BBC Radio 4 comedy and popular science series, hosted by physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince
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John Sides is Professor of Political Science and William R. Kenan, Jr. Chair at Vanderbilt University. He studies political behavior in American and comparative politics. He is an author of The Bitter End: The 2020 Presidential Campaign and the Challenge to American Democracy, Identity Crisis: The 2016 Presidential Campaign and The Battle for the Meaning of America, and The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Election He helped found Good Authority and its predecessor, The Monkey Cage, both of which are sites about political science and politics. He has also written for such outlets as FiveThirtyEight, the Boston Review, Bloomberg View, CNN, the Los Angeles Times, and the New York Times. He serves as Research Advisor to the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group. He received his B.A. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He previously taught at the University of Texas-Austin and George Washington University.
Scotty talks to author, editor, and publisher Aric Sundquist about growing up a "Yooper" in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and how his mother's love of Stephen King and Dean Koontz, sparked his early interest in dark fiction. Aric discusses the influence of Koontz, King (especially his 1978 collection "Night Shift" and the subsequent 1985 anthology film adaptation "Cat's Eye"), Lovecraft, and fantasy writers like Tolkien, Jordan, and Tad Williams on his work, and how Aric's rediscovery of Ray Bradbury's more macabre tales as an MFA candidate in Creative Writing informed his decision to move specifically into writing horror. Aric also talks about the lessons he learned in his creative writing program, and how he applies them to his work as an editor and publisher at Dark Peninsula Press, the independent publishing company he founded in 2019. He and Scotty talk about the anthologies Dark Peninsula Press has produced (spoiler alert: Scotty's stories have appeared in just about all of them), and Aric outlines his vision for the company's future. And, of course, they talk about Aric's own writing, from his absurdist comic take on cosmic horror with his novella "Serious Applicants Only" (2021, Dark Peninsula Press) to his terrifying, Joyce Carol Oates-inspired short story "The Run" (2014, "Night Terrors III"). You can find Aric online at https://aricsundquist.weebly.com You can find Dark Peninsula Press online at https://www.darkpeninsulapress.com You can read Aric's story "The Way We Are Lifted" in the anthology "Fearful Fathoms, Vol. 1: Tales of Aquatic Terror" (2017, Scarlet Galleon Publications): https://www.amazon.com/Fearful-Fathoms-Collected-Aquatic-Terror/dp/1974213021/ You can read Aric's story "Rise of the Corpse Eaters" in the anthology "More Bizarro Than Bizarro" (2017, Bizarro Pulp Press): https://www.amazon.com/More-Bizarro-than-Leza-Cantoral/dp/1947654039/ You can read Aric's story "Conditioned Apocalypse" in the anthology "Year's Best Body Horror 2017" (2017, Gehenna & Hinnom): https://www.amazon.com/Years-Best-Body-Horror-Anthology/dp/0997280344/ You can read Aric's story "The Run" in the anthology "Night Terrors III" (2014, Blood Bound Books): https://www.amazon.com/Night-Terrors-III-Horror-Anthology/dp/1940250145/ You can read Aric's story "The End of Autumn" in "Evil Jester Digest, Vol. 1" (2012): https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Jester-Digest-Volume-One/dp/0615613241/ You can read Aric's story "Butcher's Block" in "If I Die Before I Wake #7: Tales of Savagery & Slaughter" (2022, Sinister Smile Press, also featuring Scotty's story "Monkey Cage"): https://www.amazon.com/If-Die-Before-Wake-Slaughter/dp/1953112323/ All Dark Peninsula Press anthologies can be found on Amazon, or at: https://www.darkpeninsulapress.com/store.html These include: • "Negative Space: An Anthology of Survival Horror" (2020, featuring Scotty's story "Luminescence") • "Violent Vixens: An Homage to Grindhouse Horror" (2021, featuring Scotty's story "The Whole Price of Blood") • "Negative Space 2: A Return to Survival Horror" (2023, featuring Scotty's story "Brown Bear, Brown Bear") • "The Cellar Door, Issue 1: Woodland Terrors" (2022, featuring Scotty's story "Blisters") • "The Cellar Door, Issue 2: Forbidden Magic" (2023, featuring Scotty's story "My Church is Black") • "The Cellar Door, Issue 3: Dark Highways" (2023, featuring Scotty's story "Twelve Miles. Two Hours.") Be sure to put the next episode of Daniel Braum's "Night Time Logic" into your calendar! Daniel is the author of "The Night Marchers and Other Strange Tales" and "The Serpent's Shadow" (Cemetary Dance). His YouTube series "Night Time Logic" focuses on the strange, weird, and wonderful side of dark fiction through readings and discussions with diverse authors from around the world. You can tune in on Daniel's YouTube Channel, https://www.youtube.com/@danielbraum7838 Daniel's next episode will be LIVE on August 29 at 7 p.m. EST, and will feature author Paul Tremblay. Follow the event on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/events/797113355174358 This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
