The Brookings Cafeteria

"I am convinced that the United States is in the midst of a pivotal period ushering in extraordinary shifts in the nation's racial demographic makeup," writes  in his new book, . In this podcast, Frey, a senior fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program and an internationally regarded demographer, explains what he means by "diversity explosion"; why growing minority populations are so important for America; and what public officials, community leaders, and decision-makers need to understand about the importance of educating and training a new generation of workers. Frey also discusses how he got into the field of demography, and what it means when people say "demography is destiny."  Also in the podcast, , director of the , offers his regular economic update, noting that "something weird is going on" when broad measures of the labor market are looking better yet two-thirds of the voters say the economy is getting worse. Show notes: • • • • "" (music/lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, performed by Lori Lieberman, Schoolho

In this special edition of the Brookings Cafeteria, Senior Fellows ,, and  offered their insights and analysis about the 2014 midterm election results. Listen to find out why Mann called the results "a red tsunami"; why Binder said it was "oddly predictable"; and why, for Galston, the outcome was "challenging" in a variety of ways. Mann is the W. Averell Harriman Chair in American Governance and co-author of . Binder is a professor of political science at George Washington University, a contributor to the  blog, and author of many books including . Galston, the Ezra K. Zilkha Chair in Governance Studies, was a policy advisor to President Bill Clinton and presidential candidates. He authored the recent essay, "." Send your feedback about this or any other podcast to .  or .

“Latin America actually lacks an identity because it has them all,” says —a Brookings nonresident senior fellow—as he reflects on how Peruvian poet Mario Vargas Llosa described Latin America. In this podcast, Talvi, who directs the , explains why there are actually three Latin Americas based on macroeconomic factors; why nations such as Chile, Peru, Mexico and Colombia have very strong fundamentals (and why Argentina and Venezuela are troubling); why economic growth has slowed in the region since 2011; and why inequalities throughout the region are inconsistent with a stable social order. Also, listen to find out why Talvi chose the University of Chicago and its frigid winters for graduate study in economics, a world away from his temperate native country, Uruguay. Talvi recently authored the report, “.” In one of our regular special segments, Governance Studies Fellow  describes the blog series on the most important issues and Senate races in the upcoming midterm elections. Visit  to learn more. Show Note

“Two married parents are the best environment for kids, on average,” says  in this podcast about her new book, . Adding that “we all know single parents who are doing a great job,” Sawhill explains how her research and data show that gaps in education, family structure and parenting styles create unequal starts for American children in the aggregate. Seventy percent of all pregnancies to unmarried women under 30 are unplanned, she says, and today 40 percent of all children in American are born outside marriage. In the podcast, Sawhill, a senior fellow and co-director of the , talks about one of the central themes of the book, how to change “drifters” into “planners,” to “have people take responsibility and make explicit choices about when to have children, whether to have children, who to have children with, and not to treat it so casually.” Plus, in a new feature, Senior Fellow , director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy, offers his thoughts in "Wessel's Economic Update." And finally,

Every increase of $1 billion in U.S. exports is estimated to support 6,000 jobs, and 95 percent of the world’s consumers live outside the United States, says  in her new report, “.” It clearly matters, as she explains in this wide-ranging interview about the importance of trade, how trade negotiations work, why trade leads to net job gains, the prospects for ongoing trade negotiations with European and Asia-Pacific countries, and more. Sapiro, a visiting fellow in Global Economy and Development at Brookings, was deputy U.S. trade representative from 2009 to 2014, and also served on the National Security Council and at the U.S. State Department.   Plus, in a , moderator , a senior fellow and editor-in-chief of Lawfare (and also the  on the Brookings Cafeteria), described the background of a flight experiment he and colleagues did with off-the-shelf drones, one that the FAA said could not take place in Washington, DC. Learn more about it on . And finally, in a new "What’s Happening in Congress" segment, Fellow

The 1,645 wealthiest men and women worldwide—492 of them in the United States—who control assets worth $6.5 trillion are shaping the world for the better and sometimes for the worse. In this podcast and in his new book, , vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings, explains who the billionaires are, how they are more involved than ever in politics and society, why this matters, and how, for many reasons, they really are not like the rest of us. Also, hear what  has to say about what's happening now in Congress.   Show Notes: • • • • • • Feedback or questions? Send an email to .

