Ways & Means

Why many college students' ballots are getting tossed — and what could be done about it. --- In this episode of Ways & Means – as we head into the 2024 elections – why lots of North Carolina college students' votes did not count in the last election, or the time before that, or the time before that. Why those votes weren't counted, and how to prevent it from happening again. Guests:  Gunther Peck,...

In this episode: how a crusade shut down a coal-fired Chicago power plant for good. What the closing of that plant meant for children's health and the environment. And what it didn't mean. This is the eighth and final episode in our "Climate Change Solutions" series, where we look at research-based ideas to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Guests: Kimberly Wasserman is Exeutive Director of the...

In this episode of Ways & Means: the hidden role that climate plays in the story of migration. How a changing climate is driving thousands of people to enter the U.S. each year. And how relatively small, inexpensive changes on the ground could make a difference with a daunting geopolitical problem. This is the seventh episode in our "Climate Change Solutions" series, where we look at research-base...

In this episode: kicking America's multi-billion-dollar food waste habit. How tons of wasted food contribute to climate change, and how one simple change – better food date labels – just might help make a dent in the problem. This is the sixth episode in our "Climate Change Solutions" series, where we look at research-based ideas to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Guests: Norbert Wilson, Direc...

In this episode of Ways & Means – New research into how solar mini-grids could change lives for farmers in Ethiopia, and why that matters for the climate as a whole. This is the fifth episode in our Climate Change Solutions series, where we look at surprising answers to the question of what we can do to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Guests: Jonathan Phillips, Director,  James E. Rogers Energ...

Upgrading stoves for people in the developing world could bring about a double win: improving people's lives while making a big contribution to fighting climate change. We follow along with Duke Professor Subhrendu Pattanayak on a research trip to rural Kenya, and are invited into people's homes to see how they cook, and what might make them change their methods. This is the fourth in our series C...

We are thrilled to welcome Lauren Rosenthal to the Ways & Means host chair! Lauren is an award-winning reporter and audio producer. Recently she's been focused on climate stories. (Check out her work on Season 2 of " In Deep ," a podcast from APM Reports + American Public Media which explored "one city's year of climate chaos.") Lauren will start by hosting the next episodes of our Climate Change...

In this episode of Ways & Means, we explore the impacts of meat production. Can we find a better way to raise animals as food and help the planet at the same time? This is the third in our series Climate Change Solutions , a look at surprising answers to the question of what we can do to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Guests:  Cameron Oglesby, journalist and Duke Sanford School of Public Poli...

Location, location, location. Place matters a lot when it comes to the impact solar panels can have on the environment. The biggest environmental benefit comes from regions powered by coal. If your local electric utility runs on coal and you install solar panels on your home, it means that the power plant doesn't have to burn as much coal to power your home, and that is really good for the climate...

The Amazon has been called the lungs of the planet. Its dense jungles play a key role in absorbing the Earth's greenhouse gases, but the forest is disappearing quickly. In this episode: research from Colombia, Africa and China illustrates how economics can help slow deforestation and combat the climate crisis. Guests: Lina Moros , Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia Wumeng He , Wuhan Univer...

Special Takeover: The Debugger podcast has taken over the Ways & Means feed for a three-part series: Defending Democracy (and Us!) from Big Tech.  This episode is the third of the series. Large technology companies are so powerful they now threaten democracy. They are too big to sue, and current regulations are not holding them responsible for their actions or outcomes. What can be done when a lar...

Special Takeover: The Debugger podcast has taken over the Ways & Means feed for a three-part series: Defending Democracy (and Us!) from Big Tech. This is episode two of that series. Very large tech companies fit into a special tech category called "platforms." Companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Amazon are so big – it's like they are on a raised on a platform at a country fair, and can b...

Special Takeover: The Debugger podcast has taken over the Ways & Means feed for a three-part series: Defending Democracy (and Us!) from Big Tech. In this episode: It's critical to understand just how hard it is to tell big tech companies what to do. The United States' legal system is set up for a fair fight, but in practice tech firms are often able to act as their own judge and jury. They control...