Love is in the air(waves) as Brian and Robin trawl through the Monkey Cage archive. From using maths to find a boyfriend or girlfriend, to why birds and bees have far more exciting sex lives than you might imagine, this week's episode is all about passion.Number crunching might not sound sexy but mathematician Hannah Fry tells Robin Ince and Brian Cox why research shows it pays to be proactive when you're searching for a partner, even when that means risking total humiliation. But when it comes to the world's most extraordinary mating rituals the best place to look is… in the garden. Female bees go on a special nuptial flight, where they're impregnated by males mid-air, and we hear how cockerels are surprisingly picky when it comes to which chicken they choose to cosy up with.New episodes will be released on Wednesdays. If you're in the UK, listen to the full series on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3K3JzyFProducer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra FeachemEpisodes featured: Series 13: Maths of Love and Sex Series 17: The Secret Life of Birds Series 27: Bees v Wasps Series 17: How Animals Behave
John Sides and Michael Tesler recently published a piece on Good Authority asking how much trouble Joe Biden is really in for the 2024 election? Our podcast episode kicks off with that big question, then delves deeper into what opinion polls in March can tell us about the November elections. We talk about how much it matters that both candidates are pretty well known, whether the encouraging news on the economy can help Biden, and whether Democrats' strong performance in the 2022 and 2023 elections gives the party some hope. We also explore some currents underlying recent trends in public opinion. Is there really a looming racial realignment in American politics? Why don't consumer sentiment and presidential approval ratings go hand in hand anymore? Is there any change in political independents? What types of issues might favor Democrats and Republicans? And what are good campaign strategies for both sides? John has written books about the 2012, 2016, and 2020 elections. Michael was a co-author on the 2016 book and has also written extensively about elections at 538, the Monkey Cage and elsewhere. Listen for a deep dive on what to expect over the next few months. Hear our conversation using the audio player below. You can also subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts.
Astronauts and explorers including Brian Blessed, Sir Patrick Stewart, Nicole Stott and Charlie Duke, reveal the wonders, and challenges, of traveling into space. Brian Cox and Robin Ince have delved into the Monkey Cage back catalogue to hear from astronauts and some very well known would-be space explorers, about their passion for space travel. Brian Blessed has been dreaming of visiting Mars since the age of six, but will he ever reach the red planet? Sir Patrick Stewart has warp sped across the galaxy as Captain Picard, but has it ignited a real yearning to explore the final frontier? NASA's Nicole Stott explains her feeling of awe when she first saw the earth as a little blue dot and Apollo astronaut Charlie Duke talks about breaking a high jump record during the ‘moon Olympics' and why mission control were less than amused. Episodes featured: Series 8: Space Tourism Series 7: Space Exploration Series 24: Astronauts Series 16: Astronaut special Series 22: An Astronaut's Guide to Isolation New episodes will be released on Wednesdays, but if you're in the UK, listen to new episodes, a week early, first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3K3JzyF Producer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Brian Cox and Robin Ince take a deep dive into the Monkey Cage archive to find out how scared scientists and comedians are about the universe ending. Steve Martin says he's happy to burn to a crisp when the sun explodes, but learns he might be more likely to die when galaxies tear each other apart during the ‘big rip'. And if the heat death of the universe really is inevitable, how come some people seem so jolly about it? Having studied this for years, astrophysicist Katie Mack wants to be there when everything ends, prompting Eric Idle to again speculate on the meaning of life. New episodes will be released on Wednesdays, but if you're in the UK, listen to new episodes, a week early, first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3K3JzyF Producer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Brian Cox and Robin Ince trawl through the Monkey Cage back catalogue to reveal whether science and the supernatural can sit side by side. They hear how comedian Lucy Beaumont believes alien life has visited Hull, and challenge the physics and psychology of ghosts with Prof Richard Wiseman. Has our brain evolved to conjure up ghostly apparitions and demonic forces? Is there real science behind some of our most common paranormal experiences? And they unpick the practical difficulties for Santa delivering gifts, discovering that quantum physics could just make it possible. New episodes will be released on Wednesdays, but if you're in the UK, listen to new episodes, a week early, first on BBC Sounds: bbc.in/3K3JzyF Producer: Marijke Peters Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
Scotty talks to author Tamika Thompson about her upbringing in Detroit, her journey from broadcast journalism to writing horror, balancing the political with the psychological in her work, the importance of the revision to the creative process, and the impact of the 1995 classic anthology horror film "Tales from the Hood" on her artistic point of view. In the process, we discuss her masterful novella "Salamander Justice" and her new collection of short fiction "Unshod, Cackling, and Naked." To find Tamika online, go to: https://www.tamikathompson.com To read Tamika's story "I Am Goddess" (and Scotty's story "Monkey Cage," if you want to), pick up Sinister Smile Press's "If I Die Before I Wake, Vol. 7: Tales of Savagery and Slaughter": https://www.sinistersmilepress.com/books To read "Unshod, Cackling, and Naked," go to: https://www.unnervingbooks.com/ To read "Salamander Justice," go to: https://madnessheart.press/product/salamander-justice/ To check out Scotty's newsletter, go to: https://scottymilder.substack.com This podcast is powered by Pinecast.
Each June in the United States, scholars, journalists, law makers, law enforcers, lawyers, and members of the public wait for the announcement of major decisions from the Supreme Court. Justices often read a summary of their decision from the bench dressed in their robes. Paper copies are available in a special office – and more recently on the Supreme Court website. This year, the Supreme Court opinions have shaped policy on affirmative action, public accommodation for LGBTQ+ people, voting rights, student loans, and the power of states to control election procedure. Before these cases are decided, the parties, outside individuals, and interest groups invest an estimated $25 to $50 million dollars a year to produce roughly one thousand amicus briefs. These briefs strategically provide information to the justices to convince them to vote in a particular way. How are these briefs produced? Who pays for their research and writing? What impact do they have on the ultimate decisions of the Supreme Court? In Persuading the Supreme Court: The Significance of Briefs in Judicial Decision-Making (UP of Kansas, 2022), Drs. Hazelton and Hinkle draw on political science research on the effects of information on policy making, their original dataset of more than 25,000 party and amicus briefs filed between 1984 and 2015, their interviews with former Supreme Court clerks and attorneys, and the text of the related court opinions to argue that the briefs matter – and they matter more when parties hire experienced attorneys known to the justices to craft excellent information-rich briefs. Hazelton and Hinkle interrogate both the causes and the consequences of providing that information to the justices. They demonstrate how that information operates differently in terms of influencing who wins and what policy is announced. Dr. Rachael K. Hinkle, J.D. and Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University at Buffalo. Her research agenda focuses on judicial politics with particular attention to gleaning insights into legal development from the content of judicial opinions through the use of computational text analytic techniques. Dr. Morgan L.W. Hazelton, J.D. and Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and School of Law (by courtesy) at Saint Louis University. She studies how features of court systems influence the decisions that both litigants and judges make. In the podcast, Drs. Hazelton and Hinkle mention their piece in their Monkey Cage on predicting the outcome in the 2023 Voting Rights Case and their new collaboration with Dr. Michael J. Nelson, The Elevator Effect. Their data set is available to the public and can be found on either of their websites (linked above). Susan Liebell is Dirk Warren '50 Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Each June in the United States, scholars, journalists, law makers, law enforcers, lawyers, and members of the public wait for the announcement of major decisions from the Supreme Court. Justices often read a summary of their decision from the bench dressed in their robes. Paper copies are available in a special office – and more recently on the Supreme Court website. This year, the Supreme Court opinions have shaped policy on affirmative action, public accommodation for LGBTQ+ people, voting rights, student loans, and the power of states to control election procedure. Before these cases are decided, the parties, outside individuals, and interest groups invest an estimated $25 to $50 million dollars a year to produce roughly one thousand amicus briefs. These briefs strategically provide information to the justices to convince them to vote in a particular way. How are these briefs produced? Who pays for their research and writing? What impact do they have on the ultimate decisions of the Supreme Court? In Persuading the Supreme Court: The Significance of Briefs in Judicial Decision-Making (UP of Kansas, 2022), Drs. Hazelton and Hinkle draw on political science research on the effects of information on policy making, their original dataset of more than 25,000 party and amicus briefs filed between 1984 and 2015, their interviews with former Supreme Court clerks and attorneys, and the text of the related court opinions to argue that the briefs matter – and they matter more when parties hire experienced attorneys known to the justices to craft excellent information-rich briefs. Hazelton and Hinkle interrogate both the causes and the consequences of providing that information to the justices. They demonstrate how that information operates differently in terms of influencing who wins