wittes, held between sessions at the 2017 Saban Forum. Full show notes: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/an-israeli-knesset-members-perspective-on-activism-and-politics Send questions or feedback to intersections@brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Intersections is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.2017-12-2721 minThe Brookings CafeteriaIntroducing "5 on 45": A new podcast from the Brookings Podcast NetworkWant a daily bite of analysis from Brookings experts on what’s happening with the Trump administration? Subscribe to 5 on 45 through your favorite podcast app for a quick hit of commentary on the day’s news. And don't forget to follow for the latest updates. 2017-02-0900 minIntersectionsIntroducing "5 on 45": A new podcast from the Brookings Podcast NetworkWant a daily bite of analysis from Brookings experts on what’s happening with the Trump administration? Subscribe to 5 on 45 through your favorite podcast app for a quick hit of commentary on the day’s news. And don’t forget to follow @policypodcasts on Twitter for more updates.2017-02-0900 min
The Brookings CafeteriaBest of the Brookings Cafeteria in 20162016 is finally over and with it another great year for the Brookings Cafeteria podcast. We had 52 episodes, over 60 guests, and covered dozens of policy topics. We celebrated the centennial of the Brookings Institution in a few episodes. The Academy of Podcasters at Podcast Movement honored us once again with a nomination as best education podcast of the year. Our team experienced some changes but still turned out a terrific show every week. To celebrate the closing of the year, today’s show features our favorite clips from past 12 months. Thanks to all of those who made 2016 another great year for the...2016-12-3040 min
IntersectionsU.S. politics and the Middle East: Polarization and regional stabilityShibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat chair for peace and development at the University of Maryland and nonresident senior fellow at Brookings, discusses with Sarah Yerkes the increasing polarization of American views toward Israel and Palestine and the future of U.S. policy in the broader Middle East. With thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo, Vanessa Sauter, Basseem Maleki, Fred Dews, and Richard Fawal. Full show notes are available here: https://www.brookings.edu/podcast-episode/us-politics-and-the-middle-east/ Questions? Comments? Contact us at intersections@brookings.edu, or follow and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. Int...2016-12-2034 min
IntersectionsHow should the next president counter violent extremism?As part of the Brookings Election 2016 project, the Brookings Podcast Network brings you a special edition episode in which Indira Lakshmanan, Washington columnist for the Boston Globe and contributor to Politico, moderates a conversation with Robert McKenzie, visiting fellow in the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World, and Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies, on ways in which the next president should address violent extremism in the United States and abroad. Special thanks to the event moderator, Indira Lakshmanan, and the events team, Eric Bull, Adrianna Pita, and Camilo Ramirez. Additional...2016-11-021h 04
IntersectionsEconomic mobility and racial inequities: How the next president can revive the American dreamAs part of the Brookings Election 2016 project, the Brookings Podcast Network brings you a special edition episode in which Indira Lakshmanan, Washington columnist for the Boston Globe and contributor to Politico, moderates a conversation with Isabel Sawhill, senior fellow in Economic Studies, Richard Reeves, senior fellow in Economic Studies and co-director of the Center on Children and Families, and Dayna Bowen Matthew, visiting fellow in the Center for Health Policy, on ways that the next president should address issues of race and economic mobility. Special thanks to the event moderator, Indira Lakshmanan, and the events team, Eric Bull...2016-10-201h 05