Best Michael Cowen Podcasts (2024)

1
Tobi Lütke on Creating Shopify for Americans as a German in Canada 54:04

3h ago54:04

54:04

Tobi Lütke is the CEO and co-founder of Shopify. 20 years ago, he was just a German coder who emigrated to Canada to launch some ecommerce platform with another German. Now he’s the world-renowned thought and tech leader who has revolutionized online shopping for billions. He’s also the creator of many open-source libraries like Liquid, Active Mer…

1
Celebrating Constitution Day, Part. 2: A Conversation with Julia Mahoney 51:26

9h ago51:26

51:26

In this conversation, we dive into key issues shaping the legal landscape today: the complexities of constitutional interpretation, the evolving role and power of the judiciary, and how corruption can impact government systems. We also explored the critical role that civic education plays in maintaining a healthy democracy. Julia D. Mahoney is the …

1
Build, Baby, Build! 1:00:22

5h ago1:00:22

1:00:22

Mike welcomes back to the show George Mason University economist Bryan Caplan to discuss his book, Build, Baby, Build: The Science and Ethics of Housing Regulation. Topics Mike and Bryan discuss include: - why housing prices are so high - bipartisan agreement on housing deregulation - the value of building more high-rise residential units - the man…

1
Celebrating Constitution Day, Part. 2: A Conversation with Julia Mahoney 51:26

7h ago51:26

51:26

In this conversation, we dive into key issues shaping the legal landscape today: the complexities of constitutional interpretation, the evolving role and power of the judiciary, and how corruption can impact government systems. We also explored the critical role that civic education plays in maintaining a healthy democracy. Julia D. Mahoney is the …

1
Joy Knoblauch, "The Architecture of Good Behavior: Psychology and Modern Institutional Design in Postwar America" (U Pittsburgh Press, 2020) 42:37

1h ago42:37

42:37

Inspired by the rise of environmental psychology and increasing support for behavioral research after the Second World War, new initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels looked to influence the human psyche through form, or elicit desired behaviors with environmental incentives, implementing what Joy Knoblauch calls “psychological functio…

1
William H. F. Altman, "The German Stranger: Leo Strauss and National Socialism" (Lexington Books, 2010) 2:12:04

3h ago2:12:04

2:12:04

Leo Strauss was a German-Jewish emigrant to the United States, an author, professor and political philosopher. Born in 1899 in Kirchhain in the Kingdom of Prussia to an observant Jewish family, Strauss received his doctorate from the University of Hamburg in 1921, and began his scholarly work in the 1920s, as well as participating in the German Zio…

1
Introcast: What Could Go Right 2:08

3h ago2:08

2:08

Mike talks about What Could Go Right, a podcast from the Progress Network. Hope you enjoy it too.By Michael Baranowski

1
Danny Sriskandarajah, "Power to the People: Use Your Voice, Change the World" (Headline Press, 2024) 52:53

3h ago52:53

52:53

Power to the People: Use Your Voice, Change the World (Headline Press, 2024) is Danny Sriskandarajah‘s radical manifesto for change designed to inspire citizen action around the world. The book presents a blueprint for how we, as individuals, can make a difference through greater community engagement and how we can deliver a society that works for …

1
Trump v Harris on the Economy, Federal Budget, Jay’s Beefs with Democrats 19:17

1h ago19:17

19:17

Mike and Jay open the preview of this midweek supporters' episode with a look at reports from Goldman Sachs and the Penn Wharton Budget Model, both of which conclude that Kamala Harris’ economic plans will be better for the US economy than Donald Trump’s. However, there are some important caveats, which they delve into. Next, they look at where Con…

1
Neil Van Leeuwen, "Religion As Make-Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group Identity" (Harvard UP, 2023) 1:17:12

1h ago1:17:12

1:17:12

It is an intuitive truth that religious beliefs are different from ordinary factual beliefs. We understand that a belief in God or the sacredness of scripture is not the same as believing that the sun will rise again tomorrow or that flipping the switch will turn on the light. In Religion as Make Believe: A Theory of Belief, Imagination, and Group …

1
Familial Hypercholesterolaemia in Children: Insights from Dr Andrew Martin 12:53

32m ago12:53

12:53

In this episode of The Good GP, host Rebecca Goadby interviews Dr Andrew Martin, a consultant paediatrician at Perth Children's Hospital and an expert in paediatric lipid disorders. Dr Martin has led a paediatric lipid disorders clinic for the past 15 years, specialising in the detection and management of children and adolescents with familial hype…

1
Kevin J. McMahon, "A Supreme Court Unlike Any Other: The Deepening Divide Between the Justices and the People" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 59:38

3h ago59:38

59:38

Many scholars and members of the press have argued that John Roberts’ Supreme Court is exceptional. While some emphasize the approach to interpreting the Constitution or the justices conservative ideology, Dr. Kevin J. McMahon suggests that the key issue is democratic legitimacy. Historically, the Supreme Court has always had some “democracy gap” –…

