Best Roosevelt Institute Podcasts (2024)

1
The Unfinished Business of Saving Democracy 35:19

1y ago35:19

35:19

Over the last two seasons, Felicia and Michael have talked with politicians, superstar activists, and renowned academics—from Senator Elizabeth Warren to economist Thomas Piketty. In this final episode of How to Save a Country, they’re taking a look back, and hashing out debates they’ve had between themselves along the way: What’s the real differen…

1
Fascism Disguised as Freedom (with Jefferson Cowie) 48:15

1y ago48:15

48:15

What do people mean when they talk about freedom? Throughout history, that question has often had dark answers, as Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Jefferson Cowie explains in this episode. “Going all the way back to Athenian democracy is the freedom to enslave, the freedom to oppress, the freedom to dominate,” he tells Felicia and Michael. In his …

1
Capital in the 2020s (with Thomas Piketty) 44:02

1y ago44:02

44:02

Almost a decade ago, economist Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century changed the way many people understood capitalism and inequality. In the years since, his research and ideas have helped jolt our politics out of autopilot and elevate solutions like a wealth tax into the mainstream. This episode—recorded in Paris following a panel …

1
The Deep[ly Necessary] State (with K. Sabeel Rahman) 49:23

1+ y ago49:23

49:23

If you’ve never heard of OIRA, you aren’t alone. But while small, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is a mighty federal agency, with a vital role in reviewing and implementing executive branch regulations. It’s also a popular target for some on the right. When conservatives target the administrative state and paint executive powers o…

1
In Pursuit of the Climate-Proof City (from the Politics of Everything) 32:27

1+ y ago32:27

32:27

This week, we’re sharing an episode from our friends over at The Politics of Everything, a biweekly podcast from The New Republic that explores the intersection of culture, media, and politics through interviews with scholars and journalists. In ways large and small, the changing climate affects how we live and, for a growing number of people, wher…

1
How Feminist Economics Brought Us the Care Agenda (with Nancy Folbre) 47:56

1+ y ago47:56

47:56

What is feminist economics? How is the field changing what we want from policy? And what is the value of unpaid labor in our economy? In this episode, renowned economist Nancy Folbre answers those questions, and traces the much-needed rise of the care agenda. Nancy is director of the program on gender and care work at the Political Economy Research…

1
An Academic Walks into a Diner (with Danielle Allen) 44:47

1+ y ago44:47

44:47

One of the clearest ways to see how a political idea lands in the real world is to hit the campaign trail. These ideas go through the ultimate test in cafes and backyards, in conversations with people who want to share their own experiences. Last year, Harvard political philosophy professor Danielle Allen was able to experience this firsthand when …

1
Red Nation, Blue Nation (with Michael Podhorzer) 44:57

1+ y ago44:57

44:57

Political pundits often discuss the differences between red and blue states in the US. But political strategist Michael Podhorzer argues that this framework drastically understates the true nature of the divisions in our country. We have always been more like two separate nations—tenuously united under the Constitution. These “red and blue nations,…

1
The Neoliberal Order Is Over. What Comes Next? (with Gary Gerstle) 49:46

1+ y ago49:46

49:46

The majority of people who participate in or follow US politics focus on four- and six-year election cycles. But certain political and economic developments take place over much longer time scales, as our guest this episode knows well. Historian Gary Gerstle, author of the recent book The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World…

1
How Culture Warriors Seized the Right (with Julie Kohler) 49:51

1+ y ago49:51

49:51

Once the foot soldiers of the right-wing movement, social conservatives are increasingly setting the agenda, arguing for a state that takes an active role in shaping and preserving traditional institutions like the nuclear family. However, this vision of family offered by social conservatives is inextricably linked with a disturbingly retrograde vi…

1
We Can Defeat Zero-Sum Politics (with Heather McGhee) 42:08

1+ y ago42:08

42:08

In front of a live audience at the Hewlett Foundation’s New Common Sense Conference in March, Felicia and Michael talk to New York Times bestselling author Heather McGhee about her book The Sum of Us and how racism impacts the implementation and perception of public goods and services. Her research for the book, and for the audio documentary podcas…

1
What Drives Our Political Behavior (with Dr. Lilliana Mason) 53:15

1+ y ago53:15

53:15

To understand the challenges of this moment, we need to be clear-eyed about the emotional dynamics of partisanship and the dangerous tendencies they’ve fostered—people who care more about their group winning than the greater good, or about policies that would help us all. Today’s guest is the perfect person to explain this phenomenon. Dr. Lilliana …

1
The Art of Progressive Persuasion (with Maurice Mitchell) 41:55

1+ y ago41:55

41:55

Whether you’re a canvasser knocking on doors or a member of Congress building coalitions on the House floor, persuasion is a fundamental part of politics. In recent years, deepening polarization has led to a renewed focus on voter turnout, but Maurice Mitchell, national director of the Working Families Party, argues that persuasion needs to be a bi…

1
Season 2 Trailer 2:13

1+ y ago2:13

2:13

In season 1 of How to Save a Country, hosts Felicia Wong (Roosevelt Institute) and Michael Tomasky (The New Republic) spoke to progressive luminaries about democracy-saving ideas at the intersection of economics, law, and politics. Today, thanks to some surprising legislative successes, some of those big ideas are a lot more real. In Season 2, Feli…

