Dialogue Across Difference

Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm has been a leader of Minnesota's response to the novel coronavirus and joined us to discuss the Walz administration's policy. Scott Keefer, Vice President of Public Affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota closed the event. Professor Larry Jacobs moderated the conversation.

America is facing a double-whammy: a public health emergency and an economic depression that is eliminating health insurance for millions of unemployed. How can America preserve health insurance? Policy makers are weighing three options: preserve the current employer-based insurance, strengthen President Obama's program of offering subsidies to purchase private insurance, or creating a government-...

The campaign for the 2020 presidential election will be unlike any in our lifetime as candidates respond to the Coronavirus and unprecedented economic collapse. What issues, campaign themes, and candidate strategies will dominate? Have your expectations about likely outcomes changed? Three months ago, media commentators often described President Donald Trump as a favorite to win reelection. Have t...

Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa) is the highest ranking Republican in the Minnesota legislature at a time when the state faces the greatest public health crisis of our lifetime. Senator Gazelka has raised questions about the economic and budgetary costs of DFL Governor Tim Walz's response to the Coronavirus. What are the practical alternatives? This conversation took place via zoom.

April 23, 2020 Members of Congress and state legislators routinely disagree along party lines over the size of government and individual responsibility. But the sharp divide is not only over policy issues; it has snowballed into an emotional hostility toward members of the other party. Democrats and Republicans see each other as members of disliked - even reviled - outgroups. How did the "Hatfield...

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar will join Professor Larry Jacobs to discuss her campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, the Senate's response to the Coronavirus, and her husband's recent successful battle with Covid-19. The conversation also included former Vice President Walter F. Mondale, and was followed by analysis from University of Virginia Professor Jennifer Lawless

Fresh off large election wins, Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party colleagues are moving forward with Brexit after years of debate over its economic and social consequences. Largely forgotten in the rush for Brexit is the Republic of Ireland which held its own election on February 9. The 1998 Good Friday Agreement introduced twenty years of relative peace after generations grew up with the se...

April 1, 2020 Online Event The Constitutional design of three branches checking each other is broken. Modern presidents have expanded executive power long before Donald Trump's inauguration. But the assumption the Framers made-- that loyalty to one's own institution and its role – no longer applies in an era of tribal loyalties when Republicans in both the House and Senate routinely unify as a blo...

The rules of the presidential nomination process can seem endlessly complex with primaries versus caucuses, early primaries, delegate counts, and convention rules. But over the years the parties have developed informal rules as well, with norms and expectations about how the presidential nomination process will unfold. Who wins and who loses under the real rules? Join us for a conversation with Pr...

The media are under attack. Is the so-called mainstream media biased by the liberalism of editors and journalists, as President Trump and conservative critics claim? Has Fox News abandoned journalistic standards to become just the loudest of many right-wing mouthpieces for President Trump and corporate America, as Democrats charge? Are communities of color justified in complaining that their persp...

Soaring insurance deductibles and medical bills have put growing strains on middle-class Americans. Is single-payer health care the answer? Or will costs just soar higher as millions move to government coverage? Award-winning journalist Noam Levey will discuss healthcare access and affordability in a conversation moderated by Professor Larry Jacobs. Noam Levey is a national healthcare policy journ...

November 21, 2019 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM Humphrey Forum, Humphrey School of Public Affairs A record number of women ran for office - and won - in the 2018 midterm elections and more women than ever are vying for the Democratic Party's nomination to run for President in 2020. Yet, women are still underrepresented at every level of office, comprising only around a quarter of the U.S. Congress. What exp...

November 6, 2019 11:45 AM to 1:00 PM Humphrey Forum, Humphrey School of Public Affairs Minnesota led the nation in 2018 for youth voter turnout, but even with an over 20% rise from 2014, that turnout was STILL under 45%. What does current research say will happen in 2020? Join us in an exploration of the successes in youth voter turnout and the data that show what has worked, and a look at how a m...

October 15, 2019 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM Humphrey School of Public Affairs What effect has President Trump had on conservatism, and what direction should it take after his time in office is over? Some conservatives argue that Trump is an aberration and conservatism will return to normalcy when he is gone. Others think that Trump has effected a lasting change in the definition of the Republican party,...

Friday, October 4, 2019 Cowles Auditorium Humphrey School of Public Affairs Program Minnesota is one of the country’s leaders in participation of eligible voters. What role does Minnesota’s vibrant culture of corporate responsibility play in our engaged citizenry? How does civic engagement benefit a company's bottom line? And how can Secretaries of State partner with companies to enhance nonpartis...

Monday, September 23, 2019 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Cowles Auditorium Humphrey School of Public Affairs 301 19th Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55455 All around Minnesota, communities are redefining what it means to have a healthy economy and an engaged workforce. Tom Friedman has been traveling to towns in Minnesota and around the country to wonder why some are prospering, while others are losing populatio...

The US Women’s Soccer Team thrilled the world with their prowess on the field and leadership off of it. Their championship demonstrates the important impact of Title IX in funding and support for women athletics in schools and universities. Beyond soccer, women routinely eclipse male runners during marathons and other sports, pointing to a continuum of physical performance. The ambiguity of gender...

Program: President Trump is using and expanding on executive powers that were initiated by his predecessors. Trump executive actions, taken without Congress or the courts, include military action in Syria, defying subpoenas, and invoking “emergency powers” to spend more on a border wall. At the same time, President Trump has violated many previous norms of presidential behavior. Bios: Charlie Sava...

Program: A lot can be learned from how we use the internet. Our viewing patterns offer insights into our health, behavior, and our democracy. Social scientists are pioneering new collaborations with Facebook to get access to its data, under the banner “Social Science One”. As efforts progress toward developing partnerships questions have been raised about safeguards for privacy, ethical conduct, a...

Program: Presidents of the United States are the most powerful figures in America and, arguably, the world. The First Lady receives far less attention but exerts influence within the White House and stars in Washington’s shrouded political theatre.   Novelist Curtis Sittenfeld joins us for a conversation about the public visibility and private dramas of the First Lady – from Laura Bush to Michelle...

Program: Professor Hahrie Han will examine the opportunities and substantial hurdles facing community organizers. Professor Han studies the way political and community organizations make the civic participation of ordinary people "Possible, Probable and Powerful." Her work explores how to increase grassroots power and capacity rather than short-term mobilizing. Kara Carlisle of the McKnight Founda...

Professor Theda Skocpol of Harvard University is among America’s most acclaimed scholars of American politics. Her conversation will cover topics ranging from her new research on community responses to President Trump and her continuing research on the Tea Party and conservative networks. Theda Skocpol is the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University. She has ser...

Since the 1970's conservative donors, activists, and business have been building networks to influence the state policy process. Professor Alexander Hertel-Fernandez from Columbia University will visit the Humphrey School to talk about why conservatives have been successful using organizations like ALEC to influence policy making while progressives have lagged behind. Alexander Hertel-Fernandez is...

The US Constitution mandates that the government -- which includes state universities -- should not discriminate against speakers based on their viewpoints. Should university panels include diverse perspectives, including conservatives who may unsettle students and faculty? What about advocates for extreme nationalist viewpoints whose presence invites large protests that impose substantial costs o...