Podcasts about economics phd

The podcast host speak with Allan Hatch, an Economics PhD student about work and involvement in advocacy on campus with the Black Graduate Students Association and Graduate Professional Congress.Caree Banton diasporise, the_forgetful_historianNenebi Tony (IG HANDLES: @everyday.NWA)AAST (@uarkaast)Allan Hatch Instagram:@uark_bgsa@uofagpsc

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: US Policy Career Resources, published by US Policy Careers on June 7, 2023 on The Effective Altruism Forum. Background This post contains a collection of resources for aspiring policy professionals in the US, including articles, books, newsletters, podcasts, and more. It focuses on resources most relevant to people seeking to work in US federal-level technology or security policy, such as AI policy or biosecurity policy. The post is split into two parts: the first consists of career-specific resources, providing both strategic advice on high-level career decisions and tactical advice on applying for particular opportunities. The second consists of topic-specific resources to help readers learn about particular policy areas relating to emerging technology and security policy, including AI policy, biosecurity policy, and nuclear security policy. This collection consists of resources that different DC professionals have recommended. It does not aim to be comprehensive, and we haven't vetted all these resources individually. The collection is also a work-in-progress, and we appreciate any feedback (e.g., resources we missed, better ways to structure this post) via this form or in the comments. I. Career-specific policy resources General US policy career resources US Policy Careers account on the EA Forum Government and policy in an area relevant to a top problem, 80,000 Hours Advice for Undergraduates Interested in US Policy Takeaways on US Policy Careers (Part 1): Paths to Impact and Personal Fit Takeaways on US Policy Careers (Part 2): Career Advice Books: The Great Courses: Understanding the US Government (Audible) (2020) Hack Your Bureaucracy: Get Things Done No Matter What Your Role on Any Team (2022) Podcasts: Transition Lab, Partnership for Public Service Stories from the Backchannel, Center for a New American Security Other policy resource lists GoGovernment Resources, Partnership for Public Service Resources Overview, Network on Emerging Threats Resources, United States of Technology Relevant EA Forum tags: US policy, Policy, Career choice, Job profile, Governance of artificial intelligence Policy work opportunities Policy job boards USAJobs.gov, the government's job board for federal agencies (see USAJobs guide) Employment Bulletins for the House, Senate, and Senate Internships Resume Banks for the House and Senate Paid: Traverse Jobs, focus on Congress and advocacy Tom Manatos Jobs, focus on DC policy (e.g., Congress, federal agencies) Daybook, focus on political, policy, and non-profit jobs List of progressive job boards 80,000 Hours Job Board, includes some policy jobs and internships EA Opportunity Board, includes some policy internships Early-Career Opportunities in Governance and Policy Policy internships Consider "Semester in DC" Programs, if You're a US Student Interested in Policy Congressional Internships: Why and How to Apply Virtual Student Federal Service: remote government internships for US students Think tank internships section from Working at a (DC) policy think tank USAjobs.gov internships for students and recent graduates (see also list here and USAjobs guide here) Policy fellowships Database of EA-relevant US policy fellowships (+ these databases) Horizon Fellowship (previously Open Philanthropy Technology Policy Fellowship) TechCongress Fellowship Presidential Management Fellowship (+ PMF application tips) STPI Science Policy Fellowship Scoville Fellowship Policy graduate school US policy master's degrees: Why and When? (Part 1) Top Programs, Applications, & Funding (Part 2) US policy master's database Law school: Why and When? (Part 1) Admissions and Financial Advice (Part 2) PhD: How To PhD How to apply for a PhD Career review: Economics PhD, 80,000 Hours Policy institutions Legislative branch (Congress) Working in Congress (Part 1): Bac...

