Policy 360

Discussions about providing direct cash payments to Americans have filled Congressional chambers in recent weeks. But discussions are one thing. Getting these payments to million Americans, including those without access to a bank or a stable address, is another. Here to discuss the many challenges of developing a strategy to provide payments to those who need it most is Lisa Gennetian, a professo...

Many in the US were blindsided by the COVID-19 pandemic's severity. Not Gavin Yamey. In early 2018 he wrote the op-ed, The Odds of a Devastating Pandemic Just Went Up. Yamey is a professor at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy and director of The Center for Policy Impact in Global Health, based at the Duke Global Health Institute.

Former Ambassador Frederick Barton has conflict management experience in over 40 crisis zones -- Haiti, Iraq, Nigeria, Turkey and more. He served as first Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations, and previously as U.S. Ambassador to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in New York. He founded USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives among other roles...

In this episode, we sit down with two people with different views for a conversation about social media platforms and political advertising. Matt Perault is a former director of Public Policy at Facebook. Phil Napoli is author of Social Media and the Public Interest: Media Regulation in the Disinformation Age. Both are faculty members at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke. Matt Perault's ...

Is tech moving too fast for policymakers to catch up? A conversation with Matt Perault. He served as a director of public policy at Facebook. He is now a faculty member at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke, and director of the Center on Science and Technology Policy.   Music: The Zeppelin by Blue Dot Sessions  Music licensed under Creative Commons Attribution  

Being obese puts people at risk for chronic disease like diabetes and is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. In this episode we explore a policy approach to deal with this epidemic – a tax on sugary drinks. Kelly Brownell, director of the World Food Policy Center at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University breaks down the research and policy behind the approach. Subscr...

Nivruti Rai is country head of Intel India and was recognized by Fortune India as one of the top  20 Most Powerful Women in Business in that country. She joins host Judith Kelley to discuss women in business and how private business and government can intersect, especially when it comes to a U.S.-based company and a country that is growing as rapidly as India. Read the episode transcript Music: Th...

Jason DeParle is a reporter for the New York Times and a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He was just a young reporter when he moved to the slums of Manila and lived with a local family. He has followed that family for three decades. The resulting book is remarkable; it provides an intimate yet sweeping perspective on migration. Book: A Good Provider is One Who Leaves, One Family and Migr...

Medicaid is one of the largest social welfare programs in the United States. With over 70 million people enrolled, it covers 20 percent of the US population. Though the program is federal, it's implemented by the state and some states offer generous benefits while others do not. Professor Jamila Michener argues these disparities are actually having an effect on democratic citizenship. Her research...

The number of college students across the nation who voted in the midterms doubled between 2014 and 2018. At Duke University, the voting rate was even higher – it jumped 114 percent. We explore how that jump happened and what specific strategies other colleges could use to increase their own student voting rates. Guests: BJ Rudell, Associate Director of POLIS, the Center for Political Leadership,...

In 2009, President Obama launched an initiative designed to use a community outreach approach to counter violent extremism. Ten years later, Professor David Schanzer, Director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security has analyzed the policy, and he says it was deeply flawed, but there are lessons to be learned. Read the episode transcript Read the report, "Engaging with Communitie...

With recent scientific reports on the effects of climate change, climate strikes around the world and big companies like Amazon promising action, climate change is a topic that is important to research and understand. We discuss climate-related policy ideas with Billy Pizer, an expert in climate change policy, law and legislation. Billy Pizer is Susan B. King Professor of Public Policy and senior...

New research shows forest fires are actually more harmful than we've previously thought. It's not just about the impact they may have on the environment or on the economy, but also on human health, especially unborn children. Guest: Subhrendu Pattanayak, Oak Foundation Environmental and Energy Policy Professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University Subscribe to the Policy 360 po...

Jacob Bachmeier serves in Montana's House of Representatives. He was just 18 when he was elected. A classmate was his campaign manager. At the time of his election, he was the youngest state lawmaker in the country. Guest host: Gunther Peck of Duke University's Hart Leadership Program Note: Policy 360 will return to our regular biweekly schedule in September. Music: The Zeppelin by Blue Dot Sessio...

China is investing heavily in coal around the world, even going so far as to build the coal sector from scratch, in a variety of developing countries. Coal plants are either being planned or constructed in 14 countries that currently have no coal power to speak of. Plants are also being planned for 19 other countries, and those new coal plants would more than double each country's existing coal-fi...

In a new intergovernmental report, scientists say a million species of plants and animals could go extinct due to climate change, many within our lifetimes. Duke University Professor Alexander Pfaff contributed to the report. He's here to talk about history, and the five hurdles that have tripped policymakers and advocates up in the past when it comes to reversing environmental loss. Show Notes: R...

A Duke University interdisciplinary student team has spent the past academic year trying to get a better understanding of the barriers to energy investment in rural Zambia. The team looked at policy issues, assessed customers' willingness to pay, and even created a geospatial application so potential investors can easily look at variables in each region before deciding to invest. Read an episode t...

Research shows that working-class people almost never become politicians, but Carmen Castillo is both a hotel housekeeper and a three-term Providence Rhode Island City Council member. Yet when Carmen first began to work as a housekeeper, the only English words she knew were "yes" and "no." How did she do it? Carmen Castillo is featured in the documentary film Councilwoman. Professor Nick Carnes' b...

The massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand was announced online and streamed live on Facebook. Afterwards, copies of the video were uploaded to YouTube at a rate of one per second. Phil Napoli is an expert in media regulation and policy.  He has provided expert testimony to the U.S. Senate, the Federal Communications Commission, and the Federal Trade Commission among other government entities. He j...

Political satire isn't new, it's been with us throughout history, even Shakespeare's works were packed with political commentary. Lately Political News itself seems more like entertainment television. So how do you make fun of something that already seems like a joke? Our next guest says, it's a blessing and a curse to be a Trump era comedian. Zhubin Parang is a producer for the Daily Show with Tr...

We came across a great podcast produced by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University. It's called Trending Globally [ watson.brown.edu/news/trending-globally ]. The weekly podcast features insight on today's critical  global  challenges. So today on Policy 360: a special episode from Trending Globally. The episode features Sam Wilkin, an economist, political ris...

Madeleine Albright served as the 64th U.S. Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton. In this episode of the Policy 360 podcast, she joins Sanford School of Public Policy Dean Judith Kelley to discuss the rise of fascism around the world, concerns about President Trump, the fragility of democracy and the messages hidden in her jewelry. Transcript: https://sites.duke.edu/policy360/2019/03/04/...

In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the One Belt, One Road Initiative. The massive infrastructure project aims to link countries along the old Silk Road routes with Europe. China has spent close to $150 billion a year in the 68 countries that are taking part. Such a large undertaking has immense implications for the environment. Duke University faculty member Alexander Pfaff has been d...

Venezuela is in the midst of a catastrophic economic crisis. According to Forbes, Venezuela's yearly annual inflation reached 80,000% in 2018, up from 2,400% the year before. The hyperinflation was so intense that officials revalued the currency at a rate of 100,000 to 1 – and even after that, the exchange rate with the US dollar is still nearly 3,300 to 1. People are spending hundreds of dollars...

With college basketball season in full swing and March Madness close approaching, the attention of the sports world is centered around student athletes. Yet despite the press brought to universities by these sports, they are rarely mentioned in the mission statement or acknowledged to be as influential as they are. On this episode of Policy 360, Charles Clotfelter discusses the tremendous impact c...