and what policy is announced. Dr. Rachael K. Hinkle, J.D. and Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University at Buffalo. Her research agenda focuses on judicial politics with particular attention to gleaning insights into legal development from the content of judicial opinions through the use of computational text analytic techniques. Dr. Morgan L.W. Hazelton, J.D. and Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and School of Law (by courtesy) at Saint Louis University. She studies how features of court systems influence the decisions that both litigants and judges make. In the podcast, Drs. Hazelton and Hinkle mention their piece in their Monkey Cage on predicting the outcome in the 2023 Voting Rights Case and their new collaboration with Dr. Michael J. Nelson, The Elevator Effect. Their data set is available to the public and can be found on either of their websites (linked above). Susan Liebell is Dirk Warren '50 Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science
Each June in the United States, scholars, journalists, law makers, law enforcers, lawyers, and members of the public wait for the announcement of major decisions from the Supreme Court. Justices often read a summary of their decision from the bench dressed in their robes. Paper copies are available in a special office – and more recently on the Supreme Court website. This year, the Supreme Court opinions have shaped policy on affirmative action, public accommodation for LGBTQ+ people, voting rights, student loans, and the power of states to control election procedure. Before these cases are decided, the parties, outside individuals, and interest groups invest an estimated $25 to $50 million dollars a year to produce roughly one thousand amicus briefs. These briefs strategically provide information to the justices to convince them to vote in a particular way. How are these briefs produced? Who pays for their research and writing? What impact do they have on the ultimate decisions of the Supreme Court? In Persuading the Supreme Court: The Significance of Briefs in Judicial Decision-Making (UP of Kansas, 2022), Drs. Hazelton and Hinkle draw on political science research on the effects of information on policy making, their original dataset of more than 25,000 party and amicus briefs filed between 1984 and 2015, their interviews with former Supreme Court clerks and attorneys, and the text of the related court opinions to argue that the briefs matter – and they matter more when parties hire experienced attorneys known to the justices to craft excellent information-rich briefs. Hazelton and Hinkle interrogate both the causes and the consequences of providing that information to the justices. They demonstrate how that information operates differently in terms of influencing who wins and what policy is announced. Dr. Rachael K. Hinkle, J.D. and Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University at Buffalo. Her research agenda focuses on judicial politics with particular attention to gleaning insights into legal development from the content of judicial opinions through the use of computational text analytic techniques. Dr. Morgan L.W. Hazelton, J.D. and Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and School of Law (by courtesy) at Saint Louis University. She studies how features of court systems influence the decisions that both litigants and judges make. In the podcast, Drs. Hazelton and Hinkle mention their piece in their Monkey Cage on predicting the outcome in the 2023 Voting Rights Case and their new collaboration with Dr. Michael J. Nelson, The Elevator Effect. Their data set is available to the public and can be found on either of their websites (linked above). Susan Liebell is Dirk Warren '50 Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies
Each June in the United States, scholars, journalists, law makers, law enforcers, lawyers, and members of the public wait for the announcement of major decisions from the Supreme Court. Justices often read a summary of their decision from the bench dressed in their robes. Paper copies are available in a special office – and more recently on the Supreme Court website. This year, the Supreme Court opinions have shaped policy on affirmative action, public accommodation for LGBTQ+ people, voting rights, student loans, and the power of states to control election procedure. Before these cases are decided, the parties, outside individuals, and interest groups invest an estimated $25 to $50 million dollars a year to produce roughly one thousand amicus briefs. These briefs strategically provide information to the justices to convince them to vote in a particular way. How are these briefs produced? Who pays for their research and writing? What impact do they have on the ultimate decisions of the Supreme Court? In Persuading the Supreme Court: The Significance of Briefs in Judicial Decision-Making (UP of Kansas, 2022), Drs. Hazelton and Hinkle draw on political science research on the effects of information on policy making, their original dataset of more than 25,000 party and amicus briefs filed between 1984 and 2015, their interviews with former Supreme Court clerks and attorneys, and the text of the related court opinions to argue that the briefs matter – and they matter more when parties hire experienced attorneys known to the justices to craft excellent information-rich briefs. Hazelton and Hinkle interrogate both the causes and the consequences of providing that information to the justices. They demonstrate how that information operates differently in terms of influencing who wins and what policy is announced. Dr. Rachael K. Hinkle, J.D. and Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University at Buffalo. Her research agenda focuses on judicial politics with particular attention to gleaning insights into legal development from the content of judicial opinions through the use of computational text analytic techniques. Dr. Morgan L.W. Hazelton, J.D. and Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and School of Law (by courtesy) at Saint Louis University. She studies how features of court systems influence the decisions that both litigants and judges make. In the podcast, Drs. Hazelton and Hinkle mention their piece in their Monkey Cage on predicting the outcome in the 2023 Voting Rights Case and their new collaboration with Dr. Michael J. Nelson, The Elevator Effect. Their data set is available to the public and can be found on either of their websites (linked above). Susan Liebell is Dirk Warren '50 Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/public-policy
Each June in the United States, scholars, journalists, law makers, law enforcers, lawyers, and members of the public wait for the announcement of major decisions from the Supreme Court. Justices often read a summary of their decision from the bench dressed in their robes. Paper copies are available in a special office – and more recently on the Supreme Court website. This year, the Supreme Court opinions have shaped policy on affirmative action, public accommodation for LGBTQ+ people, voting rights, student loans, and the power of states to control election procedure. Before these cases are decided, the parties, outside individuals, and interest groups invest an estimated $25 to $50 million dollars a year to produce roughly one thousand amicus briefs. These briefs strategically provide information to the justices to convince them to vote in a particular way. How are these briefs produced? Who pays for their research and writing? What impact do they have on the ultimate decisions of the Supreme Court? In Persuading the Supreme Court: The Significance of Briefs in Judicial Decision-Making (UP of Kansas, 2022), Drs. Hazelton and Hinkle draw on political science research on the effects of information on policy making, their original dataset of more than 25,000 party and amicus briefs filed between 1984 and 2015, their interviews with former Supreme Court clerks and attorneys, and the text of the related court opinions to argue that the briefs matter – and they matter more when parties hire experienced attorneys known to the justices to craft excellent information-rich briefs. Hazelton and Hinkle interrogate both the causes and the consequences of providing that information to the justices. They demonstrate how that information operates differently in terms of influencing who wins and what policy is announced. Dr. Rachael K. Hinkle, J.D. and Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University at Buffalo. Her research agenda focuses on judicial politics with particular attention to gleaning insights into legal development from the content of judicial opinions through the use of computational text analytic techniques. Dr. Morgan L.W. Hazelton, J.D. and Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and School of Law (by courtesy) at Saint Louis University. She studies how features of court systems influence the decisions that both litigants and judges make. In the podcast, Drs. Hazelton and Hinkle mention their piece in their Monkey Cage on predicting the outcome in the 2023 Voting Rights Case and their new collaboration with Dr. Michael J. Nelson, The Elevator Effect. Their data set is available to the public and can be found on either of their websites (linked above). Susan Liebell is Dirk Warren '50 Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/law
Each June in the United States, scholars, journalists, law makers, law enforcers, lawyers, and members of the public wait for the announcement of major decisions from the Supreme Court. Justices often read a summary of their decision from the bench dressed in their robes. Paper copies are available in a special office – and more recently on the Supreme Court website. This year, the Supreme Court opinions have shaped policy on affirmative action, public accommodation for LGBTQ+ people, voting rights, student loans, and the power of states to control election procedure. Before these cases are decided, the parties, outside individuals, and interest groups invest an estimated $25 to $50 million dollars a year to produce roughly one thousand amicus briefs. These briefs strategically provide information to the justices to convince them to vote in a particular way. How are these briefs produced? Who pays for their research and writing? What impact do they have on the ultimate decisions of the Supreme Court? In Persuading the Supreme Court: The Significance of Briefs in Judicial Decision-Making (UP of Kansas, 2022), Drs. Hazelton and Hinkle draw on political science research on the effects of information on policy making, their original dataset of more than 25,000 party and amicus briefs filed between 1984 and 2015, their interviews with former Supreme Court clerks and attorneys, and the text of the related court opinions to argue that the briefs matter – and they matter more when parties hire experienced attorneys known to the justices to craft excellent information-rich briefs. Hazelton and Hinkle interrogate both the causes and the consequences of providing that information to the justices. They demonstrate how that information operates differently in terms of influencing who wins and what policy is announced. Dr. Rachael K. Hinkle, J.D. and Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University at Buffalo. Her research agenda focuses on judicial politics with particular attention to gleaning insights into legal development from the content of judicial opinions through the use of computational text analytic techniques. Dr. Morgan L.W. Hazelton, J.D. and Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and School of Law (by courtesy) at Saint Louis University. She studies how features of court systems influence the decisions that both litigants and judges make. In the podcast, Drs. Hazelton and Hinkle mention their piece in their Monkey Cage on predicting the outcome in the 2023 Voting Rights Case and their new collaboration with Dr. Michael J. Nelson, The Elevator Effect. Their data set is available to the public and can be found on either of their websites (linked above). Susan Liebell is Dirk Warren '50 Professor of Political Science at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Roadblock Politics, The War That Doesn't Say Its Name, and Batman Saves the Congo all examine the seeming perpetual violence in the Congo and dispel misconceptions surrounding Congolese conflicts. These books were reviewed by Laura Seay, who wrote “No, Batman didn't save the Congo, and other book reviews” for The Monkey Cage as part of the 2022 African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular. Review read by Ami Tamakloe. Episode edited by Funanya Ikechukwu. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
417 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in several state legislatures this year alone, according to data published by the ACLU. That is a record amount, and more than twice the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced last year. And private companies have become entangled in culture wars, including Bud Light as a transgender TikTok influencer and activist was featured in a social media ad promoting the beer. Plus, some activists continue to take to the streets. One LGBTQ+ group in New Hampshire, Rainbow Reload, is taking up arms for self-protection. Those stories and more on our LGBTQ news roundtable. GUESTS: Grace Sterling Stowell, executive director of the Boston Alliance of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Youth, or BAGLY. Janson Wu, executive director of GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, or GLAD. E.J. Graff, journalist, author and managing editor of The Monkey Cage, an independent, political science–oriented blog at the Washington Post.
“War, Women, and Post-conflict Empowerment: Lessons from Sierra Leone depicts the everyday struggles of women trying to improve their lives, while illuminating the political, legal and economic conditions of Sierra Leoneans after civil war," writes Miriam Anderson. This week's episode is Anderson's full review of the book, originally published in The Monkey Cage. Review read by Ami Tamakloe. Episode edited by Jack Kubinec. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
Carolyn E. Holmes writes for The Monkey Cage about two books that take different roads to understand South Africa:The Inheritors: An Intimate Portrait of South Africa's Racial Awakening by Eve Fairbanks and Until We Have Won Our Liberty: South Africa after Apartheid by Evan Lieberman. "It is not that Fairbanks's account of the New South Africa is pessimistic while Lieberman's is optimistic," writes Holmes. "Rather, Fairbanks understands the transition away from apartheid as a continuation of, rather than merely a break from, the past. And this is perhaps where the subtitles of each of these books can illuminate their difference."Review read by Ami Tamakloe. This episode was edited by Jack Kubinec.Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
After the first anniversary of the full-scale war, a febrile and impatient media is asking the question “when will the war end” with greater frequency. There are many reasons for this – of course a concern for the loss of life, the destruction, and the economic pain. But also, war fatigue, misunderstanding the combatant's motivations and actions, and a general lack of historical perspective, leading them to misunderstand the mechanics and practice of warfare. My guest this week is Hein Goemans, an expert in war termination theory (in other words, how wars end). He explains that “It's going to take a lot more dying and destruction before both sides are prepared to make a deal, or even start defining what a deal could like”. So is there any clear end to this war in sight, or are the two sides too far apart, with radically different objectives. ---------- SPEAKER: Hein Goemans, professor at the University of Rochester in the United States. His academic specialism is war termination theory. Hein is a specialist in the politics of war, war termination and territorial disputes. His first book, War and Punishment (2000), and asks what keeps wars going and what makes them stop, and focuses on the role of