The Brookings Cafeteria

Brookings scholars Tamara Wittes and Madiha Afzal discuss their policy proposals for international security, part of the new Blueprints for American Renewal & Prosperity project at Brookings. Wittes focuses on what *not* to do in the Middle East; Afzal on countering extremism through education. Also David Wessel, focuses on the proposed child tax credit in President Biden's COVID-19 relief package, which Wessel says would substantially reduce the number of children living in poverty. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Elaine Kamarck, senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings and founding director of the Center for Effective Public Management, reflects on inauguration day, on the difficult presidential transition and the violence of January 6th, and the outlook for impeachment of the former president and President Biden’s agenda. Also on this episode, George Ingram, senior fellow in Global Economy and Development, delivers a new Sustainable Development Spotlight on how the new Biden-Harris administration can reengage the U.S. in global leadership in a world where the idea of American exceptionalism has been seriously eroded. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

After the assault on the U.S. Capitol, the nation is divided and on edge. Where do we go now? What kinds of political, social, and economic reforms could help us move forward as a more united nation? Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings, came on the podcast to offer some answers. The interview happened on Monday the 11th, so before the impeachment vote in the House of Representatives. But his analysis and policy prescriptions will remain relevant long after the passions of these weeks have cooled. Also on this episode, Molly Kinder, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, discusses the enormous gap between corporate retail profits and pay for frontline workers that has grown during the course of the pandemic. While some retail giants like Best Buy and Costco have raised worker pay, others, notably Amazon and Walmart, have been far less generous. Listen to this audio on Soundcloud, too. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on iTunes, send feed

Stephanie Aaronson, vice president and director of Economic Studies at Brookings, and Wendy Edelberg, senior fellow and director of the Hamilton Project, share their views on the state of the U.S. economy and the top economic issues facing the country in the upcoming year. Also, Sarah Binder, senior fellow in Governance Studies, offers her take on what happened in Congress this week, with a focus on the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump, and her views on why the electoral vote count rules didn’t break under pressure. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

To celebrate the closing of the year, this episode features our favorite clips from past 12 months. We hope you enjoy it and perhaps take the opportunity to download full episodes that interest you, share the show with friends, and rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Visit the episode's show notes to get links to all of the episodes. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as president in 1933, the White House staff numbered fewer than fifty people, and most federal departments were lightly staffed as well. As the United States became a world power, the staff of the Executive Office increased twentyfold, and the staffing of federal agencies blossomed comparably. On this episode airing in the midst of the transition of President Elect Joe Biden, Brookings Press Director Bill Finan interviews experts Stephen Hess and James Pfiffner, the authors of the Brookings Press title, "Organizing the Presidency." In this fourth edition of the landmark volume, first published in 1976, Hess and Pfiffner argue that the successes and failures of presidents from Roosevelt through Trump have resulted in large part from how the president deployed and used White House staffers and other top officials responsible for carrying out Oval Office policy. Hess and Pfiffner reflect on earlier transitions, but also have a lot to say about President Trump’s transiti

Brookings scholars William Gale and Richard Reeves discuss their policy proposals for economic growth and dynamism, part of the new Blueprints for American Renewal & Prosperity project. Gale focuses on more economic relief and stimulus now; Reeves on middle class tax cuts and some free college for national service. Also, David Wessel explains why low interest rates means a President Biden and the next Congress should not worry so much about the federal debt, and instead pass more COVID-related relief. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Brookings scholars Annelies Goger and Martha Ross discuss their policy proposals for racial justice and worker mobility, part of the new Blueprints for American Renewal & Prosperity project. Also, Tony Pipa introduces the new segment Spotlight on Sustainable Development, in which he discusses his proposal to reimagine rural policy in the U.S. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

“The American education system is not preparing all children to thrive,” say the guests on this episode, adding that many schools continue to operate according to an early 20th century “factory model” that aimed to mold students for the industrial economy. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Helen Hadani are co-authors of a new Big Ideas paper in the Brookings Policy 2020 series titled, “A new path to education reform: Playful learning promotes 21st-century skills in schools and beyond” In this interview, Hirsh-Pasek and Hadani explain what playful learning is and what it isn’t, what 21st-century skills are and why they are essential for our times, and how educators and school administrators can bring the playful learning approach to classrooms. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek is a senior fellow in Global Economy and Development at Brookings and in the Center for Universal Education; and also Stanley and Debra Lefkowitz Faculty Fellow in the Department of Psychology at Temple University. Helen Hadani is a fellow also in Global Economy a

The world is at a turning point as major institutions and alliances are being tested as never before in the post-Cold War period. On this episode, Brookings Institution Press Director Bill Finan speaks with Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger—once Germany’s representative in Washington and London and also former German deputy foreign minister—about his new book, "World in Danger: Germany and Europe in an Uncertain Time," just published by Brookings. In the conversation, Ambassador Ischinger explains four challenges to the global order, describes what impact the presidency of Donald Trump has had on the rules based international system, and cautions against too much euphoria about the election of Joe Biden to be the next president. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

