How Do We Fix It?

The U.S. spends far more money on healthcare than any other nation, but has the most  confirmed COVID-19 cases . The lax response to the coronavirus crisis exposed many  weaknesses in the system , which was less prepared for a pandemic than other nations.   In this episode, we look at what can be learned from other systems around the world. Our guest is the well-known...

"The Covid-19 pandemic reveals that far from living in an age of incessant technological change, we have been neglecting innovation in exactly the areas where we most need it." So writes our podcast guest, best-selling author  Matt Ridley . We discuss the urgent concept raised in his latest book, " How Innovation Works , And Why It Flourishes in Freedom." As Viscount Ridley, Matt was elected...

The massive wave of protests in hundreds of towns and cities across America and in many other countries were sparked by outrage, pain and grief over the killing of George Floyd, and countless incidents of racism against African-Americans. We've all been surprised by the events of the past few weeks. They've forced many of us to question our core beliefs about the political system, public mora...

The nation is again facing the  deep pain  of racial injustice. The recent killings of  George Floyd,   Ahmaud Arbery , and  Breonna Taylor  reverberated across the country, sparking widespread protests in many cities.  These cases were only the latest on a very long list of attacks and murders of African-American men and women. They&nbsp...

The coronavirus crisis has reminded everyone that major reforms are needed to fix the flaws of the U.S. healthcare system. Beyond the huge expense and vast amount of waste, the quality of care varies wildly, and millions of Americans can't get care when they need it.   Physician and health care CEO  Dr. Vivian Lee  draws on her deep experience of the public and private sec...

We look at scientists who learned to manipulate common materials such as steel, glass and silicon, and how their inventions shaped the human experience.  Our guest is scientist, storyteller and science writer,  Ainissa Ramirez,  author of the new book, " The Alchemy of Us , How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another." We discuss the wonder of science, especially material sci...

The Coronavirus pandemic is the 21st century's biggest crisis to date: Worse than either 9/11 or the great recession. Jim and Richard discuss seven surprising things that we didn't know when the lockdowns began in March: 1. Early assessments about coronavirus turned out to be wrong. We now have a much better idea of how COVID-19 is spread and who's at greatest risk. 2. Re-opening the eco...

How will the COVID-19 pandemic change our democracy? Will we become more less divided? We discuss the challenges and opportunities of the current crisis with four podcasters who are all our colleagues in  The Democracy Group  podcast network. Juleyka Lantigua-Williams ,  Cara Ong Whaley ,  Mila Atmos  and  Lee Drutman  join Richard to talk about barriers to...

Tens of millions of  Americans have filed  for unemployment benefits since the coronavirus outbreak began. Well over one-in-four people have suffered a moderate or severe financial setback in recent weeks.  Consumer confidence  is plunging. In this episode we look at the  best ways to cope  with a sudden drop in income.  Beverly Harzog , the personal finance and...

Much of what we took for granted, including daily routines, have been upended during the coronavirus pandemic. At a time when many have new questions about our personal values, traditions and lifestyles, this could be a teachable moment. Social media may have been helpful in convincing people about the need for social distancing, wearing masks and other recent changes. "It really did allow norms t...

Everybody is asking, how did the U.S. and most other nations get the coronavirus pandemic so wrong?  Taiwan was a rare exception . Health officials and the democratic government of this island state sprang into action in the final days of 2019, and tried to warn the world of COVID danger. Despite being just 80 miles from the coast of China and with a huge amount of travel back and forth...

The great  Alaskan earthquake  on Good Friday, March 27th, 1964, was surprising, and the lessons from the response are helpful in understanding how we respond to the COVID pandemic today. "The earthquake overwhelmed people the way the strongest emotions do,"  wrote our guest, Jon Mooallem  recently in The New York Times. "It was pure sensation, coming on faster than the in...

