Best Public Affairs At Brown University Podcasts (2025)

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Press freedom and democracy in Africa and around the world 38:12

Play Pause

15d ago38:12

38:12

The World Press Freedom Index, which is issued by Reporters without Borders, measures the health of press freedom around the world. They do so along a number of axes, including the economic health of independent media, legal protections for the press and the physical security of journalists. In 2025, the global score on the index was the lowest it’…

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Trump’s (second) “first 100 days” 34:50

1M ago34:50

34:50

Tuesday, April 29, marked the first 100 days of Trump’s second term. To help make sense of all that’s happened (and a lot has happened), Dan Richards spoke with political scientist and Interim Director of the Watson Institute, Wendy Schiller. They discussed how Trump’s approach to governing has changed since his first term, and how the country, so …

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Why America can’t build things like it used to 32:05

2M ago32:05

32:05

On this episode, Dan Richards talks with Marc Dunkelman, Watson Institute fellow in International and Public Affairs and author of the new book “Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress―and How to Bring It Back.” In the book, Dunkelman explores how American progressives transformed from a movement dedicated to ambitious, effective, centralized govern…

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AI and the future of human rights 27:33

2M ago27:33

27:33

In 2022, OpenAI, Inc. launched a free version of its software ChatGPT, ushering in a new phase in the widespread use of artificial intelligence. Since then, a constant stream of breakthroughs in AI tech by a handful of companies has made clear that artificial intelligence will reshape our planet more profoundly and more quickly than many of us imag…

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Is America’s “housing crisis” really a “mobility crisis”? 36:54

3M ago36:54

36:54

In the 19th century, about one in three Americans moved every year. In the 1960s, that figure had shrunk to one in five In 2023, it was one in 13. In other words, a smaller percentage of Americans are moving today than they have at any time in our history. As Yoni Appelbaum, historian and deputy executive editor at The Atlantic makes clear in his b…

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What Germany’s election means for Germany, the US, and the world 32:14

3M ago32:14

32:14

On February 23, Germans went to the polls. While the establishment center-right CDU/CSU alliance won the largest share of votes, the results revealed a country experiencing profound political and social change. The far-right AfD party received an unprecedented 20% of the vote, while the incumbent center-left party, the SPD, suffered its worst loss …

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The future of US-China relations under a new Trump administration 32:00

4M ago32:00

32:00

On this episode, Dan Richards talks with Tyler Jost, a political scientist and assistant professor at the Watson Institute. Tyler is an expert on international security and Chinese foreign policy, and his new book “Bureaucracies at War: The Institutional Origins of Miscalculation,” explores how leaders (in China and beyond) make decisions about whe…

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Education, democracy and the remarkable life and work of Mary McCleod Bethune 33:26

4M ago33:26

33:26

The Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol is a stately room just off the Great Rotunda, whose walls are lined with — you guessed it — statues. The statues celebrate notable figures from all 50 states. For most of its existence, there wasn’t a single statue of a Black American in this hall. But that changed in 2022 when a statue of Mary McCleod Bethune …

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President Trump is back in office. What have we learned so far? 29:40

4M ago29:40

29:40

On Monday, January 20, Donald Trump was once again sworn in as President of the United States. The ceremony was moved indoors due to the cold, where Trump declared in his inaugural address that no president has ever been tested like he has, and that “the new golden age for America starts now.” However, it wasn’t all speeches and ceremonies on Monda…

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Can the “free market” solve the climate crisis? 28:09

5M ago28:09

28:09

While there are many hurdles to addressing the climate crisis in a meaningful way, there’s been one consistent bright spot in climate news over the last decade: the price of renewable energy — particularly solar and wind power — has dropped dramatically. By many measures, they’re now cheaper to produce than fossil fuels. So does that mean that when…

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The surprising causes and effects of democratic erosion 35:44

6M ago35:44

35:44

In the last two presidential elections in the United States, one issue has entered our political debates in a way we haven’t seen in recent history: the health and future of American democracy itself. And as Rob Blair, a political scientist at the Watson Institute and co-founder of the Democratic Erosion Consortium, explains, this isn’t without rea…

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Amidst melting glaciers and rising seas, finding hope for the future on an Antarctic voyage 31:12

6M ago31:12

31:12

In January of 2019, journalist Elizabeth Rush joined 56 scientists and crew people aboard an ice-breaking research vessel to study the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica. The glacier, which is about the size of the state of Florida, has been nicknamed the “Doomsday Glacier” for the effect its disintegration would likely play in the rise of global sea l…

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To understand Trump’s victory, look around the world 34:39

7M ago34:39

34:39

On November 5, Americans went to the polls and once again elected Donald Trump president of the United States. By this point, you probably know the broad strokes of his victory: He won every swing state and, unlike in 2016, the popular vote as well. It also seems clear that a key part of the Democratic Party’s message — that another Trump term woul…

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How control of Congress will shape US politics, no matter who’s elected president 25:56

7M ago25:56

25:56

On November 5, all eyes will be on the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump for the White House. But no matter who wins the presidency, there’s another close competition that will have a huge impact on U.S. politics: the fight for control of Congress. In fact, next year’s Congress will play a role in our polit…

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“Inside the global supply chain”, with New York Times’ Peter Goodman 35:03

8M ago35:03

35:03

Remember the supply chain problems of 2020 and 2021? The story we were told was that COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the world’s ability to make and transport goods, leaving us with shortages of everything from surgical masks to infant formula (not to mention seven dollar eggs). However, it turns out that the real story behind those shortages is more c…