1
Kevin J. McMahon, "A Supreme Court Unlike Any Other: The Deepening Divide Between the Justices and the People" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 59:38

2d ago59:38

59:38

Many scholars and members of the press have argued that John Roberts’ Supreme Court is exceptional. While some emphasize the approach to interpreting the Constitution or the justices conservative ideology, Dr. Kevin J. McMahon suggests that the key issue is democratic legitimacy. Historically, the Supreme Court has always had some “democracy gap” –…

1
Kevin J. McMahon, "A Supreme Court Unlike Any Other: The Deepening Divide Between the Justices and the People" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 59:38

1h ago59:38

59:38

Many scholars and members of the press have argued that John Roberts’ Supreme Court is exceptional. While some emphasize the approach to interpreting the Constitution or the justices conservative ideology, Dr. Kevin J. McMahon suggests that the key issue is democratic legitimacy. Historically, the Supreme Court has always had some “democracy gap” –…

1
Michael L. Walker, "Indefinite: Doing Time in Jail" (Oxford UP, 2022) 37:09

1h ago37:09

37:09

Jails are the principal people-processing machines of the criminal justice system. Mostly they hold persons awaiting trial who cannot afford or have been denied bail. Although jail sentences max out at a year, some spend years awaiting trial in jail-especially in counties where courts are jammed with cases. City and county jails, detention centers,…

1
Mikhail Zygar, "War and Punishment: Putin, Zelensky, and the Path to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine" (Scribner, 2023) 1:07:18

4h ago1:07:18

1:07:18

As soon as the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, prominent independent Russian journalist Mikhail Zygar circulated a Facebook petition signed first by hundreds of his cultural and journalistic contacts and then by thousands of others. That act led to a new law in Russia criminalizing criticism of the war, and Zygar fled Russia. In his time as a jo…

1
Michael D. Hattem, "The Memory of '76: The Revolution in American History" (Yale UP, 2024) 1:00:57

3h ago1:00:57

1:00:57

Americans agree that their nation’s origins lie in the Revolution, but they have never agreed on what the Revolution meant. For nearly two hundred and fifty years, politicians, political parties, social movements, and a diverse array of ordinary Americans have constantly reimagined the Revolution to fit the times and suit their own agendas. In The …

1
163 - Joe Fried – $16.2 Million Verdict in Pioneering Case against Amazon 1:18:32

2d ago1:18:32

1:18:32

Renowned trucking accident lawyer Joe Fried tried the second case in the nation and the first in Georgia to test Amazon’s claims that it has no responsibility for its drivers’ conduct. The result was a $16.2 million verdict against Amazon for pain and suffering endured by his client’s son, an 8-year-old boy who was run over by a delivery van. As Jo…

1
Presidential Debate, Swifties for Harris, Trump’s Race to Lose 1:03:00

1h ago1:03:00

1:03:00

Mike and Jay open with a discussion of the first (and possibly only) debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Jay agrees with the conventional wisdom about the debate hurting Trump, and Mike agrees that it’s not likely to make a huge difference. But as Jay points out, in a race almost certain to be as close as this one is, a few thousand vote…

1
Meg Rithmire, "Precarious Ties: Business and the State in Authoritarian Asia" (Oxford UP, 2023) 56:49

2h ago56:49

56:49

Developing Asia has been the site of some of the last century's fastest growing economies as well as some of the world's most durable authoritarian regimes. Many accounts of rapid growth alongside monopolies on political power have focused on crony relationships between the state and business. But these relationships have not always been smooth, as…

1
Pamela Riney-Kehrberg, "When a Dream Dies: Agriculture, Iowa, and the Farm Crisis of the 1980s" (UP of Kansas, 2022) 48:57

1h ago48:57

48:57

Unlike a flood or fire, a the Farming Crisis of the 1980s did not have a set beginning of ending. Rather, it was a rolling, often invisible, disaster that could be easy to ignore if you lived in towns or cities, even within the West and Midwest. Yet, in places like rural Iowa, the impacts of this complex crisis were devastating and indeed, ongoing …

1
Postscript: Harris, Trump, and the Politics of Presidential Debates 52:02

1h ago52:02

52:02

In June, a presidential debated ended the candidacy of incumbent President Joe Biden. On September 10th, Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump debated in Philadelphia and two flash polls done by CNN and YouGov declared Harris the winner. Political scientists know that debate wins don’t necessarily translate into November vi…

1
Lynn M. Tesser, "Rethinking the End of Empire: Nationalism, State Formation, and Great Power Politics" (Stanford UP, 2024) 55:47

26m ago55:47

55:47

For more, go to newbooksnetwork.com Why did a nation-state order emerge when nationalist activism was usually an elitist pursuit in the age of empire? Ordinary inhabitants and even most indigenous elites tended to possess religious, ethnic, or status-based identities rather than national identities. Why then did the desires of a typically small num…

