Zeroing In

About 63 percent of Americans are working or looking for work, but what about the rest? And what measures might help boost job prospects for out-of-work Americans?Jared Bernstein and Michael Strain discuss the nation's labor participation rate and what it tells us about the health of the U.S. economy, with moderator Aaron Chatterji. Bernstein is a senior member of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and a former member of the Obama administration. Strain is the director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C. Chatterji is an associate professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and Sanford School of Public Policy.

The U.S. spends more per student than most of the world's industrialized nations, but our test scores on math and science are in the middle of the pack. Are we getting our money's worth in K-12 education? Helen Ladd and Martin West debate the question on this episode of Zeroing In, hosted by Aaron Chatterji. Ladd is a professor in Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy. West is an associate professor at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. Chatterji is an associate professor at Duke's Fuqua School of Business.

Health insurance premiums for individuals dropped by 10 percent during the first year of Obamacare. What does that number say about whether or not the Affordable Care Act is working? Don Taylor and Michael Cannon debate that question on this episode of Zeroing In, with host Aaron Chatterji. Taylor is a professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy and the Margolis Center for Health Policy. Cannon is the director of health policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. Aaron Chatterji is an associate professor at Duke's Fuqua School of Business and Sanford School of Public Policy.

Violent crime is spiking in major U.S. cities after several decades of significant decline. What's behind that spike? Heather Mac Donald and Philip Cook debate that question on this episode of Zeroing In, with host Aaron Chatterji. Philip Cook is a professor at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy. Journalist and commentator Heather Mac Donald is the author of "The War on Cops." Aaron Chatterji is an associate professor in Duke's Fuqua School of Business and Sanford School of Public Policy. Zeroing In is produced by the Duke Office of News and Communications and engineered by Johnny Vince Evans. Music: "Tra-la-la" by Podington Bear. www.soundofpicture.com

The U.S. defense budget for 2015 was $597 billion, more than the next 14 nations combined. Is our country spending too much on defense or not? And are our dollars going to the right priorities? Peter Feaver and Lawrence Korb discuss those questions on this episode of Zeroing In, hosted by Aaron Chatterji. Feaver is a professor of political science and public policy at Duke University who served on the National Security Council Staff under presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Korb is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress who served as assistant secretary of defense under President Ronald Reagan. Chatterji is an associate professor at Duke's Fuqua School of Business and Sanford School of Public Policy.

Women earn 17 percent less per week than men, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Liz Ananat and Karin Agness debate the pay gap between men and women -- what it means, where it's worst, and what's driving it -- on this episode of Zeroing In: The Numbers Behind the 2016 Election, moderated by Aaron Chatterji. Zeroing In takes a look at key issues on the election agenda, one number at a time. Numbers matter, but in politics, they can be used to muddy the waters rather than enlighten. Each episode of Zeroing starts with one key statistic tied to a critical issue in the 2016 election. Experts from different points on the political spectrum debate what that number means -- and what it doesn't mean -- with help from moderator Aaron Chatterji, an associate professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and Sanford School of Public Policy. Ananat is an economist, an associate professor in Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy and a faculty fellow of Duke's Center for Child and Family Policy. Agness is founder and president of the Network of Enlightened Women, an organization for conservative university women, and a contributor to Forbes.com. Music: "Tra-la-la" by Podington Bear, soundofpicture.com