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Why is this election so close? The issues and voters driving 2024 34:38

8M ago34:38

34:38

While no one knows how this November’s election is going to go in the U.S., there’s one thing most experts agree on: It’s likely going to be close. Very close. Poll after poll suggests that, especially in a few key states, support for the two candidates is evenly split in a way we haven’t seen in decades. So, with just about four weeks to go before…

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The state of political journalism in an election year unlike any other 31:53

8M ago31:53

31:53

Even for an election year, the last few months have seen a head-spinning amount of political news in the United States. So, on this episode, Dan Richards spoke with someone uniquely suited to help make sense of the race as it enters the homestretch. Isaac Dovere is a senior reporter for CNN based in Washington covering Democratic politics. He’s als…

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9/24/24 - Mark and Carrie make an announcement 1:43

8M ago1:43

1:43

An announcement from Mark and Carrie Learn more about and follow the Rhodes Center Podcast Learn more about the Watson Institute’s other podcastsBy Mark and Carrie

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A history of presidents who threatened American democracy (and the citizens who saved it) 37:38

9M ago37:38

37:38

Many Americans see a potential Trump victory in this year’s election as a threat to American democracy. Whether you share that concern or not, the rise of Donald Trump and the prospect of a second Trump term have brought up new and unsettling questions about presidential power and the fragility of our democratic institutions. But as Corey Brettschn…

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The Secret History of the Pope and World War II (originally broadcast 2022) 27:20

9M ago27:20

27:20

In March 2020, the Vatican’s Apostolic Archives of Pope Pius XII — also known as the Vatican’s “secret archives” — were opened to scholars from around the world. Historian and Watson Professor David Kertzer was one of those scholars. What he found there is helping to reframe the role that the Catholic Church — and its then-leader, Pope Pius XII — p…

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South Africa’s elections, 30 years after apartheid: part 2 42:31

10M ago42:31

42:31

This is the second part in our two-part series on South Africa’s politics 30 years after the election of Nelson Mandela, and with it, the end of apartheid. Around the same time as that anniversary this past spring, there was another momentous event in the country: South Africans went to the polls in May, and for the first time in 30 years, the Afri…

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This summer’s UK and French elections explained, with Mark Blyth 32:56

10M ago32:56

32:56

Over the course of 2024, roughly half of the world’s population will participate in national elections. On this episode, we take a closer look at two of them: this summer’s elections in the United Kingdom and France. In the U.K., the center-left Labour Party won in a landslide in July, ending 14 years of Conservative Party rule. In France, an allia…

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South Africa, 30 years after apartheid: part 1 32:28

11M ago32:28

32:28

This spring marked the thirtieth anniversary of the election of Nelson Mandela as South Africa’s president and the end of apartheid, the system of legalized racial segregation that had existed in South Africa for decades. Around the same time as that anniversary, there was another momentous event in the country: South Africans went to the polls in …

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The surprising results of India’s election 28:49

12M ago28:49

28:49

On June 4, results came in from the largest democratic election in history. Over 640 million people voted in India’s election, which took place at over one million polling places across the country over the course of six weeks. Many predicted that India’s prime minister Nerandra Modi and his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would dominate th…

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A former police officer (and public health expert) on the opioid crisis and public safety 17:57

1y ago17:57

17:57

For this week’s show, we’re sharing an episode of “Humans in Public Health,” a podcast from The Brown School of Public Health. It makes a great follow-up to our episode earlier this month about Rhode Island’s first-in-the-nation legally approved proposal for a safe injection site (also known as an overdose prevention center) and how such programs w…

Public Affairs At Brown University Podcasts

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Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

Trending Globally: Politics & Policy

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Mark and Carrie

Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University

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Whistleblowing Now and Then

Whistleblowing International Network

1
Press freedom and democracy in Africa and around the world 38:12

1
Trump’s (second) “first 100 days” 34:50

1
Why America can’t build things like it used to 32:05

1
AI and the future of human rights 27:33

1
Is America’s “housing crisis” really a “mobility crisis”? 36:54

1
What Germany’s election means for Germany, the US, and the world 32:14

1
The future of US-China relations under a new Trump administration 32:00

1
Education, democracy and the remarkable life and work of Mary McCleod Bethune 33:26

1
President Trump is back in office. What have we learned so far? 29:40

1
Can the “free market” solve the climate crisis? 28:09

1
The surprising causes and effects of democratic erosion 35:44

1
Amidst melting glaciers and rising seas, finding hope for the future on an Antarctic voyage 31:12

1
To understand Trump’s victory, look around the world 34:39

1
How control of Congress will shape US politics, no matter who’s elected president 25:56

1
“Inside the global supply chain”, with New York Times’ Peter Goodman 35:03

1
Why is this election so close? The issues and voters driving 2024 34:38

1
The state of political journalism in an election year unlike any other 31:53

1
9/24/24 - Mark and Carrie make an announcement 1:43

1
A history of presidents who threatened American democracy (and the citizens who saved it) 37:38

1
The Secret History of the Pope and World War II (originally broadcast 2022) 27:20

1
South Africa’s elections, 30 years after apartheid: part 2 42:31

1
This summer’s UK and French elections explained, with Mark Blyth 32:56

1
South Africa, 30 years after apartheid: part 1 32:28

1
The surprising results of India’s election 28:49

1
A former police officer (and public health expert) on the opioid crisis and public safety 17:57