Defending Ideas

Sixty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson launched America's "War on Poverty." The goal? To equip Americans stuck in poverty with the tools to achieve success. If we fast forward to 2024, we might ask: Are we winning or losing the war on poverty? On this episode we explore why the national effort to address poverty started with laudable goals, how the government policies that have resulted sinc...

Is work a punishment or a blessing? This question is often at the heart of debates about how to help people striving to get out of poverty as well as discussions on the role of things like work requirements. Utah has an answer to this question, and on this episode we explain why many other states are looking to Utah's unique approach to welfare and workforce development. Nic Dunn sits down with tw...

Are you better off today than you were four years ago? This is a common question voters hear from candidates during an election year. But on this episode, two economists ask that question, then try to answer it using economic data. They say the evidence shows that overall the economy is showing signs of strength, but there's a disconnect: Regular Americans don't believe they're better off. What's...

As the policy implications of intact families gain traction in public debate, one positive impact of healthy marriages and strong families often gets ignored: civic engagement. This week, guest Brandon Dabling sits down with Nic Dunn to discuss how the institution of marriage and family impacts the civic health of the United States. Brandon is an independent researcher and the author of A New Birt...

Public discussions of "the good life" usually center on things like a quality job, decent pay and other benefits that are primarily material. But what if – as a society – we're missing the things that truly impact happiness and human flourishing? Even when we discuss what's been described as America's "loneliness epidemic," too often the importance of human connection and strong families get left...

New survey data shows that a majority of likely voters in Utah support the concepts of the success sequence and approve of teaching them in schools. So, when critics still push back against the sequence – education, work, and marriage before kids – as one of the best frameworks for avoiding poverty and living a successful and happy life, what's the best response? Sutherland Visiting Scholar Brad W...

Debates about family policy often focus on an array of programs or interventions like licensed child care, pre-K or the K-12 education system. But all too often, the family itself as an optimal environment for the healthy development of young children – and a fundamental institution of civil society – gets left out of the discussion. This week’s guest explains why we need to elevate the family as...

Many public policy debates in recent years have focused on the concept of equity, and what impact race and ethnicity have on opportunity for the next generation. This week's podcast guest believes we need to replace equity with agency, as a more compelling – and more effective – vision to help young people of all races lead successful and fulfilling lives. Ian Rowe is the cofounder of Vertex Partn...

Rabbi Chaim Zippel was in Israel with his wife and baby on October 7, 2023 – the day of the Hamas terrorist attack. He joins host Nic Dunn to recount his experience getting his family to safety and react to the recent wave of antisemitism abroad and at home. Sutherland Institute Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow Bill Duncan also returns to the podcast to apply a religious freedom len...

Marriage is often viewed as a personal matter that isn't usually included in public policy discussions. But a growing body of evidence shows that strong families, anchored by healthy marriages, are among the biggest drivers of upward mobility and long-term success for the next generation. This prompts the question: does government have a role in promoting – or even trying to strengthen – marriage?...

Roughly 37.9 million Americans live in poverty according to the United States Census Bureau's official poverty measure . By any assessment, that's far too many Americans struggling to get by. So a coalition of state-level policy thinktanks called the Alliance for Opportunity is working to bring that number down, starting with its goal of leading 1 million Americans out of poverty in ten years. All...

The U.S. Supreme Court began its new term in October, with several weighty issues already on the docket. Between now and June 2024, the court will review various cases touching on free speech, separation of powers, property rights and more that could be added throughout the term. Sutherland Institute Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow Bill Duncan returns to the podcast to give us a pr...

This week’s episode of Defending Ideas brings you another installment of our feature segment: Defending Enterprise, with contributor and AEI Senior Fellow Beth Akers . Beth joins Nic Dunn to provide listeners with a guide to what candidates for office in 2024 might say about the economy – and how voters can stay focused on policy proposals that support and defend our free enterprise system. Beth d...

Americans don't trust the news media. Polling data shows over and over that many Americans tend to believe the press is politically biased and not trustworthy. At the same time, it seems that our collective ability to engage in healthy, robust debate has also declined. Is there a link between diminishing trust in the press and the dying art of public discourse? On this week's episode, 20-year TV n...

We often hear that the best way to prepare the next generation for a successful life is through a quality education. But what about another institution of civil society that might actually play a bigger role in upward mobility and human flourishing? On this episode we profile the recently created Utah Office of Families and show you why the best way to equip children with the tools for a successfu...

Trying to get out of chronic poverty is challenging. Sometimes, government programs designed to help can actually make upward mobility feel harder to achieve. On this episode, we talk with Chris Robinson, Graduated Circle Leader with the local nonprofit Circles Salt Lake. Chris shares what it was like when she lived in poverty and relied on government benefit programs to provide stability for her...

Child care is frequently at the center of family policy debates in Washington, D.C. and in state capitals across the country. As evidenced by the Biden administration's proposal in April 2023, often the core focus is promoting broad access to licensed institutional child care as a tool to maximize parents' participation in the workforce. But the state of Utah's approach has been markedly different...

Religious faith is often viewed as a source of division, and sometimes there's an expectation that people of faith should keep their religion confined to their private lives. This week's discussion shows that religious differences can actually lead to bridges of cooperation to solve some of our biggest challenges, and that faith has an important role in public life. Special guest Eboo Patel , foun...

Debates about climate change, energy policy and the environment can feel very polarizing. These discussions often pit right and left against one another, while also suggesting fossil fuels and free enterprise are at odds with environmental stewardship. Our guest this episode is Rep. John Curtis , who represents Utah's 3rd Congressional District and has also headed the efforts of the Conservative C...

Rep. Blake Moore of Utah's 1st Congressional District joins the show to discuss runaway federal spending and how to shift away from America's "debt culture." The congressman talks with Beth Akers, AEI senior fellow and Defending Ideas feature contributor, on our new monthly feature segment: Defending Enterprise. Show notes: Sutherland Institute Congressional Series 2023: Rep. Blake Moore - YouTube...

Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah's 4th Congressional District joins the show to discuss upward mobility, with a special focus on the importance of options in both K-12 and post-secondary education, the role of the family, and how transportation and infrastructure play an important role. Show notes: Home - Burgess Owens (house.gov) Education and the Workforce (house.gov) Defending Ideas is a weekly podca...

A Massachusetts couple's application to become foster parents was denied by the state. The reason? Their Catholic faith. Sutherland Institute Religious Freedom Policy Fellow Bill Duncan returns to the show to walk us through why the state denied an otherwise exemplary foster couple, Mike and Kitty Burke, and why the lawsuit the Burkes filed in response is on solid legal footing. Show notes: States...

Imagine you're offered a raise that, if you accepted, would actually make your family worse off. This is the experience of some families in poverty when they hit something called the benefits cliff. This "cliff effect" is triggered when a family's increase in earned income prompts a disproportionately larger decrease in the benefits they receive through federally funded public assistance programs....

It's common for voters to complain that Congress doesn't do enough on a number of different issues, citing gridlock and political dysfunction. But what about areas where it would actually be better if Congress did less ? On this episode, we discuss why education has become such a polarized issue, and why Congress is ill-suited to make real progress on behalf of students. Sutherland Institute Educa...

These days it’s popular in some circles to be very critical of capitalism and free enterprise. In fact, some polling data shows a decline in American voters' support for capitalism . But the polarization around America's economic system is actually harming our ability to advance a principled and pragmatic approach to economic opportunity. American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Beth Akers join...