The Cornell Policy Review Podcast

Join Norie Wright (MPA '24) as she sits down with Alejandro Ramos (MPA '25) to further discuss his Cornell Policy Review publication “Igniting Democracy: America’s Burning Need for Civic Education” and the obstacles facing citizen participation in American democracy today.

Join James Paterek (MPA '25) and Savannah Jolie Whitehead (MPA '25) as they talk with Basim Ali (MPA '25) and Yiming Zhong (MPA '24) about Dr. Kaushik Basu, Carl Marks Professor of International Studies at the Department of Economics at Cornell. Yiming and Basim spoke with Dr. Basu about his career path and how game theory can be used to better understand economics and corruption

Join James Paterek (MPA '25) and Savannah Jolie Whitehead (MPA '25) talk with Lauren Nunes (MPA '97), exploring her journey in the MPA program and her career shift from the public sector to a private role at Twitch. This episode is also the official relaunch of the Cornell Policy Review podcast, with new episode formats and series coming to you from the Cornell MPA program

Jasmin Higo (MPA '23) interviews Daniel Arukwe Johansen (MPA '15) on his work with the United Nation World Food Programme (WFP) in the Yemen country office. Their conversation spans how to effectively contextualize data, the challenges and opportunities working in high-stake environments like war zones, and the remarkable resilience of both humanitarian workers and [especially] the residents of a...

MPA Fellow and CPR Podcast Manager Mahwish Khan sits down with Dr. Ramaswami Balasubramaniam to discuss how to exercise leadership to render more effective democracies in the contemporary world. They dive into a hopeful conversation about the true definition of leadership, the relationship between government leaders and grassroots citizen power, and the challenges democratic leaders face in a worl...

MPA Fellow Rebecca McPettit sits down with Dr. Patton McDowell, a strategist and leader in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors to discuss what it takes to lead a thriving public-serving organization in 2023. They discuss sector trends, best practices in contemporary non-profit leadership and finance, and chart a path for personal career development applicable to anyone seeking career success i...

The Cornell Policy Review invites Ranveer Chandra to discuss the role of technology in addressing future food challenges. Ranveer Chandra is the Managing Director for Research for Industry and the CTO of Agri-Food at Microsoft. Chandra also leads the Networking Research Group at Microsoft Research, Redmond. He has published more than 100 papers and holds over 150 patents granted by the USPTO. Chan...

The Cornell Policy Review invites Professor Prabhu Pingali to discuss Food Systems, challenges being faced and ways forward. Prabhu Pingali is a professor at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, with a joint appointment in the Division of Nutritional Sciences and Department of Global Development. Professor Pingali is also the founding director of t...

The Cornell Policy Review invites Professor Rick Geddes to discuss the 1.2 trillion dollar Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was recently passed by Congress on November 06, 2021. Richard Geddes is a professor at the Cornell University Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and the Founding Director of the Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy. Professor Geddes researches the funding,...

The Cornell Policy Review invites Parmesh Shah to discuss the role of technological disruptions in agriculture and food systems and how the World Bank supports this agenda. Parmesh Shah is the Global Lead for Data-driven Digital Agriculture in the Agriculture and Food Global Practise at The World Bank. In this role, he provides leadership to the Bank’s work and supports the development of global k...

The Cornell Policy Review invites Dr. Luis Aguirre-Torres to discuss Luis’s role with the Ithaca Green New Deal, how sustainability practices in Ithaca, New York can be modeled elsewhere, and other timely climate topics such as the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 26. Dr. Luis Aguirre-Torres is the Director of Sustainability for the City of Ithaca, where he leads the implement...

The Cornell Policy Review invites Raza Rumi to speak with us about the ongoing Afghanistan crisis and the role of the global community. Raza Ahmad Rumi is a Pakistani policy analyst, journalist, and author. He is a lecturer at Cornell institute for public affairs. Raza is also the Director, Park Center for Independent Media and teaches in the journalism department. During 2015-2017, Raza was a sch...

