KERA's Think

Suparna Chaudhry, an associate professor of international affairs and author, discusses the shifting perception of NGOs. Once seen as heroes, they now face criticism and suspicion. She explains how geopolitical events and funding cuts have eroded their legitimacy. With cases of misconduct tarnishing reputations, Chaudhry highlights how these changes impact local communities and civil society. She also compares Western and Chinese aid models, revealing the increasing scrutiny of NGOs worldwide, especially in authoritarian regimes.

When someone decides to move to a new city, the top reasons are likely not what you would imagine. Patience Fairbrother, senior vice president of talent attraction at Development Counsellors International (DCI), joins host Krys Boyd to discuss their research into where highly-skilled talent lands and how cities can attract those in-demand workers. The DCI study is called “Talent Wars.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Mothers who opt for open adoption relationships hope for a future with their child — but it doesn’t always end up that way. Author Nicole Chung joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why open adoptions are more complicated than it may look from the outset, why some mothers find themselves shut out of their biological children’s lives, and how the experience of birth mothers in these arrangements has been understudied. Her article “When Adoption Promises Are Broken” was published in The Atlantic.   Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 On a planet with 8 billion people, what’s the argument for an individual doing the right thing if it’s barely a drop in the bucket? Travis Rieder is a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, where he directs the Master of Bioethics degree program. He joins host Krys Boyd to discuss how individuals should consider their approach to climate change, eating animals and other moral questions when one person’s actions are too small to affect change. His book is “Catastrophe Ethics: How to Choose Well in a World of Tough Choices.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

 For a Native American girl growing up, finding your voice is finding your power. Joy Harjo is a former poet laureate of the United States and member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She joins host Krys Boyd to discuss her life dedicated to words and music, opening her eyes of life beyond traditional Western thought, and why artists are the culture point people for troubled times. Her book is “Girl Warrior: On Coming of Age.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Every time you type a query into your A.I. program, you’re ticking up the cost of your electricity bill. Brian Deese is Institute Innovation Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he joins guest host John McCaa to discuss how energy hungry A.I. is putting pressure on the grid – potentially to the point of breaking – and the solutions that are being sought to curb this growing problem. His article, co-written with Lisa Hansmann, is “The Coming Electricity Crisis” and was published in Foreign Affairs.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Ruby Tandoh, a food writer and finalist from The Great British Bake Off, discusses the rise of the 'foodie' culture driven by social media and online recipes. She explores how food now serves as entertainment and cultural currency, while hard-to-find ingredients become the norm in our kitchens. Tandoh highlights the evolution of recipe presentation and how food photography shapes our dining experiences. The conversation touches on the global spread of flavors and the social dynamics around cooking that connect and inspire communities.

When you think about the challenges of the U.S. southern border, mosquitoes are probably not top of mind – but they should be. Umair Irfan is a correspondent at Vox, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why climate change is making the mosquitoes population boom, why keeping them in check is essential for combating disease, and how the government is attacking the problem with an eye toward keeping people and animals safe. His article is “Mosquitoes at the U.S. southern border reveal a frightening reality about climate change.”  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Samanth Subramanian, an author and journalist known for his work on undersea data cables, dives into the fascinating world of the internet's backbone. He discusses the fragile network of submarine cables that carry 95% of international data, highlighting the Tonga outage caused by a volcanic eruption. Subramanian explains the construction of these cables, their ownership by tech giants, and the legal gaps surrounding them. He also raises important questions about internet access as a fundamental right and the vulnerabilities of our digital connections.

Your doctor might take weeks to diagnose a complicated set of symptoms when A.I. can do it in seconds. Dhruv Khullar is a physician and contributing writer at The New Yorker, and he joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the use of A.I. in medicine, whether doctors will lose the skills to properly diagnose, and how accurate these new computer-aided diagnoses actually are. His article is “If A.I. Can Diagnose Patients, What Are Doctors For?” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices