Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

School is about more than just the subjects kids are supposed to learn, it’s an essential part of their social and emotional growth. This is something we all know, but sometimes take for granted. Or at least we did -- until last year. The Covid-19 pandemic made all too clear that educational success, mental health, and our environments are inextricably linked. And nowhere is this connection more apparent than in conversations around ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.On this episode, Sarah Baldwin ’87 talks with Jayanti Owens, assistant professor of sociology and international and public affairs at Watson, about how this highly common, often misunderstood condition is diagnosed and treated. Jayanti's 2020 paper, "Social Class, Diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and Child Well-Being" which we discuss, recently won the 2021 Outstanding Publication Award from the American Sociological Association's Section on Disability and Society. We’ll also look at what these issues can teach us about the complex relationship between kids’ mental health and their success in school -- a topic which, after this past school year, is sorely in need of a rethink. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

This is the epilogue in a special series from Trending Globally exploring the housing crisis in the United States, and in Rhode Island in particular. The crisis has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but as we showed in this series, it’s a problem that has been with us for much, much longer.On this episode, we introduce you to the Brown students and alumni who made this podcast possible through their research, experience, and expertise. We explore why they became interested in housing in the first place, what they learned from making the podcast, and what issues they still wrestle with when it comes to the problem of housing in America.Contributors to this podcast include students from Brown University and the media collective Signs of Providence. You can learn more about their organization here.Listen to Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Less to Lean On. You can learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts here.

Between Covid-19 and America’s racial reckoning over that past 12 months, there’s never been a more important time to understand how race and racism affect both the reporting and the consumption of news in America. In the lead-up to Juneteenth, Watson held an event exploring these issues with some of the leading voices covering race today: New York Times reporter John Eligon and CNN Senior Correspondent Sara Sidner. They were interviewed by former President of CNN Jon Klein ’80. It was a fascinating event that we thought our listeners at Trending Globally would love, so on this episode we’re broadcasting an edited version of their conversation. You can watch a video recording of their full conversation here.You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

On this episode, we’re sharing one of our favorite conversations from another podcast produced by the Watson Institute: ‘The Rhodes Center Podcast,’ hosted by political economist Mark Blyth. Mark recently talked with economist and Brown professor John Friedman about 'Bidenomics': what it is, what it isn't, and what it can tell us about our precarious economic recovery.You can watch the video of John and Mark's full conversation here.You can subscribe to the Rhodes Center Podcast here.You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

In the past 6 months (or maybe the last 5 years) Americans have been thinking about democracy and its fragility in entirely new ways. At the same time -- whether we’re talking about Poland, Turkey, or India -- it feels like democracy is on the edge around the world. But how big are these threats to democracy, actually? And how helpful is it to talk about all these different countries' experiences in the same discussion? On this episode Sarah Baldwin '87 talks with Rob Blair, a political scientist at Watson and founder of the Democratic Erosion Consortium. He’s been thinking about all these questions, and thankfully he has answers. You can learn more about the Democratic Erosion Consortium here. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

On this episode, Watson Economics Professor Glenn Loury talks with writer Thomas Chatterton Williams. Williams’s 2010 memoir ‘Losing My Cool: Love, Literature, and a Black Man’s Escape from the Crowd,’ combined cultural criticism with his own personal story of falling in (and out) of love with hip hop culture growing up. His 2019 book ‘Self Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race,’ continued his exploration of issues at the intersection of race, culture, family, and his own story. Whatever your views, he and Glenn's discussion will be sure to challenge your assumptions about race, class, and identity in America. You can learn about and purchase 'Losing My Cool' here. You can learn more about and purchase 'Self Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race' here. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

In April, President Biden announced that the US will pull all of its troops out of Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. On this episode Dan talks with Watson Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer about what this withdrawal might mean for Afghanistan -- and for the US. As Stephen makes clear, this news brings up questions about US foreign policy that are much bigger than any one conflict or country, and that will have ramifications for the entire world.You can learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts here.

After getting a master’s degree in public affairs at Watson, it’s common for folks to work in government, or with an NGO, or on a political campaign. Less common is what Anna Lenaker, from the Watson MPA class of 2020, did after graduating. She wrote a memoir. The book, titled ‘Able to Be Otherwise,’ tells the story of Anna’s turbulent childhood, growing up with a mother who suffered from overlapping struggles with mental health, poverty, and addiction. On this episode Sarah talks with Anna about her at-times-unbelievable journey from the streets of Tijuana, to fire-ravaged forests of California, to the halls of Brown University. In telling this story, she also provides a powerful argument for how we might re-envision the role of public policy in an interconnected world. You can learn more about -- and purchase -- ‘Able to Be Otherwise’ here or here. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

On April 20, 2021, Derek Chauvin was found guilty in the death of George Floyd. But despite the overwhelming evidence -- including the infamous video of him kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes -- that verdict was hardly a foregone conclusion.On this episode Sarah talks with Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, associate professor of sociology at Brown, about why convicting police officers of crimes in the U.S. is so incredibly rare. Her 2016 book, “Crook County,” explores this question, and paints a picture of the overlapping forces that keep justice from being served when it’s directed at the police themselves. You can learn more about and purchase Crook County here. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

On this episode, Sarah and Dan talk with scholars across Watson about the climate issues they think aren’t getting enough attention. The answers range from how climate change will affect warfare to the role international bribery might play in maintaining a habitable earth. Hopefully these conversations will leave you with lots to think about and underscore just how much our politics, policies, and futures depend on a healthy planet. Guests on today’s episode: Jori Breslawski, Jeff Colgan, Mark Blyth, and Patsy Lewis. You can learn more about Watson’s Climate Solutions Lab here. You can learn more about the Rhodes Center here. You can learn more about the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies here. You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.