The Cornell Policy Review invites Dr. Yangyang Cheng to discuss how science can transcend political borders in a world fractured by nations, races, and governing systems, taking a particular look at the issue of scientific collaboration in U.S. - China relations. YangYang Cheng is a particle physicist and postdoctoral fellow at Yale Law School.

The Cornell Policy Review invites Nadia Daar to speak with us on inequality, human rights, in the Covid-19 era. Nadia Daar is Head of Oxfam International’s Washington DC office and in that capacity leads Oxfam’s engagement and advocacy on the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund. She leads a DC team working on several issues, including inequality, public services, climate change, c...

The Cornell Policy Review invited Sheila Braka Musiime to speak with us about how the World Bank is adapting to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, financial inclusion, and sustainability. Sheila Braka Musiime is the Chief Counsel of Africa and Middle East and North Africa Practice Group in the Legal Vice Presidency Unit of the World Bank. Prior to that, she was Chief Counsel for the East Asi...

The Cornell Policy Review invites Professor Dorf to speak with us during a roundtable. Professor Dorf will be sharing critical insights on the process of judicial appointments to the Supreme COurt of the United States, its constitutional foundations, and overall significance for public policy in general.

Episode 19: An Interview with Mbage Nganga by Cornell Policy Review

Martine Kalaw is an author, speaker and commentator on the human aspect of current immigration laws and policies. Her novel, Illegal Among Us: A Stateless Woman’s Quest for Citizenship, recounts her life story and her seven-year battle in deportation proceedings, appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals, and finally obtaining U.S. citizenship.

Over the last decade, traditional deterrence methods and immigration policies have failed to humanely grapple with the increased flow of migrant families seeking entry into the United States. In this podcast episode, Nida Mahmud, Editor-in-Chief of the Cornell Policy Review, sits down with Sarah Pierce, a Policy Analyst for the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute (MPI...

In this episode, Senior Content Editor Eghosa Asemota interviews Gina Livermore, the Director of Mathematica’s Center for Studying Disability Policy (CSDP), to discuss the work that the Center is doing to optimize disability policies and improve outcomes for people living with disabilities. Gina Livermore is the Director of Mathematica’s Center for Studying Disability Policy. Her work focuses on i...

CPR Associate Editor Arianna Rebancos interviews Dr. Jean-Paul Faguet, a professor at the London School of Economics, about the interplay between decentralization on development with a close examination of Bolivia. Dr. Jean-Paul Faguet is Professor of the Political Economy of Development at the London School of Economics (LSE) and the Chair of the Decentralization Task Force at Columbia University...

In this episode, Senior Content Editor Eghosa Asemota sits down with C. Dixon Osbourn, the Executive Director of the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) to discuss CJA’s work in identifying gaps in U.S. civil and criminal law and ensuring the effective prosecution of atrocity crimes. C. Dixon Osburn is the Executive Director of the Center for Justice and Accountability. He has 25 years of...

In this episode, Joe VerValin interviews Jaime Pessin, the New York State Chapter Leader of Moms Demand Action, about post-Sandy Hook grassroots activism against gun violence in the United States and its impact on public policy. Jaime Pessin is the New York State Chapter Leader of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement that campaigns throughout the United States to improve public safety and pre...

Creating economic security for residents of an older city with transitioning neighborhoods like New York City requires good jobs and healthy, sustainable businesses. In this episode, Minglei Gao sits down with Don Giampietro, the Assistant Commissioner of Business Incentives and Business Regulatory Reform at NYC Department of Small Business Services, to discuss his work in retaining and attracting...

Though impact investments are capable of generating benefits for impoverished communities, they are rarely launched with viable accountability mechanisms that allow the people who live in those communities to vocalize their grievances. Natalie Fields, founder and Executive Director of Accountability Counsel, sits down with Nida Mahmud to discuss the Counsel's mission to protect the rights of commu...