Congress is the least liked and perhaps least understood part of government. But it’s vital to our constitutional government. Congress is the only branch equipped to work through our diverse nation’s disagreements and decide on the law. To better understand the First Branch, join host Kevin Kosar and guests as they explain its infrastructure, culture, procedures, history, and more.
…
continue reading
Whether you are working hard or hardly working, join AEI Resident Fellow Brent Orrell as he explores national trends and public policies affecting the vitality of the American workforce and how to prepare yourself for success in our rapidly-changing economy. And whatever else happens, we promise it will take your mind off of your job.
…
continue reading
Making sense of the post-Trump political landscape… Both the Republican and Democratic parties are struggling to defend the political center against illiberal extremes. America must put forward policies that can reverse our political and governmental dysfunction, advance the social welfare of all citizens, combat climate change, and confront the other forces that threaten our common interests. The podcast focuses on current politics seen in the context of our nation’s history and the persona ...
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Addressing Rural Economic Development With Kevin R. Kosar
1:27:17
1:27:17
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:27:17
On July 22, Brent Orrell from AEI and Tony Pipa from Brookings hosted a discussion about Casa Grande Valley Farms, an agricultural cooperative from the New Deal era that faced challenges and eventually failed. AEI's Kevin R. Kosar, who has republished a book on the project, joined the conversation to discuss the lessons this historical case offers …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
How Can the House of Representatives Better Prepare New Members? (with Rep. Stephanie Bice)
22:28
22:28
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
22:28
The topic of this episode is, “How can the House of Representatives better prepare new members?” My guest is Rep. Stephanie Bice, a Republican who has represented Oklahoma’s fifth congressional district for the past four years. She previously served in the Oklahoma state legislature from from 2014 to 2020. Prior to that, she worked in business for …
…
continue reading
Russ Roberts, President of Shalem College in Jerusalem and host of the Econtalk podcast, discusses his book, “Wild Problems: A Guide to the Decisions That Define Us. The book discusses Robert’s approach to problems that can’t be solved with normal economics analysis. In this episode, Brent and Russ also discuss the influences Russ had growing up an…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
How Does Media Affect Our Perceptions of Congress? (with Rob Oldham)
27:46
27:46
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
27:46
The topic of this episode is, “How does media affect our perceptions of Congress?’ As listeners no doubt know, Americans are down on Congress. Public approval of Congress has averaged about 20 percent over the past 20 years, according to Gallup. Certainly, the people on Capitol Hill are partly to blame. We have legislators who behave as if they are…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
The online misinformation epidemic, with Renée DiResta
1:06:00
1:06:00
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:06:00
In late December 2014, several visitors to Disneyland fell ill with measles, a disease that supposedly had been eliminated in the United States more than a decade earlier. Over the next month, the outbreak spread to more than 120 people in California, including a dozen infants; nearly half of the infected weren’t vaccinated. The outbreak was a pred…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Sally Satel and Keith Humphreys on the Opioid Epidemic
56:22
56:22
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
56:22
On July 8, AEI’s Brent Orrell hosted the fifth event in the “On the Front Porch” series with the Brookings Institution’s Tony Pipa featuring Stanford University Professor Keith Humphreys and AEI’s Sally Satel, two experts in opioid treatment and the societal effects of drug abuse in rural areas. They discuss the factors that led to the opioid crisi…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
The conservative vision of Edward C. Banfield, with Kevin Kosar
1:09:49
1:09:49
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:09:49
Edward C. Banfield (1916-99), the conservative political scientist who spent most of his career at Harvard University, was one of the most eminent and controversial scholars of the twentieth century. His best-known work, The Unheavenly City (1970), was a deeply informed but unsparing criticism of Great Society-era attempts to alleviate urban povert…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Special Books Edition: An Interview with Michael Johnson, Author of Fixing Congress: Restoring Power to the People
25:12
25:12
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
25:12
The topic of this special episode of the Understanding Congress podcast is a recent book by Michael Johnson and Jerome Climer. The book is titled, Fixing Congress: Restoring Power to the People (Morgan James Publishing, 2024). Mr. Johnson and Mr. Climer each have spent more than four decades in Washington, DC and have had stints working inside Cong…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Brad Wilcox on Marriage and Family Stability