A number of major trends—including changes in climate, demographics, geopolitics, and technology—will shape the Middle East over the next two decades. In this special episode of the Brookings Cafeteria Podcast, a team of scholars examines the possible trendlines and what they presage for Israel and its neighbors in the region. Natan Sachs, a Brookings fellow and director of the Center for Middle East Policy, leads a discussion on these issues with Samantha Gross, Kevin Huggard, Shibley Telhami, and Tamara Cofman Wittes. Learn more in the new report, “Israel in the Middle East: The next two decades,” at brookings.edu. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

A conversation with John McArthur, director of the new Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings, whose mission is to pursue research and insights to advance global sustainable development and to implement the Sustainable Development Goals across all countries. McArthur talks about the goals of the new center, why sustainable development remains so critical in these times, and why he’s passionate about the work. Also, Molly Reynolds on the Democrats' uphill battle to legislate in the 117th Congress. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

It’s three o’clock PM on the East Coast of the United States, two days after the end of voting in the 2020 presidential election. The country is anxiously watching as ballots are counted in Nevada, New Mexico, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania to see whether Donald Trump is re-elected, or Joe Biden becomes the president elect. By the time you hear this episode, the situation may have changed dramatically, but we still wanted to talk to one of our leading experts on politics and campaigns about what happened in the election, and what happens next. So, Elaine Kamarck, senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings and founding director of the Center for Effective Public Management, joins the program to talk about what surprised her on Tuesday, what the next steps in the process are, and what happens in a presidential transition. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part

In this final episode before the end of the 2020 election on November 3, a conversation with Rashawn Ray, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings, about race and social justice in the presidential election. Ray, also a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, talks about voter suppression, the policing reform movement sparked by the murder of George Floyd, the unequal impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Black and Hispanic communities, and what policies America needs to finally get past racism. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

The big contest in the 2020 election is the presidency, but Americans across the country are voting and will vote for governors, state lawmakers and other state officials, local officials, and for ballot measures of all kinds. On this episode , vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, talks about the election from a state and local perspective. In the conversation, she addresses these elections, the important relationships between the federal government and state leaders—especially during the coronavirus pandemic, and the longer-term work the Metropolitan Policy Program and Brookings are doing on post-COVID-19 recovery. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

David Wessel, senior fellow and director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy at Brookings, discusses the key economic issues during the lead up to the 2020 election, and looks ahead to how the economy can recover after the COVID-19 pandemic. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In this final special episode in the Global China series, host Lindsey Ford speaks with Ryan Hass and Rush Doshi about what they learned from the Global China paper series about China's ambitions, and what the U.S.-China relationship might look like under either a second Trump administration or a new Biden administration. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

From Russia, China, and the Middle East, to trade wars, climate change, and terrorism, global affairs have rarely seemed as complex and dangerous as it they have been over the last few years. But, does foreign policy matter in the 2020 presidential election? To address this question, Thomas Wright, a senior fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings and the director of the Center on the United States and Europe, joins the program to address this question. In the conversation, Wright takes on the age-old issue of whether foreign policy issues matter to voters in presidential campaigns, and also discusses what America’s relations with the world could look like under a second Trump administration, or under a new Biden administration. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In this special edition of the podcast, Bill Finan—director of the Brookings Institution Press—talks with two of the authors of a new Brookings press book that explores America’s current political division from demographic and geographic perspectives. David Damore, Robert Lang, and Karen Danielsen, all professors at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, are co-authors of Blue Metros, Red States: The Shifting Urban-Rural Divide in America’s Swing States. Damore and Lang join Finan for this episode in which they address some of the factors that tend to make large metropolitan areas lean Democratic while existing in a sea of rural areas that are largely Republican. And, how do states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Texas—with both large urban areas and widespread rural areas—express this red-blue divide between rural and metropolitan areas? Listen also to find out which two counties in America could indicate which way the election is going on November 3. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback ema

Will the 2020 election be compromised by foreign interference? Is voting by mail secure? Can American voters have faith in the integrity our electoral system? To answer these and related questions, I’m rebroadcasting a conversation that first aired in a series being produced by our colleagues in Governance Studies at Brookings. In it, Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies, interviews Senior Fellow Elaine Kamarck and Fellow Chris Meserole to get their perspectives on these critical questions. Also on today’s show, Senior Fellow Sarah Binder discusses the coming confirmation battle over the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. What procedural tools do Senate Democrats have to slow or stop the process, and what powers can the Republican majority use to confirm her before the election? Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to BCP@Brookings.edu, and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter.