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 continued government shutdown, early thoughts on the 2020 Democratic Presidential Primary, what the media got right and wrong about the Covington Catholic story, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's marginal tax rate proposal, Brexit as Greek Tragedy, Venezuela's uncertain future, and Jeff Bezos's mild (but oh so costly) affair. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1r2QMYa7vTm5keosfhNFqbFe549qT1bRd/view]

On this episode of Trending Globally, host Sarah Baldwin speaks with Adaner Usmani [https://watson.brown.edu/people/postdocs/usmani] and Terry-Ann Craigie [https://www.brown.edu/academics/population-studies/people/person/terry-ann-craigie-0] about the web of issues surrounding criminal justice in America. Terry-Ann Craigie is an Associate Professor of Economics at Connecticut College, a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, and a visiting faculty at Brown's Population Studies and Training Center. Adaner Usmani is a sociologist and postdoctoral fellow at The Watson Institute. They discuss the cause of our mass incarceration crisis, the value of taking a public health approach to criminal justice, and how to translate economic and social research into actionable public policy. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E74_Adaner%20and%20Terry-Ann.pdf]

On this episode of Trending Globally, Margaret Weir, a political scientist at the Watson Institute, spoke with Assistant Professor of Government at Cornell University Jamila Michener [https://www.jamilamichener.net/] about her book 'Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism and Unequal Politics' [https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/fragmented-democracy/9A69DF1567190EF38883D4766EBC0AAC]. Michener explains how Medicaid’s effects go far beyond hospitals and health clinics. A complex federal program that varies tremendously across the country, Medicaid affects not only participants' healthcare, but their perception of our democracy. You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://watson.brown.edu/files/watson/imce/news/podcast/trending-globally/transcripts/E73_Weir%20Michener%20REV.pdf]