52:05
52:05
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
52:05
This week on Hardly Working, Brent Orrell talks with AEI Senior Fellow Brad Wilcox. Wilcox’s recent book Get Married: Why Americans Should Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families and Save Civilization explores the importance of marriage in society. Brent and Wilcox discuss how marriage promotes healthy families and why declines in marriage rates are…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
The Latino century, with Mike Madrid
1:07:45
1:07:45
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:07:45
In the 1990s, Mike Madrid was a student at Georgetown University writing his senior thesis about Latino voting patterns and trying to predict how this group might change American politics in the future. The prevailing interpretation at the time was that Latinos were likely to become a permanent underclass, would almost certainly vote Democratic as …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Daniel Susskind on the Growth Dilemma
44:59
44:59
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
44:59
Americans are grappling with the complexities of economic growth, technology, and their impacts on society. This week, Brent talks with Oxford University economist Daniel Susskind, who explores these themes in his latest book Growth: A Reckoning. Together, Brent and Susskind discuss the historical context of growth, the role of technological advanc…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
America Last: Right-wing admiration for foreign autocracies, with Jacob Heilbrunn
58:32
58:32
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
58:32
When the Soviet Union came into being in 1917, some American left-wing intellectuals hailed the establishment of the new “workers’ paradise” as the model for the United States (and indeed the rest of the world) to follow. Some even traveled to Russia to pay homage to the communist dictatorship – as for example journalist Lincoln Steffens, who upon …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Does Congress Still Suffer from Demosclerosis? (with Jonathan Rauch)
30:24
30:24
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
30:24
The topic of this episode is, “Does Congress still suffer from Demosclerosis?" My guest is Jonathan Rauch, the author of the classic book, Demosclerosis: The Silent Killer of American Government (Times Books, 1994). Jonathan is a fellow at the Brookings Institution, and the author of numerous books, including The Constitution of Knowledge (Brooking…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Scott Winship on the Wage-Productivity Paradox
46:36
46:36
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
46:36
Americans’ views on the economy have soured in recent years, often seemingly disconnected with the realities of work and growth in incomes. One particularly pernicious meme, found on both the left and the right, is that economic growth has not translated into higher wages for American workers. This week on Hardly Working, Brent sits down with Scott…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Slouching and the posture panic, with Beth Linker
1:05:10
1:05:10
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:05:10
Probably all of us have, at one time or another in our younger years, been told to stand up straight. If you’re part of Generation X or the early Millennial cohort, you probably had to undergo an exam during middle school for scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine. If you’re a Baby Boomer, you might have had to take a posture test upon enter…
…
continue reading
In a world where the traditional boundaries of work are being redrawn, the interplay between work and personal satisfaction, a sense of purpose, and meaning is rapidly evolving. This week on Hardly Working, Brent sits down with John Tamny, editor of RealClearMarkets and president of the Parkview Institute. They discuss Tamny’s 2018 book The End of …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
What Is Congress’ Role in a Contingent Presidential Election? (with John Fortier)
24:05
24:05
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
24:05
The topic of this episode is, "what is Congress' role in a contingent presidential election?" Two centuries ago, America had a contingent presidential election. No candidate got a majority of votes, and thus it fell to Congress to decide who got to be president. Might the United States have another contingent election? Certainly it is possible. Fou…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
The case for incremental change, with Greg Berman and Aubrey Fox
1:04:35
1:04:35
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:04:35
If you spend enough time in Washington D.C., you come to realize that activists of left and right, for all their mutual enmities, unanimously agree on the need for radical and even destructive change. They agree that gradualism is boring, compromise is betrayal, and that the finest thing in life is, as the notable political philosopher Conan the Ba…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Carol Graham on the Power of Hope
1:33:27
1:33:27
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:33:27
Contemporary differences between rural and urban areas in America have their roots in long-term demographic, economic, technological, and social factors. Brent and the Brookings Institution’s Tony Pipa are hosting conversations “On the Front Porch” with authors of recent research on issues facing rural America. These discussions explore the unique …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Special Books Edition: An Interview with Bradley Podliska, Author of Fire Alarm: The Investigation of the U.S. House Select Committee on Benghazi
23:32
23:32
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
23:32
This topic of this special episode of the Understanding Congress podcast is a recent book by a former Hill staffer. It is titled Fire Alarm: The Investigation of the U.S. House Select Committee on Benghazi (Lexington Books, 2023) The author is Bradley F. Podliska is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies at the U.S. Air Force Air C…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Jim Pethokoukis on Conservative Futurism
56:50
56:50
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
56:50
As technology marches on, what kind of world are we moving towards? According to AEI senior fellow Jim Pethokoukis, it’s an abundant and prosperous one, at least potentially. So long as we play our cards right–and embrace what he calls an “UpWing” technology and growth policies we will reap the benefits of what many find to be destabilizing, disori…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Understanding inequality and rising mortality rates in America, with Angus Deaton
1:00:53
1:00:53
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:00:53
Sir Angus Deaton is a British-American economist, and one of the world’s most eminent in his profession. He was the sole recipient of the 2015 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, principally for his analysis of consumer demand, poverty, and welfare. But he is also among the world's most famous (perhaps even notorious) economists for the work…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Vikram Mansharamani on Why to Be a Generalist
47:09
47:09
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
47:09
In a world of specialists, generalists sometimes seem like people without a country. That may be changing. In an age of specialized–and increasingly powerful– AI tools, going broad rather than narrow may increasingly be valuable. Today on Hardly Working, Vikram Mansharamani returns to the podcast to discuss his personal and professional journey as …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Conservative voices in 1960s campus activism, with Lauren Lassabe Shepherd
56:22
56:22
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
56:22
In the early 1960s, colleges and universities in the United States had been politically quiescent for over a decade, following the changes and controversies that had roiled higher education in the 1930s and the post-World War II years when the G.I. Bill had paid the tuitions of large numbers of returning veterans. The demonstrations that erupted on…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Why Can’t Congress Budget Responsibly? (with Rep. David Schweikert)
32:50
32:50
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
32:50
The topic of this episode is “Why is Congress struggling to manage the nation’s finances?” My guest is Representative David Schweikert of Arizona. He was first elected to Congress in 2011. Prior to that, he was a businessman, served in Arizona’s state legislature, and as Maricopa County Treasurer. He is a Republican and holds a seat on the Ways and…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
What Rural Voters Think: A Conversation with Nick Jacobs
1:30:51
1:30:51
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:30:51
Divides between rural and urban America have their roots in longstanding demographic, economic, technological, and social factors. In a new event series, AEI’s Brent Orrell and the Brookings Institution’s Tony Pipa are hosting a series of conversations “On the Front Porch” with authors of recent research on issues facing rural America. These discus…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Illiberal vanguards in Russia and the U.S., with Alexandar Mihailovic
1:09:23
1:09:23
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:09:23
February 24 will mark the second anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Although Vladimir Putin’s dictatorial power made the invasion possible, it’s still unclear to many observers why the Kremlin’s leader took this fateful decision. One of the more persuasive explanations is that since Putin’s return to the presidency i…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Robert Schwartz and Rachel Lipson on Community Colleges and Economic Mobility
57:10
57:10
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
57:10
In recent years, confidence in higher education has plummeted. This decline has prompted a vigorous debate on the role of all types of post-secondary education. In their recent book America’s Hidden Economic Engines: How Community Colleges Can Drive Shared Prosperity, Robert B. Schwartz and Rachel Lipson make the case for the value of community col…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
What Is Legislative Effectiveness? (with Craig Volden)
24:38
24:38
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
24:38
The topic of this episode is, “What is legislative effectiveness?” We voters often say that we want our senators and members of Congress to do things, and preferably, the right things. We tend to dislike it when we see people on Capitol Hill who are all talk and no action. And in theory, we should vote out of office those lawmakers who are ineffect…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Keith Sonderling on AI and the Workforce