This week, I am joined by my dear friend Soriene. She is originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She completed her undergraduate education at Bryn Mawr College in Mathematics and Economics. After graduating in 2020, she worked at Yale University as a Research Assistant. She's currently an Economics PhD student at Northwestern University. In this episode, we discussed our experiences when it comes to finding internships during college as international students and also securing full time jobs afterwards. We talked about the struggles we faced when applying to these positions as international students and how we overcame them. Furthermore, we highlighted the importance of networking, taking advantage of our college's career service centers and cultivating our relationships with our professors in helping us secure jobs and internships. Tune-in to laugh, learn and appreciate the international student experience! Please send questions and feedbacks you have to internationaliebyruth@gmail.com or DM on the Instagram page @internationaliebyruth

Ronny Kohavi, PhD“Economists in tech” is a podcast series of mine trying to tell the story of the movement predominantly Economics PhD talent into and throughout the emerging tech sector. Previously interviews have been with Michael Schwarz (Microsoft), Susan Athey (Stanford, now DOJ, formerly Microsoft), and John List (Chicago, Wal-mart). But this week I chose to share an interview I did a month ago with a prominent computer scientist named Ronny Kohavi. Economists may not know about Ronny. Ronny did his PhD at Stanford in 1995, and was at ground zero to watch major advances happen in tech. His early work was in machine learning, and many of his most cited papers remain in that area too. But something that he has also been instrumentally involved in is from day one in tech being an aggressive evangelist, promoter and guide for the adoption and design of randomized controlled trials now used extensively within tech (called there A/B test not RCT). His recent book with Tang and Hu, "Trustworthy Online Controlled Experiments” discusses in detail his thoughts on this topic.In a lot of ways, Ronny could just as easily fit in the “causal inference” series, but I chose to pin him in this because I think he is more broadly familiar to the tech sector for pushing for the randomized experimental design, and I thought that might be interesting for those of us who stand outside with curiosity tech. If you want to study with Ronny, he teaches a regular workshop at Sphere on RCTs. Scott's Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Scott's Substack at causalinf.substack.com/subscribe

Ronny Kohavi, PhD“Economists in tech” is a podcast series of mine trying to tell the story of the movement predominantly Economics PhD talent into and throughout the emerging tech sector. Previously interviews have been with Michael Schwarz (Microsoft), Susan Athey (Stanford, now DOJ, formerly Microsoft), and John List (Chicago, Wal-mart). But this week I chose to share an interview I did a month ago with a prominent computer scientist named Ronny Kohavi. Economists may not know about Ronny. Ronny did his PhD at Stanford in 1995, and was at ground zero to watch major advances happen in tech. His early work was in machine learning, and many of his most cited papers remain in that area too. But something that he has also been instrumentally involved in is from day one in tech being an aggressive evangelist, promoter and guide for the adoption and design of randomized controlled trials now used extensively within tech (called there A/B test not RCT). His recent book with Tang and Hu, "Trustworthy Online Controlled Experiments” discusses in detail his thoughts on this topic.In a lot of ways, Ronny could just as easily fit in the “causal inference” series, but I chose to pin him in this because I think he is more broadly familiar to the tech sector for pushing for the randomized experimental design, and I thought that might be interesting for those of us who stand outside with curiosity tech. If you want to study with Ronny, he teaches a regular workshop at Sphere on RCTs. Scott's Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Scott's Substack at causalinf.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Announcing: Mechanism Design for AI Safety - Reading Group, published by Rubi on August 9, 2022 on The AI Alignment Forum. We're starting a new reading group for people interested in applying mechanism design tools to technical AI alignment. If you're interested in joining, you can apply here by August 22nd (applying takes less than five minutes). If you have recommendations for papers to discuss, please mention them in the comments. What We're Doing Mechanism design is the study of how to reach desirable outcomes or equilibria in the face of differing incentives and incomplete information. Many AI safety researchers have expressed enthusiasm about the potential of using these tools for work in alignment, but relatively little work has been done in the intersection. We believe this is partially due to a lack of potential researchers with expertise in both technical AI safety and mechanism design, and partially due to a lack of shovel-ready problems. The goal of this reading group is to make progress on both fronts. There are three main areas that this reading group will cover: Work at the intersection of technical AI safety and mechanism design, and where it can be expanded Current work in technical AI safety, and how mechanism design tools can help Current work on mechanism design, and how it can be applied to technical AI safety The plan is to start with papers in the intersection, then alternate between papers on technical AI safety and papers on mechanism design while keeping the broader perspective in mind. Note that although we believe AI governance work is important and contains many applications for mechanism design, that will not be the focus of this reading group. Who We Are and Who We Want I (Rubi) am entering the 2nd year of a PhD in Economics this fall, and am currently working on technical AI safety in Berkeley through the SERI MATS program. Other likely participants include three Economics PhD students at top schools and a Math undergraduate student currently taking part in the SERI Summer Research Fellowship. Our hope for this reading group is to connect with people who have similar interests and create the potential for future collaborations. Based on current expressions of interest, we expect the modal participant in the reading group to be a PhD student in economics, focusing on economic theory, who has read through the AGI Safety Fundamentals curriculum (or an equivalent, such as Eleuther's). If that sounds like you, definitely apply! However, these should not be considered necessary qualifications. Talented undergraduates with an interest in both areas or experts in one area who would like to learn more about the other should also apply. If you're unsure whether you have the background necessary to keep up with this reading group, a good test is to try skimming The Off-Switch Game. It's a short paper, and on the more accessible end of papers we will be discussing. If you understand it or predict you would be able to understand it within an hour, then you are likely to be able to process the papers that we will discuss without too much additional work. If you find yourself struggling to understand the mathematical notation and proofs, then that is likely a bottleneck and you should consider prioritizing work to advance your comfort level there. Participants will be expected to commit approximately eight hours a week for this reading group, which consists of five to seven hours reading the week's paper and an hour and a half to discuss it. If it becomes apparent that a participant is repeatedly not reading or only skimming the papers, they will be removed from the reading group. Please ensure that you can dedicate the required time before applying. Logistics The application form can be found here. The only mandatory fields are a link/upload of your...