ISIS establishes a jihadist caliphate across Syria and Iraq. Iran pursues its nuclear ambitions. Syria remains mired in a terrible civil war, exacting a toll on the civilian population and region. In this podcast, Senior Fellow  () offers his views on these and related developments, the Obama administration’s response to them, and what he believes is the “great white whale” of President Obama’s Middle East strategy. Although he says that Obama’s initiatives in the region have failed, he explains what the president can do to put together a coalition of like-minded powers to act as a counterweight to the ISIS threat. Doran also offers candid thoughts on why “academia is a profoundly conformist place,” how he made the transition from that world to government and then to a think tank, and why he wanted to be a Middle East scholar in the first place. Plus, highlights from a , and what Russia's foreign policy moves indicate about Vladimir Putin's view on the global order.  Show Notes: • "" (Doran's article in Forei

(originally aired on 8/30/13) In this inaugural edition of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast, , senior fellow in Governance Studies, talks with host Fred Dews about a range of issues at the junction of liberty and security, privacy and government surveillance. Wittes explains how liberty and security are not always in tension; how we might think about the government's surveillance activities; and why technology makes this moment in the history of the world both exciting and terrifying. Wittes is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of , which is devoted to sober and serious discussion of hard national security choices, and where you can  when he wrote, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

(originally published 9/13/13) What is the state of health care in America? Can costs be reduced and outcomes improved? Will the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) implementation be successful? Which aspects of ACA are already having a positive impact? What to expect on October 1 when state health exchanges go online? , a fellow in the  at Brookings and also a practicing internal medicine physician with Johns Hopkins Medicine, speaks with host Fred Dews about these and other questions related to one of the most important aspects of our lives. Patel says that one thing that worries her about health care is that “nobody feels as if it is their responsibility to tackle that cost [of health care].” She also says that she is worried about "active resistance" to implementation of the Affordable Care Act despite the benefits that are already apparent. Show notes: , testimony by Kavita Patel to the U.S. Senate Budget Committee , testimony by Kavita Patel to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee , Brookings book by Wi

(originally published 9/27/13) The foreign-born population in America is over 13 percent of the total population, the largest share of immigrants since the 1920s. Over 40 million immigrants—documented and undocumented, young and old—live and work in towns and metropolitan areas throughout the country. In this podcast, , a senior fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, puts today's immigrant population into historical context, explains where they live now and how they contribute to their communities, and looks ahead to the prospect for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal and local levels. Singer, an expert on immigrants and demographic change, says that one important issue on which emphasis should be placed is the social, economic, civic and political integration of immigrants into the places where they live. Show notes:  

(originally published 10/11/13) The American Dream is not dead, but Americans today experience less socioeconomic fluidity between where they are born and where they end up than people in comparable nations, including Great Britain. It is "in need of some health care," says , an Economic Studies fellow and policy director of the . In this podcast, Reeves discusses his research on policies to make evidence-based social mobility—from birth, through childhood into adulthood—a priority, at both state- and federal-levels. Family and parents matter, and governments can help; "That's a place where Republicans and Democrats can really meet around." Reeves, who edits the  at Brookings, discusses evidence-based approaches to understanding social mobility and devising policies to increase it. "The belief that [American] society is open and fluid and classless," he says, "may actually be inhibiting action to make that true." He says that "an unequal society can become a stratified society. Inequality can begin to perpetu

(originally published 10/23/13) Arms Control. Russia. Ukraine. Three distinct issues that share multiple connections. In this podcast, , senior fellow and director of the , connects the dots. A former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine and career foreign service officer, Pifer calls for an additional round of strategic arms reductions between the U.S. and Russia, on top of those agreed-to under the New START treaty. He also examines Russian foreign policy and explains how Ukraine is attempting to follow a path to greater integration with Europe while facing pressure from Moscow. Show notes: • • • • • , with Michael O'Hanlon 