49:14
49:14
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
49:14
As artificial intelligence (AI) bounds ahead, many are rightfully concerned about the risks and ethical issues it raises. Perhaps some of the most practical of these is the potential that AI will be biased against minority populations because of deficiencies in the data used to build it. If true, this would have serious implications for human resou…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Is America's past hurting us now? Deep dive with Fergus Bordewich
1:05:40
1:05:40
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:05:40
Many Americans would agree with Henry Ford’s famous statement that “History is bunk.” Do the events of a century and a half ago really have any relevance to our daily lives in the twenty-first century? Fergus Bordewich, in his new book Klan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction, argues that America’s critical missed turning po…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Elizabeth Currid-Halkett on Rural America
53:14
53:14
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
53:14
Many urban Americans have come to believe that there’s a growing chasm separating urban and rural America. While urban America bounds ahead, rural America, many assume, is being left behind, struggling with material and spiritual impoverishment, and cultural confusion. This week on Hardly Working, Brent talks with University of Southern California …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
What Is the State of the Union Address, and Why Does Congress Host It? (with Matt Glassman)
21:36
21:36
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
21:36
The topic of this episode is, What is the State of the Union Address, and Why Does Congress Host It? Once per year, the President of the United States comes to the U.S. Capitol to deliver a speech known as the State of the Union Address. Usually this happens in late January or early February, but it has occurred as late as March 1. Both members of …
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Milton Freidman's unexpected legacy, with Jennifer Burns
56:58
56:58
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
56:58
In 1951, Milton Friedman received the John Bates Clark Medal, a highly prestigious prize given to an American economist under the age of 40 who has made a significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge. As Jennifer Burns points out in her monumental new study of Friedman — the first full-length, archivally researched biography to have b…
…
continue reading
Regrettably, the debate about post-secondary education has devolved into just another culture war issue with one camp saying “everyone go to college” and another saying “skip college learn a trade.” Today, Brent sits down with Ben Wildavsky, a visiting scholar at the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development, who challenges…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Minnesota's progressive Republican tradition, with Lori Sturdevant
1:02:06
1:02:06
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:02:06
On January 20, 1981, Minnesota Republican Senator David Durenberger sat with his colleagues outside the U.S. Capitol to watch Ronald Reagan's inauguration as America's fortieth president. Durenberger considered himself a progressive Republican, which he defined as a combination of fiscal prudence and social conscience. He was a pioneer in legislati…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
What Is Congressional Capacity, and Why Does It Matter? (with Kevin Kosar)
19:46
19:46
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
19:46
The topic of this episode is, “What is congressional capacity, and why does it matter?” As regular listeners know, almost inevitably I have a guest on my show. But this episode, you get just me. The reason is simple: I have been working on congressional capacity for years, and I would like to share my thoughts and hear your feedback. Kevin Kosar: W…
…
continue reading
Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing at breakneck speed. Michael Chui, a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), leads research on how this technology is reshaping business, the economy, and society more broadly. According to MGI, the next wave of AI-generated productivity improvements will send shockwaves through the labor market as i…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
Seth D. Kaplan on how to repair our fragile society, one neighborhood at a time
1:09:02
1:09:02
Na później
Na później
Listy
Polub
Polubione
1:09:02
Seth D. Kaplan gained an international reputation early in his career as an expert in fixing fragile states — lawless places around the globe with deeply flawed political, economic, and legal structures. The United States is not a fragile state in that sense. But it is a fragile society in which too many areas (rich and poor alike) are suffering fr…
…
continue reading
Today, we continue to explore Appalachia with Chris Stirewalt, a senior fellow at AEI. Stirewalt, who grew up in Wheeling, West Virginia, speaks to Brent about the unique culture and values of Appalachia, the role that strong families and institutions play in the region’s success, and potential solutions to the region’s challenges, from its opioid …
…
continue reading