Season 7 launches Wednesday March 2 with a series: "Defending Democracy (And Us!) From Big Tech." The three-part series explores how powerful big tech companies are, and what governments can do to keep them accountable. The series is hosted by journalist Bob Sullivan, and is a collaboration with the Debugger podcast. Thanks to the Cyber Policy program at Duke University's Sanford School of Public...

Throughout history, the U.S. and other countries have paid reparations to a wide range of people and groups, for a variety of wrongs. But reparations to African Americans have not been paid to date. In the final episode of the  series The ARC of Justice – From Here to Equality, listen in on a live conversation about reparations. How would the debt be calculated? Who would qualify? What methods mig...

Throughout the nation's history, time and again, promising signs of African American progress have been shattered by acts of violence serving the interests of white supremacy. The extent of that violence is widespread and ongoing. This is the fifth installment of the series " The ARC of Justice - From Here to Equality. " Get show notes, credits, transcript and discussion guide. Join us for the liv...

Episode 5 premieres April 7. It will explore white violence against Black people through the decades. Episode 6 premieres April 15 (Live!) Join us for a discussion with William A. "Sandy" Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen as well as other reparations experts. Don't forget to register for the live event. (Music in this teaser by Solomon Fox. )

In this episode: The GI Bill was a conveyor belt into the middle class for millions of white WWII veterans, but many African American veterans were excluded. Subsequent generations continue to feel the effects.  This is the fourth installment of the series " The ARC of Justice - From Here to Equality. " Get show notes, credits, transcript and discussion guide. Produced with North Carolina Public R...

In this episode: how the federal government promoted housing segregation and thwarted African American home ownership. This is the second installment of the series " The ARC of Justice – From Here to Equality." Get show notes, credits and transcript. Produced with North Carolina Public Radio WUNC. Made possible by the Duke Office for Faculty Advancement thanks to funding from The Duke Endowment.

A tale of two promises made by the government – one kept, one broken. What happened, and what does this have to do with the existing wealth gap between African Americans and white Americans? This is the second installment of the series " The ARC of Justice – From Here to Equality." Get show notes, credits and transcript. Produced with North Carolina Public Radio WUNC. Made possible by the Duke Off...

We're dedicating the entire season of the podcast to this topic: what could have been done, and what could still be done, to start to close the wealth gap between white and Black Americans? The series " The Arc of Justice – From Here to Equality " is inspired by the research of professor William "Sandy" Darity Jr. He has co-written an award-winning book with the folklorist and arts consultant A. K...

Live event for Duke Energy Week 2020. Guests: Hilton Kelley, Goldman Environmental Prize winner. A former Hollywood stuntman, Kelley returned home to Port Arthur, Texas to battle for environmental justice. Karen Torrent of The National Whistleblower Center and Duke Prof. Tim Profeta discuss the new Climate Risk Disclosure Lab initiative. Co-hosts: Journalist Lindsay Foster Thomas; Prof. Deondra Ro...

The question of whether and how to compensate descendants of people formerly enslaved in the United States has hung over the country since the end of the Civil War. It's getting new traction in the 2020 election. Duke Professor William "Sandy" Darity has created a Reparations Planning Committee to flesh out the details of how a reparations program would work. This season of Ways & Means is support...

What makes a great political leader in a deeply divided time, and what can we learn from one of the most striking examples in history? Listen to the story of Nelson Mandela and learn about the surprising strategies that made his leadership work. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis, the Center for Politics at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy. Find out more at polis.du...

Today, we're announcing a new chapter in Ways and Means - we have a new host! Lindsay Foster Thomas is a content director at WUNC and has worked at NPR's Marketplace, On Second Thought at Georgia Public Broadcasting with host Celeste Headlee, and was also part of the national production team at WAMU that launched NPR's 1A with founding host Joshua Johnson. We're beyond excited to have her with us....