Over 800,000 foreign students are studying in the U.S. at institutions of higher education. Where are they coming from? What are they studying? And how can U.S. visa policy be improved to take advantage of this talented group? To find out the answers to these questions, I spoke with Associate Fellow from the Metropolitan Policy Program. Show Notes: • • • • • 

As of last year, student loan debt in the U.S. exceeded $1.2 trillion, more than any other type of household debt except home mortgages. Media accounts have described this as the "potential next debt bomb for the U.S." and "the next financial disaster." But is there really a student loan debt crisis? To find out, I spoke with , a fellow in the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings. She explains how evidence sheds light on the problem, noting that it's difficult to reconcile reports of bad outcomes with what is, in general, a very good investment. Also in this podcast, listen to Senior Fellow  speak about his new book,  (Brookings Institution Press, 2014). Show notes: •  (report by Beth Akers and Matt Chingos)•  (Brown Center Chalkboard)•  (paper by Akers and Chingos)•  (paper by William Gale, Benjamin Harris, Bryant Renaud, and Katherine Rodihan)

This week's interview features part two of a conversation with , a Middle East expert and fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings. Hamid discusses the perception that Islam and democracy are incompatible. Plus, he goes into more detail about what to expect from Egypt's President Sisi, and why it's a cop-out for Americans to look at Middle East violence and say that there's nothing we can do about it because the hatreds are so ancient and deep seated. (In , Hamid talked about meeting Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including Mohamed Morsi before he became Egypt's first democratically-elected president, about the power of social media, and about why Islamists are willing, literally, to die for their cause.) Hamid is the author of the new book, . Also in this episode: a new segment, "Out of the Archives," where we find research from the last century of Brookings history that touches on how we see the world today. During a week in which we observe the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, we take a look at .

This week's interview features part one of a conversation with , a Middle East expert and fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings. In it, Hamid talks about Islamists and democracy, especially in Egypt. He also talks about meeting Mohamed Morsi before he became Egypt's first democratically-elected president, why the Muslim Brotherhood was cautious about attaining power, and why Islamists are willing, literally, to die for their cause. Part two of the conversation . Hamid is the author of the new book, . Also in this episode: a new segment focusing on what's happening in Congress. You've probably heard or seen the headlines about House Speaker John Boehner's proposed lawsuit against President Obama. Will this maneuver succeed or backfire? Governance Studies Fellow  offers some answers. Show Notes: • , by Shadi Hamid (Oxford University Press, 2014)• "" (registration required)• "," report by Shadi Hamid• •  Have a question or comment about this podcast, or a question for a scholar? Send it to  and we may address

Over the past decade, sub-Saharan African economies have grown 5 percent a year, and the region’s economy should double by 2030. Yet this growth is not enough to spread needed development and progress throughout the region. , a senior fellow with the  at Brookings, talks about the role of foreign direct investment, priorities for African policymakers, and the prospect for conflict resolution in the most troubled areas. Show notes: • •  (pdf)• • • •  (blog)

"We need to change the way we think about infrastructure in America," says . It's not just about the federal government fixing roads and bridges anymore. In this podcast, Puentes, a senior fellow in the , explains how our states and metropolitan areas, through public and private partnerships, are moving forward on the nation's infrastructure goals. Show Notes: •  (interactive)•  (event)•  (blog)•  (project resources)

Economic issues are prolific in the public sphere, from taxes and inequality, to jobs and productivity and more. Even Thomas Piketty's book on wealth distribution is now a bestseller. How can a person make sense of the terms and of the discussion? One way is to talk to an economist, like , a senior fellow in the Economic Studies Program at Brookings. In this podcast, he offers his expertise to explain issues such as middle-class income gains, wealth distribution and Piketty's book in ways that both surprise and enlighten. Show notes: • • • • • 

As nations across Latin America have become wealthier and more stable in recent years, they are seeking to engage with the world, including the United States, on a more level playing field. In this podcast, , senior fellow and director of the  at Brookings, describes Latin America's economic, social, and political challenges and opportunities, with particular attention given to Brazil's rise as a potential major power. Show notes: • • • • •