1
The Political Evolution of Taylor Swift 24:11

1d ago24:11

24:11

It’s the UConn Popcast, and today we offer a political science / popular culture studies view of Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. We situate Swift’s endorsement within the wider moment of popular culture, and consider her long journey from a self-imposed moratorium on political speech to her curren…

1
Marilynne Robinson, "Reading Genesis" (FSG, 2024) 33:06

1d ago33:06

33:06

For generations, the book of Genesis has been treated by scholars as a collection of documents by various hands, expressing different factional interests, with borrowings from other ancient literatures that mark the text as derivative. In other words, academic interpretation of Genesis has centered on the question of its basic coherency, just as fu…

1
Melissa Osborne, "Polished: College, Class, and the Burdens of Social Mobility" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 47:40

7d ago47:40

47:40

Why do people go to college? In Polished: College, Class, and the Burdens of Social Mobility (U Chicago Press, 2024), Melissa Osborne, an associate professor at Western Washington University, explores the experiences of students from low income and first-generation backgrounds who attend elite universities in the USA. The book offers a vital interv…

1
Celebrating Constitution Day Pt. 1: A Conversation with Cass R. Sunstein 49:33

2d ago49:33

49:33

Join us for an in-depth exploration of Professor Cass Sunstein's latest work, Campus Free Speech (Harvard University Press, September 2024). Together, we'll examine the book’s intriguing take on free speech in academic spaces and the broader implications for constitutional interpretation. Professor Sunstein also delves into the exercise of administ…

1
Josh Cowen, "The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers" (Harvard Education Press, 2024) 41:46

3d ago41:46

41:46

School vouchers are often framed as a way to help students and families by providing choice, but evidence shows that vouchers have a negative impact on educational outcomes. In The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers (Harvard Education Press, 2024), Josh Cowen describes voucher programs as the product of deca…

1
Josh Cowen, "The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers" (Harvard Education Press, 2024) 41:46

3d ago41:46

41:46

School vouchers are often framed as a way to help students and families by providing choice, but evidence shows that vouchers have a negative impact on educational outcomes. In The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers (Harvard Education Press, 2024), Josh Cowen describes voucher programs as the product of deca…

1
Are We Experiencing a Crisis of Culture? 41:28

3d ago41:28

41:28

In this episode of International Horizons, RBI director John Torpey spoke with Olivier Roy, professor of social and political sciences at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy, and author of The Crisis of Culture: Identity Politics and the Empire of Norms (Oxford University Press, 2024). Roy argues that neoliberal globalization is di…

1
Josh Cowen, "The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers" (Harvard Education Press, 2024) 41:46

3d ago41:46

41:46

School vouchers are often framed as a way to help students and families by providing choice, but evidence shows that vouchers have a negative impact on educational outcomes. In The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers (Harvard Education Press, 2024), Josh Cowen describes voucher programs as the product of deca…

1
Reducing Alcohol Harm in Australia: Home Detox with Dr Chris Davis and Dr Hester Wilson 15:32

4d ago15:32

15:32

In this episode of The Good GP, Dr Sean Stevens interviews Dr Hester Wilson, GP & Chief Addiction Medicine Specialist for New South Wales, and Dr Chris Davis, a GP with a special interest in alcohol and other drugs and founder of Clean Slate. They discussed addiction medicine, particularly alcohol use disorders, and the innovative solutions offered…

1
Raquel Velho on Disability, Infrastructure, and London's Public Transport System 1:28:08

4d ago1:28:08

1:28:08

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks to Raquel Velho, Associate Professor of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, about her recent book, Hacking the Underground: Disability, Infrastructure, and London's Public Transport System (U Washington Press, 2023). Hacking the Underground provides a fascinating ethnographic …

1
Anthony Michael Kreis, "Rot and Revival: The History of Constitutional Law in American Political Development" (U California Press, 2024) 1:05:03

4d ago1:05:03

1:05:03

One of the great divides in American judicial scholarship is between legal scholars who take the justices at their word and assume that those words define the law and political scientists who dismiss all judicial arguments as smokescreens for partisan bias or wider political forces. Today’s guest has written a book that bridges that divide. In Rot …

1
Kaitlin Sidorsky, "All Roads Lead to Power: The Appointed and Elected Paths to Public Office for US Women" (UP Kansas, 2019) 52:12

4d ago52:12

52:12

Kaitlin Sidorsky’s new book, All Roads Lead to Power: The Appointed and Elected Paths to Public Office for US Women (University Press of Kansas, 2019), is an extremely well written and important analysis of women in public life and public service. This book combines qualitative and quantitative research to examine appointed and elected state positi…

1
Anthony Michael Kreis, "Rot and Revival: The History of Constitutional Law in American Political Development" (U California Press, 2024) 1:05:03

4d ago1:05:03

1:05:03

One of the great divides in American judicial scholarship is between legal scholars who take the justices at their word and assume that those words define the law and political scientists who dismiss all judicial arguments as smokescreens for partisan bias or wider political forces. Today’s guest has written a book that bridges that divide. In Rot …

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