Dr. Meena Seshamani is responsible for the health care coverage of more than 63 million Americans and nearly one in every five healthcare dollars spent in the U.S. With the ultimate goal of keeping the people who rely on Medicare at the center of every decision, her role as the director of  the Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires her to balance the personal side of healthcare with the complexities of the healthcare system at large. And she has a rare combination of qualifications that give her a profound expertise with both.As an ear, nose and throat surgeon, Dr. Seshamani has worked at leading health systems delivering care at the patient bedside and serving in senior executive leadership roles. As a PhD in healthcare economics, she has decades of healthcare policy experience. She recently served on the leadership of the Biden Administration's transition team at the Department of Health and Human Services and was previously director of the Office of Health Reform where she drove strategy and led implementation of the Affordable Care Act across the department.This diverse background as a health care executive, health economist, physician and health policy expert gives her a unique perspective on how health policy impacts the real lives of patients.In this episode of Healthcare is Hard, Dr. Seshamani spoke to Keith Figlioli about her expansive role and her focus on the key pillars at Medicare: advancing health equity, driving innovation in healthcare, maintaining good fiscal stewardship and delivering high-quality, person-centered care. Their conversation covers several topics including:A day in the life of CMS. While every day is different, one recurring theme Dr. Seshamani discusses throughout the interview is the importance of listening to patients, staff, partners and others. She says her education and experiences have given her the humility to understand that no one person knows everything and that listening to all stakeholders is a critical component to realizing the power Medicare has to positively impact healthcare in America.Pieces of the Medicare puzzle. Medicare Advantage plans continue to grow in popularity and now account for more than 40% of Medicare enrollees. And while that means more people are transitioning away from traditional Medicare, Dr. Seshamani shares her thoughts about the continued importance of every piece of the Medicare program. The main objective is providing people with options so they can find the solution that works best for them which in turn, drives the system towards achieving the vision of greater health equity.Helping people navigate Medicare. With so many options in the Medicare program, especially with the proliferation of Medicare Advantage, it creates challenges to help seniors navigate them all. But Dr, Seshamani looks at that challenge and sees it as an opportunity. She talks about ways to provide people with the data and information they need to make decisions and the changes CMS is making to the Plan Finder to make that process easier. She also talks about adding additional oversight over third-party marketing for Medicare Advantage based on direct feedback she received about the confusion it can cause for seniors nationwide.To hear Meena and Keith talk about these topics and more, listen to this episode of Healthcare is Hard: A Podcast for Insiders.