The coronavirus pandemic has lead many to fear, panic, anger, profound loneliness and isolation. Realizing that we are all in this crisis together, how can we cope in a more hopeful and creative way? "We need to make a fundamental choice that the only way we get through this is if we act and engage as a community together," says  Rich Harwood , President and Founder of  The Harwood Insti...

Why did the U.S. and most other nations around the world do such a poor job of preparing for and reacting to the global COVID-19 pandemic? After all, we had earlier outbreaks, from HIV-AIDS to SARS, MERS, H1N1 and the Ebola virus. In his widely viewed  2015 Ted Talk , Bill Gates warned that "if anything kills more than ten million people in the next few decades, it's most likely to be a highl...

Coronavirus has changed all of our lives. We are in the middle of a massive social experiment. This show is first in a series of episodes that will attempt to make sense of the massive psychological, social, economic and political upheaval the pandemic will have on us all. We start this week with loving relationships. Social distancing will physically separate us from friends and family members wh...

Bans on plastic bags and straws and expensive campaigns to recycle plastic waste are  popular with voters . They give us a sense that the government is acting to protect the environment. Our guest,  John Tierney , been a columnist for the New York Times and is a contributor to City Journal. He has been studying wastes and recycling for decades. His conclusion ? “Recycling has t...

The rapid spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 is a reminder of the vital need for truthful information, co-operation and kindness. Rumors, hype and fear can make a growing crisis much worse than it already is.  We decided to re-release an episode from 2019 on the case for trust: Why designing systems that are based on trust can improve public safety, and lead to better economic, soci...

Bernie Sanders is the early frontrunner for the Democratic Presidential nomination. In this episode with economist Emily Chamlee-Wright, we look at why support for socialism is on the rise, and where this ideology comes from. According to  recent polls of young Americans, ages 18 to 29, they are more likely to have a positive view of socialism than capitalism. Despite socialist economic failu...

It's rare to meet someone who has re-thought some of his deepest convictions. In this episode, we go on a journey with one of America's leading public intellectuals,  Jerry Taylor,  President and Founder of the  Niskanen Center , who describes himself today as a "radical moderate" who has moved away from the libertarianism of his earlier years. We focus on climate change. Jerry says...

Voter turnout is much lower in the U.S. than in many other democracies around the world. In this episode, we look at an innovative initiative to use the internet to boost the number of voters in every election.  "Our mission" says the non-profit group Democracy Works "is to make voting a simple, seamless experience for all Americans, so that no one misses an election."  A lot of people w...

With tens of thousands of cases, hundreds of deaths, and no known cure, the  new coronavirus  that emerged in China has been declared a  public health emergency  by the World Health Organization. In this episode of “How Do We Fix It?” we look at the world’s response to the rapid spread of the 2019-nCoV virus, consider the best ways to deal with the outbreak, and hear the latest...

The Iowa caucuses and forthcoming Presidential primary season are another reminder that the two big parties have a stranglehold on American politics. But it doesn’t have to be this way. More voters identify as independents than as Republicans or Democrats. Our guest,  Lee Drutman , senior fellow at New America and author of “ Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop ”, makes...

When Detroit went bust in 2013 it was the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in American history. During the Motor City's fifty years of decline, population fell from nearly 2 million people to just under 700,000.  Today, Motown is on the rebound.  Media reports  called the restructuring of massive debt by a partnership between city and state government, business leaders and the ph...

All too often news headlines and social media are dominated by disasters, wrongdoing and fear mongering: All the stuff that’s going wrong.  How can we nurture the positive side of human nature? Renewing democracy will be impossible unless we start to rebuild trust in each other. The  Convergence  Center for Policy Resolution uses deep knowledge and proven methodology to connect peop...

The U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Suleimani sparked immediate fears of war. The risks of a disastrous miscalculation are obvious, from goading Iran into speeding up its nuclear weapons program, to a forced withdrawal of American forces from Iraq and the re-emergence of ISIS. But the audacious attack against Iran's most experienced military strategist may weaken the regime an...