LSE: The Ballpark

Contributor(s): Amy Goldstein, Wendy Scattergood | On this episode of the Ballpark, we take a look at the state of Wisconsin through the lens of deindustrialization. Together with our contributors, we examine how the Badger state’s politics have become more polarized in the past decade and what happened to its people when the factories began to close.

Contributor(s): Jeff Frieden, Doug Irwin | This Extra Inning of the Ballpark features a conversation with Jeff Frieden and Doug Irwin as they discuss one of the most important parts of the economy: international trade. They talk about the changing consensus on trade in the US under Trump, what the growth of populism across the world means for trade and the international economy, Brexit, the growing trade war between the US and China, and give their policy recommendations for Donald Trump. Jeff Frieden is a professor at the University of Harvard’s Department of Government and the author of Currency Politics: The Political Economy of the Exchange Rate Policy and Global Capitalism: Its Fall and Rise in the 20th Century. Doug Irwin is the John French Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College, as well as the author of Clashing over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy, and Trade Policy Disaster: Lessons from the 1930s.

Contributor(s): Robynn Kuhlmann, Samantha Pettey | In this episode of the Ballpark, we head to Missouri to investigate the state’s political landscape and why its Senate race was so heated in this midterm cycle. We also talk to experts about 2018 as the Year of the Woman, explore some fascinating research on political ideology, and talk about what we can expect from this record-setting number of women in Congress.

Contributor(s): Joe Uscinski, Ros Taylor | This Extra Inning of the Ballpark features audio from the US Centre’s event “Conspiracy Theories in the Age of Trump,” which took place on 25 July 2018. Joseph Uscinski, associate professor of political science at University of Miami, speaks about his book American Conspiracy Theories and why President Trump might be America’s first conspiratorial president. Using an analysis of more than a hundred years of data taken from newspapers, surveys, and the internet, Professor Uscinski demonstrates that conspiracy theories follow a strategic logic: they are tools used by the powerless to attack and defend against the powerful. Our chair for this event, Ros Taylor, is Research Manager for the LSE Truth, Trust & Technology Commission, based in the Media Policy Project within the Department of Media and Communications at LSE.

Contributor(s): Dr. Kori Schake | In this Extra Inning of the Ballpark, your host Chris Gilson talks with Dr. Kori Schake, the Deputy Director-General of the Institute of Strategic Studies, about her book Safe Passage. Dr. Schake discusses how and when power can peacefully shift from one hegemon to another, the impact of Trump’s foreign policy on America’s standing in the world, and the future of the Republican party.

Contributor(s): Peter Trubowitz, Lawrence Wright, Heather Evans | As the midterms draw nearer, we're zooming in on some of the most interesting races in the US. This week, we're headed to Texas to learn about its uniquely individualist culture, what's happening in its Senate race, and how the Lone Star State is poised to become an even more important player in national politics.

Contributor(s): Jason Burchard, Amanda Wintersieck, and Andy Schneider, Denise Baron and Sarah Scaffidi | As a part of our State of the States season, we’re taking a look at some of the most important elections in the 2018 midterms, and this episode, we’re going to Tennessee, the volunteer state, to see how healthcare is impacting one of the most competitive Senate races in the country.

Contributor(s): Susannah Crockford, Antonia Noori Farzan, Chris Gilson, Denise Baron | As a part of our State of the States season, we’re diving deep into the political landscape of Arizona, the Grand Canyon State, and taking a close look at how immigration is playing out in the US Senate race of this border state

Contributor(s): Chris Bonneau, Kris Kanthak, Denise Baron, Chris Gilson | This season, we’re taking a look at how the states influence and shape America’s politics and policy. The stories, the elections, the policies, the political ecosystems, the people of these places are what drives the national narrative. And so, this season, “The State of the States” will take us to some of the most interesting and divided places in the United States.

Contributor(s): Charlie Beckett, Sonia Livingstone, Chris Gilson, Sophie Donszelmann, Denise Baron | Fake news has taken the world and especially America by storm, and in this episode, we talk with two academics who are part of LSE’s effort to define and address this threat to society. We talk with Charlie Beckett and Sonia Livingstone about fake news: what it is and what we can do about it.