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Should you do an economics PhD (or master's)?, published by david reinstein on April 19, 2022 on The Effective Altruism Forum. David Reinstein: all opinions are mine unless noted. Extensive input from Phil Trammell and an Anonymous Contributor (quoted extensively, henceforth “AC”). Thanks to Pete Wildeford and David Moss for feedback. I intend to continue to update and improve this post in situ (or linking out a ‘permanently updated' version). Overview and some takeaways Should I do an economics PhD (or master's)'? What do I need to learn to work at an EA org? How can I level up on this stuff and prove value? These were the most frequent questions I got at the 2022 EAGx Boston conference. I mainly discussed this with undergraduate students, but also with people at career pivot points.[1] My overall view, epistemic basis/confidence, key points Main ‘pros': Much of EA is based in economics, and economics speaks to most of the important cause areas and debates in EA, as well as to the important empirical questions. Conditional on going for a PhD, I believe economics will be one of the stronger choices for the sort of people reading this post. A PhD in economics, and much of the associated training (over ~2 years of coursework and ~3-5 years of ‘writing') helps you towards a range of career paths with potential for strong impact (and a comfortable life) both within and outside EA organizations. Being a PhD student in the right place and time (and mental state) can be very stimulating, productive, creative, and connection-building.[2] You are typically given a lot of freedom in the research phase, as long as your work meets the general approval and framework of your advisor(s) and what the gatekeepers think is important, credible and ‘is economics'. Typically, you don't have to pay for a PhD, you will get money to support yourself, and PhD stipends are often OK. Important considerations: Economics is broad (in its methods and focus-area paths). Often differences in approaches among economists (pure theory, applied econometrics, macro, etc.) are greater than the difference between some economists and some (e.g.) political scientists or psychologists. Important impact paths that an economics PhD may help with include: Applied work ‘informed by expertise and credibility', Deep work formally/mathematically addressing fundamental questions of global priorities and social welfare, Theoretical, computational, and empirical work considering markets and/or the global economy, informing (e.g.) animal welfare policies or the development of technology, Empirical work assessing the impact of interventions, or considering assessing human behavior, choices, attitudes and preferences. There are a range of relevant career paths Academia and academically-leaning think-tanks; doing EA-relevant research as well as potentially transforming academia and the scholarly debate ‘from the inside', Working in governments or NGOs (many require/prefer PhDs), Working at EA-aligned organizations like Rethink Priorities, Global Priorities Institute, Open Philanthropy, maybe MIRI . note a lot of differences across these, For-profit and entrepreneurial options; possibly impactful for out-of-the-bun thinkers/doers. Main ‘cons and caveats': For many/most paths you could learn most/all of the relevant skills and approaches, and background without getting a PhD,[3] In some key areas economics might not be as strong or relevant as other fields (statistics and data science for robust empirical work and predictions, decision science and cognitive science for AI alignment work), The economics PhD program makes you jump some time-consuming hoops that are likely not going to be relevant to your applied career path,[4] People around you will not mainly be value-aligned; beware value drift towards academic prestige an...

Coliseum hot dog vendor/Economics PhD. candidate Hal Gordon joins host Alex Espinoza to discuss his popular A's Twitter bracket, the final environmental impact report, affordable housing at Howard Terminal and more.

65 Minutes PG-13 Marcel Gautreau is an Economics PHD candidate at George Mason University and three-time Mises Institute Summer Fellow. Marcel joins Pete to give a breakdown of the corruption in the Republican and Democrat parties, as well as within the system of commerce and economics itself. Today's Sponsor: Open a Crypto IRA w/ iTrustCapital to Invest in Cryptocurrency & Physical Gold. Get $100 in Bitcoin when you sign up and fund your account through the link below. https://itrust.capital/freeman Marcel on Twitter Marcel's Substack Get Autonomy 19 Skills PDF Download The Monopoly On Violence Support Pete on His Website Pete's Patreon Pete's Substack Pete's Subscribestar Pete's Paypal Pete's Books on Amazon Pete on Facebook Pete on Twitter

65 Minutes PG-13 Marcel Gautreau is an Economics PHD candidate at George Mason University and three-time Mises Institute Summer Fellow. Marcel joins Pete to give a breakdown of the corruption in the Republican and Democrat parties, as well as within the system of commerce and economics itself. Today's Sponsor: Open a Crypto IRA w/ iTrustCapital to Invest in Cryptocurrency & Physical Gold. Get $100 in Bitcoin when you sign up and fund your account through the link below. https://itrust.capital/freeman Marcel on Twitter Marcel's Substack Get Autonomy 19 Skills PDF Download The Monopoly On Violence Support Pete on His Website Pete's Patreon Pete's Substack Pete's Subscribestar Pete's Paypal Pete's Books on Amazon Pete on Facebook Pete on Twitter

