
Scholars Strategy Network's No Jargon
No Jargon, the Scholars Strategy Network’s monthly podcast, presents interviews with top university scholars on the politics, policy problems, and social issues facing the nation. Powerful research, intriguing perspectives -- and no jargon. Find show notes and plain-language research briefs on hundreds of topics at www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/nojargon. New episodes released once a month.
Latest episodes

Dec 9, 2016 • 28min
Episode 62: You’re Fired
Tech error fixed: Professor Peter Shane describes the court case that could give the president new authority to fire any federal official, for any reason. He explains the history of the theory behind the court’s ruling and arguments for and against it.

Nov 29, 2016 • 21min
Episode 61: Buying More Time
Professor Garth Heutel lays out a potentially cost-effective way to reduce global temperatures to stave off global warming. But solar geoengineering is not a silver bullet. While the benefits are clear, the costs are much more uncertain.

Nov 23, 2016 • 23min
Episode 60: Thinking Outside the Kitchen
Professor Sarah Bowen discusses her research on why home-cooking is not all it's cracked up to be. She gives a more realistic account of the idealized family dinner, and how money, time, and gender norms impact how and when families eat.

Nov 22, 2016 • 19min
Episode 59: Race and Reaction
Professor Chris S. Parker details why, given America’s racial history, the election of Donald Trump is not a surprise. Reactionary parties have always appealed to voters beyond just the rural, working class, and Trump supporters are no exception.

Nov 15, 2016 • 24min
Episode 58: Politics of Resentment
Professor Kathy Cramer shares lessons from her conversations with rural communities in Wisconsin. Rural voters often feel forgotten, misunderstood, and disrespected, which directly affects their sense of politics and whom they elect to office.

Nov 11, 2016 • 24min
Episode 57: Election Autopsy
Professor Theda Skocpol discusses the outcome of the 2016 presidential election and what to expect from a Trump presidency. Analyzing the factors that swayed voters, she offers insight on what the Democrats need to do moving forward.

Nov 1, 2016 • 29min
Episode 56: Who Votes and Why
Professor Jan Leighley walks through the factors that influence voter behavior from age to party to voting laws. Elected officials and campaigns are responsive to groups with high turnout and encourage them to vote. The opposite is also true.

Oct 25, 2016 • 24min
Episode 55: Bernie or Bust?
Professor Paul Lichterman analyzes strategies used by activists in social movements and explains how Sanders supporters decide to interact with Clinton in the general election. He offers a new way to think about Trump’s appeal to the religious right.

Oct 18, 2016 • 25min
Episode 54: Racing to the Bottom
Professor Nathan Jensen explains how cities and states often lose more than they gain when politicians use tax incentives to bring businesses to town.

Oct 12, 2016 • 29min
Episode 53: Polls, Polls, Polls
Professor Amy Fried explains the use and abuse of public opinion research and tells how polling methods have changed over the past 100 years.