1
BONUS: Who Really Ended the Cold War? (with Brad DeLong) 10:50

1+ y ago10:50

10:50

In our last bonus episode before the launch of season 2, we bring you an unaired clip from a previous episode with economic historian Brad DeLong. Felicia, Michael, and Brad discuss a point from Brad’s book, Slouching Towards Utopia, about whether neoliberalism persisted as long as it did because of the perception that it won the Cold War for the U…

1
BONUS: Sen. Elizabeth Warren on crypto’s cold, dark winter 11:25

1+ y ago11:25

11:25

Crypto has dominated headlines lately—and none of them have been good, to say the least. FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried is facing fraud charges. Another lending platform, Celsius, went bankrupt. The value of Bitcoin has fallen by half, with other digital coins tumbling along behind it. Amid this crypto winter, we’re revisiting the case for regula…

1
BONUS: The future of the House with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries 13:26

1+ y ago13:26

13:26

To kick off a new year and a new congressional term, we’re bringing you a previously unaired clip from our conversation with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, now minority leader in the House. Leader Jeffries gives his take on divisions within the Democratic Party and its wide spectrum of beliefs. “We’re noisy,” he says, but we “get something over the finish l…

1
BONUS: Talking democracy and oligarchy with Dorian Warren 15:28

1+ y ago15:28

15:28

For our first bonus episode, we’re bringing you a never-before-heard clip from our conversation with labor scholar Dorian Warren. Dorian talks through the sometimes strangely compatible relationship between inequality and democracy. We want to hear your thoughts on this episode! Tweet @FeliciaWongRI and @mtomasky to let them know what you think. Pr…

1
That '70s Show (from The Politics of Everything) 24:48

1+ y ago24:48

24:48

This week, we’re sharing an episode from our friends over at The Politics of Everything, a biweekly podcast from The New Republic that explores the intersection of culture, media, and politics through interviews with scholars and journalists. Are we headed back to the 1970s? Politicians and pundits from across the political spectrum insist we are. …

1
Good Policy, Good Politics (with Sen. Elizabeth Warren) 35:13

2y ago35:13

35:13

Sen. Elizabeth Warren is known as the plan-wielding policy wonk of the progressive movement. But underlying those plans is a simple idea: We are the government. “Government is the vehicle for letting us do together what none of us can do alone,” Sen. Warren tells Felicia and Michael. “We all contribute and it expands opportunity for all of us, and …

1
Jon Meacham and Keel Hunt on the history of Tennessee politics 41:04

2y ago41:04

41:04

Author and journalist Keel Hunt joined co-chair Jon Meacham to discuss Hunt’s book, Crossing the Aisle: How Bipartisanship Brought Tennessee into the 21st Century and Could Save America. As he describes in his book, throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, pragmatic politicians were able to power policymaking in issues ranging from public sch…

1
Allida Black and Samar Ali on Eleanor Roosevelt's legacy 51:36

2y ago51:36

51:36

In episode four of Unity Talks, Vanderbilt University Professor and Unity Project Co-Chair Samar Ali sits down with Unity Project Advisory Board member Allida Black to discuss the life and legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt. In this discussion, they explore Eleanor Roosevelt’s pathbreaking work to advance human rights and democracy both at home and abroad…

1
Will Hurd and Bill Haslam on rebuilding trust our institutions 41:13

2y ago41:13

41:13

Episode three of Unity Talks: A Summer Series features a truly fascinating conversation between former U.S. Representative Will Hurd and former Tennessee governor and Unity Project Co-Chair Bill Haslam. In this discussion, Haslam and Hurd touch on a wide range of topics, including Hurd’s experience in the CIA and his path to Congress, the importanc…

1
Yuval Levin and Bill Haslam on seeking broader coalitions 31:26

2y ago31:26

31:26

In episode two of Unity Talks: A Summer Series, Bill Haslam, former governor of Tennessee and Unity Project co-chair, sits down with Yuval Levin, a political analyst and senior fellow at American Enterprise Institute to discuss a wide range of challenges on our modern political landscape, one of the most notable being the tendency of both major pol…

1
Jonathan Martin and John Geer on the media's impact on American politics 26:43

2y ago26:43

26:43

We are excited to share with you the first episode of Unity Talks: A Summer Series, featuring a grounded, timely discussion between Jonathan Martin, a New York Times national political correspondent and author of This Will Not Pass, and Vanderbilt University Dean John Geer. In their conversation, Martin and Geer explore the personalities driving Am…

1
A Tale of Two Recoveries: What’s Changed since the Great Recession 41:45

2y ago41:45

41:45

Fun fact: The US economy’s rebound from the COVID recession has been five times faster than its recovery after the Great Recession. You read that right. And to explain why that is—and how workers have benefited—we’ve got two people who’ve had front-row seats in the Obama and Biden administrations. Joelle Gamble is the current chief economist at the…

1
Why Neoliberalism Is Finally on the Way Out (with Brad DeLong) 39:16

2y ago39:16

39:16

Brad DeLong knows a thing or two about the US economy. As one of the world’s leading macroeconomists, a former Treasury Department deputy assistant secretary, and author of the new book Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century, Brad is an expert on both the history and theory of neoliberalism. And he’s as surprised as …

1
Making Meaning from the Midterms 27:41

2y ago27:41

27:41

The morning after Election Day, Michael and Felicia look at how progressive ideas—particularly economic ideas—fared throughout the country. They discuss why we might be in a new era of midterms, what the media got wrong about election narratives, what political ads can tell us about economic policy, and whether elected officials can connect the dot…

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