We interview our guest Isabella, Economics PHD candidate, to discuss a multitude of subjects ranging from the US economy to El Salvador adopting Bitcoin as its legal currency. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/public-discourse/message

In Episode 172, I converse with Woman FIDE Master Uyanga Byambaa, Economics PHD Student at University of California, Berkeley.  Learn more about her through her blog My Memorable Tournaments. We speak about our memories of the 2012 Northern California International tournament, her thoughts on female titles and tournaments, her upbringing in Mongolia, ideas to keep middle and high schoolers motivated in chess, improvement tips, the importance of analyzing one's own games, objectives for global economic development, parallels between coding and chess, applications of chess in economics and finance and more. 

I like to tell people that I met Steve in the fall of my senior year at the University of Chicago, after I cold emailed him because I was writing a thesis on discrimination in Airbnb. I thought he might be a good person to talk to, and I was right: he was gracious enough to be my senior thesis advisor, and my first job after college was working on his research team. That story is true, and has the added benefit of making me seem like a real go-getter. But if I'm super honest? We had actually met two years before that, after I stood in a line with other undergrads to take a selfie with him after a lecture he gave at UChicago because he's famous, and I'm a nerd. I think of Steve Levitt as one of the original pop social scientists. He's most famously the best-selling author of Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics, and now the host of his own podcast, People I Mostly Admire. In our interview, he reveals how he tries to leverage his new platform, and the immensely popular Freakonomics podcast, for social good. We also talk about Steve's disillusionment with academia (he is a professor at the University of Chicago), his new social good center, whether there's any hope for individuals to make lasting change, and whether anybody should go get an Economics PhD (no). If you like this episode, please subscribe and rate. I'm a real human making this podcast from my kitchen table, so your support matters.

This week we talk with Anne Burton. Anne Burton is a Economics PhD student (and job market candidate for 2020!) at Cornell University. Her research is primarily concerned with the social welfare implications of risky health behaviors and crime. Before going to Cornell, She was a Senior Research Assistant in the Fiscal Analysis section at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. from 2012-2015. She graduated from Colby College in Waterville, Maine in 2012 with a B.A. in Economics and Government. Alex Hollingsworth - is an Assistant Professor in the O'Neill School of Public and Environment Affairs at Indiana University. Follow Alex @ajhollingsworth Sebastian Tello-Trillo - an Assistant Professor in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. Follow Sebastian @dsebastiantello Show Notes: Anne's paper is on smoking ban's on alcohol and smoking consumption. She also gives a shout out to this paper by Jérôme Ada and Francesca Cornaglia. (Taxes, Cigarette Consumption, and Smoking Intensity) Anne Burton & Barton Willage have compiled a list of conference in economics, which includes online conferences. Check it out! (Click here) We also mention that in terms of tools for keeping connected you may want to try slack, or gather.town Anne's recommendation of the week is to go vote! Sebastian's recommendation of the week is to use "Control + Backspace" instead of "Backspace", this will delete full words and will make your typing experience easier! It takes some time to get used to. If you want more tips to type fast, (click here) Alex's recommendation is the STATA command "ds" (click here). DS can store a set of variables in a local or macro. For example, you can type "ds a*" and this will create a local with all the variables that start with a. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hidden-curriculum/message

On the 39th episode of the Poker Central Podcast, it's time to talk poker with 3-time Super Bowl champion Richard Seymour.  On Day 2a/b of the Main Event, 2,219 players returned to the tables and only 1,023 managed to make it through to Day 3. The biggest stacks belong to Mickey Craft (608,100) and Lawrence Bayley (618,000). Seymour bagged up 102,000, while defending champion Qui Nguyen was knocked out. We also spoke to Nguyen on the show, about his return to the place where his epic run started last year.  Economics PHD student Andrew Barber joins the show to talk about the economics of the Main Event and the lower markups for action being lower than they have been in previous years.   Last but certainly not least, Army vet Tim Burt joins the show to talk about his quest for a fourth straight WSOP Main Event cash, and his history of playing online poker while being on active duty in Iraq.  

