Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown's Watson Institute, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and associate director of Brown's Master of Public Affairs program, share their take on the week's news. Today's topics include, the tragic mass-shooting in New Zealand, what's wrong with Boeing's airplanes, the college admission scandal, how Captain Marvel brings us hope, and the odd sensation of agreeing with President Trump. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DkQzcJtg1tRo_ICVxORwACXrnLsC_6SG/view]

On this episode of Trending Globally, Sarah Baldwin talks with Watson Fellow Nick Barnes about the formal and informal ways Rio de Janeiro’s favelas are governed. Much of his work focuses on Complexo Maré, a district in Rio de Janeiro made up of 16 interconnected favelas. In Complexo Maré, gangs have often done the work of governments, from social welfare programs to public safety. But when Rio was chosen to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics, that dynamic began to change. You can find more information about 'Maré de Dentro: Race, Gender, and Life amid the Militarization of Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas,' an art exhibit on view at The Watson Institute through May 3, here: [https://watson.brown.edu/events/2019/art-watson-presents-mar-de-dentro-race-gender-and-life-amid-militarization-rio-de] You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E82_Nick%20Barnes_REV.pdf]

On this episode of Trending Globally Sarah Baldwin talks with Aruna Roy [https://watson.brown.edu/southasia/people/aruna-roy], one of India’s most prominent activists. In 1968 Roy joined the Indian Administrative Service, but left in 1975 to work directly with poor and marginalized communities. In 1987, she and two other activists founded MKSS (The Association for the Empowerment of Labourers and Farmers). They’ve fought for everything from the right to work to food security to government transparency. Roy is currently a fellow at the Watson Institute, and her new book 'Power to the People: The Right to Information Story' [https://www.amazon.com/Power-People-Right-Information-Story/dp/8193984625] looks at how the fight for government transparency in India grew from a movement into a law. (Photo Credit: Augustus Binu) You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E81_Aruna%20Roy_mixdown.pdf]

This week, something a little different. We at Trending Globally came across a great podcast produced by the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University [https://sanford.duke.edu/], and we wanted to share it with you. It’s called Policy 360 [https://sites.duke.edu/policy360/]. On it, Sanford School Dean Judith Kelley interviews scholars, policymakers, and politicians about some of the most pressing public policy issues today. So this week on Trending Globally: a special episode from Policy 360, featuring former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright discussing the history of fascism and her book Fascism: A Warning.(Music by Vittoro by Blue Dot Sessions [freemusicarchive.org/music/Blue_Dot_Sessions/], Creative Commons License: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/) You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E80_Duke%20Ep_REV.pdf]

*Update: Arenberg's book 'Congressional Procedure' has been named a Foreword INDIES 2018 Book of the Year Finalist [https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/books/congressional-procedure/] .* Richard Arenberg knows the inner workings of Congress better than almost anyone. He spent over 30 years on Capitol Hill as senior staff for Senators George Mitchell, Carl Levin, and Paul Tsongas. Today he’s a Visiting Professor in Political Science at Brown University, and a Senior Fellow at the Watson Institute [https://watson.brown.edu/people/fellows/arenberg]. His new book, 'Congressional Procedure' [http://www.thecapitol.net/Publications/congressionalprocedure.html], explores one part of Congress that we often overlook: its rules. Part history, part rule-book, and part manifesto, Arenberg’s book makes clear how these rules are more than just formalities. On this episode of Trending Globally, Sarah talks with Arenberg about why Congress’s rules matter, why so many people call Congress ‘broken,’ and how it might save itself going forward. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E79_Rich%20Arenberg_REV.pdf]

On this episode of Trending Globally,: a deep dive into the opioid crisis. Guest host Susan Moffitt, Director of the Taubman Center for American Policy and Politics [https://watson.brown.edu/taubman/], talks with Brandon Marshall, Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health [https://vivo.brown.edu/display/bm8]. Marshal is an expert in the epidemiology of substance abuse, and presented on his work this February at a conference hosted by the Watson Institute and the Taubman Center [https://youtu.be/-DWoWS3RtBE]. Moffitt and Marshall look at the origins of this public health crisis, and help make sense of the staggering numbers behind it. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E78_Brandon%20Marshall_mixdown.pdf]

Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown's Watson Institute, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and associate director of Brown's Master of Public Affairs program, share their take on the week's news. Today's topics include Trump’s declaration of a ‘national emergency’, Amazon’s Valentine’s Day break-up with NYC, The Green New Deal, insect extinction and humanity's inability to focus on climate change, and the incomprehensible progression of Brexit. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lSRyn43cD7fnyJk72xOD53IoqtFjavG8/view]

On this episode of Trending Globally [https://soundcloud.com/watsoninstitute/sets/trending-globally], Sarah Baldwin speaks with Sam Wilkin, an economist, political risk consultant, and fellow at the Watson Institute [https://watson.brown.edu/people/visiting/wilkin]. In 2015 Sam started to work on a book about the history of populist movements around the world. At the time people weren’t too interested in what he was saying. Then Donald Trump was elected President, and people became very interested. His book History Repeating: Why Populists Rise and Government’s Fall [https://profilebooks.com/history-repeating.html], came out in March of 2018. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E77_Sam%20Wilkin_REV.pdf]

Whether it’s the economics of small-scale farming, or the environmental impact of a fast food hamburger, what we eat is about way more than just nutrition. On this episode of Trending Globally, Sarah Baldwin talks with Ross Cheit [https://watson.brown.edu/public-policy/people/faculty/ross-cheit], a political science Professor at the Watson Institute who helps Brown students make these connections in a class he designed called ‘Politics of Food.’ But the more time he’s spent on this topic, the more he’s realized that one type of food is treated a little differently from all the rest: fish. In their forthcoming book Big Fish: Politics, Policy, and American Seafood, Cheit and his co-authors look at the unique challenges and opportunities fish represent when it comes to feeding the world. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/16UlBbCZvfAZxcNh4q1h6xMAqPZ2VAioy/view?usp=sharing]

Whether we’re thinking about parenting, pregnancy, or public health, Brown economist Emily Oster [https://watson.brown.edu/people/faculty/oster] likes to challenge conventional wisdom. One of Oster’s most recent papers, posted at the National Bureau of Economic Research, is about a subject that’s full of conventional wisdom: the American diet [https://www.brown.edu/research/projects/oster/sites/brown.edu.research.projects.oster/files/uploads/OsterBehavioralSelection_December2018.pdf]. In it, Oster challenges how doctors and scientists create those studies we read about in the newspapers -- the ones that tell us that kale is good, sugar is bad, and red wine is somehow...both. On this episode of Trending Globally, host Sarah Baldwin spoke with Oster about where she finds inspiration for her research, what it’s like growing up in a family of economists, and how she first decided to focus her attention on science and nutrition. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E75_Emily%20Oster%20_mixdown.pdf]