In the course of a week, Alberta's political landscape changed dramatically. First, Premier Ed Stelmach announced he would not run in the next provincial election. Then David Swann, leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and leader of the Official Opposition, also announced his resignation. On the one side: a new party with a dynamic young leader is scoring high in the public opinion polls. On the other side: the two major parties in the legislature both face leadership races. And there may or may not be a new center option in the form of the Alberta Party. More than it has for decades, the political landscape appears open for major change -- but what kind of change will it be? The speaker will argue that the door is now open for a new kind of politics to emerge, a politics that reflects the demands and the priorities and the style of a new generation. In 1971, Peter Lougheed's surprise win marked the political arrival of the "Baby Boomer" generation -- but the first baby boomers turned 65 in January. The last generational shift obliterated the long-lived Social Credit party; what will the next one look like? After the upcoming leadership races and the provincial election that will probably follow in 2012, there will be new faces wall to wall -- and the odds are they will be younger faces. The critical question, the one that will drive our politics for the next decades, is how the parties -- the old ones, and the new ones just emerged or trying to emerge -- will cope with this new reality. Speaker: Peter McCormick Dr. Peter McCormick is Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Lethbridge, where he teaches Canadian Government and Politics and Constitutional Law. He holds degrees from the University of Alberta (BA 68), the University of Toronto (MA 69) and the London School of Economics (PhD 74). Dr. McCormick is heard regularly on CBC radio and is often quoted in the national news media.

In the course of a week, Alberta's political landscape changed dramatically. First, Premier Ed Stelmach announced he would not run in the next provincial election. Then David Swann, leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and leader of the Official Opposition, also announced his resignation. On the one side: a new party with a dynamic young leader is scoring high in the public opinion polls. On the other side: the two major parties in the legislature both face leadership races. And there may or may not be a new center option in the form of the Alberta Party. More than it has for decades, the political landscape appears open for major change -- but what kind of change will it be? The speaker will argue that the door is now open for a new kind of politics to emerge, a politics that reflects the demands and the priorities and the style of a new generation. In 1971, Peter Lougheed's surprise win marked the political arrival of the "Baby Boomer" generation -- but the first baby boomers turned 65 in January. The last generational shift obliterated the long-lived Social Credit party; what will the next one look like? After the upcoming leadership races and the provincial election that will probably follow in 2012, there will be new faces wall to wall -- and the odds are they will be younger faces. The critical question, the one that will drive our politics for the next decades, is how the parties -- the old ones, and the new ones just emerged or trying to emerge -- will cope with this new reality. Speaker: Peter McCormick Dr. Peter McCormick is Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Lethbridge, where he teaches Canadian Government and Politics and Constitutional Law. He holds degrees from the University of Alberta (BA 68), the University of Toronto (MA 69) and the London School of Economics (PhD 74). Dr. McCormick is heard regularly on CBC radio and is often quoted in the national news media.

In the course of a week, Alberta's political landscape changed dramatically. First, Premier Ed Stelmach announced he would not run in the next provincial election. Then David Swann, leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and leader of the Official Opposition, also announced his resignation. On the one side: a new party with a dynamic young leader is scoring high in the public opinion polls. On the other side: the two major parties in the legislature both face leadership races. And there may or may not be a new center option in the form of the Alberta Party. More than it has for decades, the political landscape appears open for major change -- but what kind of change will it be? The speaker will argue that the door is now open for a new kind of politics to emerge, a politics that reflects the demands and the priorities and the style of a new generation. In 1971, Peter Lougheed's surprise win marked the political arrival of the "Baby Boomer" generation -- but the first baby boomers turned 65 in January. The last generational shift obliterated the long-lived Social Credit party; what will the next one look like? After the upcoming leadership races and the provincial election that will probably follow in 2012, there will be new faces wall to wall -- and the odds are they will be younger faces. The critical question, the one that will drive our politics for the next decades, is how the parties -- the old ones, and the new ones just emerged or trying to emerge -- will cope with this new reality. Speaker: Peter McCormick Dr. Peter McCormick is Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Lethbridge, where he teaches Canadian Government and Politics and Constitutional Law. He holds degrees from the University of Alberta (BA 68), the University of Toronto (MA 69) and the London School of Economics (PhD 74). Dr. McCormick is heard regularly on CBC radio and is often quoted in the national news media.

In the course of a week, Alberta's political landscape changed dramatically. First, Premier Ed Stelmach announced he would not run in the next provincial election. Then David Swann, leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and leader of the Official Opposition, also announced his resignation. On the one side: a new party with a dynamic young leader is scoring high in the public opinion polls. On the other side: the two major parties in the legislature both face leadership races. And there may or may not be a new center option in the form of the Alberta Party. More than it has for decades, the political landscape appears open for major change -- but what kind of change will it be? The speaker will argue that the door is now open for a new kind of politics to emerge, a politics that reflects the demands and the priorities and the style of a new generation. In 1971, Peter Lougheed's surprise win marked the political arrival of the "Baby Boomer" generation -- but the first baby boomers turned 65 in January. The last generational shift obliterated the long-lived Social Credit party; what will the next one look like? After the upcoming leadership races and the provincial election that will probably follow in 2012, there will be new faces wall to wall -- and the odds are they will be younger faces. The critical question, the one that will drive our politics for the next decades, is how the parties -- the old ones, and the new ones just emerged or trying to emerge -- will cope with this new reality. Speaker: Peter McCormick Dr. Peter McCormick is Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Lethbridge, where he teaches Canadian Government and Politics and Constitutional Law. He holds degrees from the University of Alberta (BA 68), the University of Toronto (MA 69) and the London School of Economics (PhD 74). Dr. McCormick is heard regularly on CBC radio and is often quoted in the national news media.

Recent polls suggest another minority government in Canada after the October 14th vote, albeit the demographics of Parliament may change. Initially, environmental issues were high on the campaign agenda, arguably for good reason. However, the US-led world economic woes have come into play in Canada and shifted the focus towards our economy. The Liberal “Green Shift” may partly be a victim of the looming economic downturn in Canada. However, the speaker believes that Liberal Party problems could go deeper, with roots attached to previous leaders Jean Cretian and Paul Martin. Stephane Dion, he feels, has not managed to gain the trust of Canadian voters. His leadership ratings are low, according to the latest opinion polls. More election goodies are bound to be announced and a majority Government is still a possibility. But voter apathy, performances at the Leadership Debate and the ability of candidates to refrain from making controversial statements are all influencing factors. The speaker will explore several election scenarios and make fearless predictions. Speaker: Peter McCormick Dr. Peter McCormick is a professor and the Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Lethbridge, where he teaches Canadian Government Politics and Constitutional Law. He holds degrees from the University of Alberta (BA 68), the University of Toronto (MA 69) and the London School of Economics (PhD 74). Dr. McCormick is heard regularly on CBC radio and is often quoted in the national news media. Date: Thursday, October 2, 2008 Time: 12 noon - 1:30 p.m. Location: Country Kitchen Catering (Lower level of The Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S. Cost: $10.00 (includes lunch)

In February, Albertans sleep-walked their way through a campaign that is finally the answer to the question "What if they held an election and nobody noticed?" Meanwhile, Americans are mobilizing their electorate and fascinating the world with one of the most exciting races for a Presidential nomination in living memory. So ­ what is happening? Where does an Obama come from, and how do such people manage to push the political "reset" button? What chance is there for a similar phenomenon to erupt in Canadian politics? What would it really mean for someone like Obama to win not only the Democratic nomination but also the Presidential election campaign that technically has not even started yet? Are Americans getting real change, or just the appearance of change? As we watch what could be one of the great US elections of recent history, we should reflect on what it is telling us about the realities of democratic politics in a mass society in the twenty-first century. Speaker: Dr. Peter McCormick is a professor and the Chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Lethbridge where he teaches Canadian Government Politics and Constitutional Law. Dr. McCormick holds degrees from the University of Alberta (BA 68), the University of Toronto (MA 69), and the London School of Economics (PhD 74). COST: $10.00 (includes lunch)

WHAT IS HAPPENING? AND WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Speaker: Dr. Peter McCormick, a SACPA favourite. He is a professor and the chair of the Political Science Department at the U of L where he teaches Canadian Government Politics and Constitutional Law. Dr. McCormick holds degrees from the University of Alberta (BA 68), the University of Toronto (MA 69), and the London School of Economics (PhD 74). He is fascinated by the issues that have emerged during the election campaign, as is everyone else. 12 Noon to 1:30 p.m.