leaders in war termination – with an empirical focus on World War I. His second book, Leaders, and International Conflict (2011) and focuses on the role of leaders in war initiation, a very relevant area of study in the context of the Ukraine war. Goemans' publications have appeared in the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and other publications. Goemans has discussed his work on war termination in the context of the war in Ukraine in articles in The New Yorker and the Monkey Cage as well as in international media, such as the BBC's The Inquiry, Cable News CBC, Euronews, CNN Portugal, France 24, and other outlets as well as in print media such as The Financial Times, Der Spiegel, and Die Zeit. ---------- LINKS: https://www.ft.com/content/b3f7ea51-dcc2-4011-b3ac-45faabdc35c7 Ukraine series: how long will the war last? What history tells us about why some conflicts endure, and others end quickly. https://www.rochester.edu/college/faculty/hgoemans/ https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691049441/war-and-punishment ----------
Laura Seay writes for The Monkey Cage that These Are Not Gentle People takes a deep look at community fear and mistrust.“Harding explores questions of fear, race and equality in post-apartheid South Africa, drawing a portrait of a community in which individuals of different racial groups are still very much afraid of one another," writes Seay. "This lack of connection, trust and knowledge creates a vicious cycle, creating misunderstanding, fear, and more mistrust."Review read by Ami Tamakloe. This episode was edited by Jack Kubinec.Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
In this review from The Monkey Cage's African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular, Travis B. Curtice tells us that Policing and Politics in Nigeria: A Comprehensive History "is a must read" for anyone trying to understand #ENDSARS, militarization, and the lingering effects of settler colonial dynamics on police. The book was reviewed by Curtice in July 2022.Review read by Ami Tamakloe.Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
What does Africa mean to us today? Fellow Takondwa Priscilla Semphere teaches at the African Leadership Academy, a school where approximately 35 African countries are represented at one time. Takondwa speaks with her students about the complicated question of how we understand and define Africa and its people for this episode. In the news wrap, Kim and Rachel discuss a special edition of The Monkey Cage's newsletter devoted to elections in Africa in 2023 and talk about last week's conversation with guest Idayat Hassan on elections in Nigeria. Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
In this review from The Monkey Cage's African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular, Dan Eizenga tells us that The Islamic State in Africa "offers a wealth of information, contributing a great deal to the scholarly body of work focused on militant Islamist groups in Africa." The book was reviewed by Eizenga in July 2022.Review read by Ami Tamakloe.Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
Programming Note: A lighter edition this weekend because life happened of late-night football, missed flights, and several other things. Also, we will be away for a short year-end break. Normal service will resume on Jan 8, 2023. Happy holiday season, everyone! India Policy Watch: Digital Rupee (e₹-R) Is In TownInsights on current policy issues in India — RSJThe RBI launched the first pilot for the retail digital Rupee this week. It is now among the select list of central banks that's got a CBDC pilot going. The RBI press release covers the plan for the pilot:* The pilot would cover select locations in closed user group (CUG) comprising participating customers and merchants. The e₹-R would be in the form of a digital token that represents legal tender. It would be issued in the same denominations that paper currency and coins are currently issued. It would be distributed through intermediaries, i.e., banks. Users will be able to transact with e₹-R through a digital wallet offered by the participating banks and stored on mobile phones / devices. Transactions can be both Person to Person (P2P) and Person to Merchant (P2M). Payments to merchants can be made using QR codes displayed at merchant locations. The e₹-R would offer features of physical cash like trust, safety and settlement finality. As in the case of cash, it will not earn any interest and can be converted to other forms of money, like deposits with banks.* The pilot will test the robustness of the entire process of digital rupee creation, distribution and retail usage in real time. Different features and applications of the e₹-R token and architecture will be tested in future pilots, based on the learnings from this pilot.The obvious question that comes up is how's a digital currency different from a transaction on UPI. The RBI Governor got into the explanation mode on this at the press meet.Separately, in an earlier concept note, the RBI had outlined the two different types of CBDC it would pilot as part of this process:Based on the usage and the functions performed by the CBDC and considering the different levels of accessibility, CBDC can be demarcated into two broad types viz. general purpose (retail) (CBDC-R) and wholesale (CBDC-W).CBDC-R is potentially available for use by all private sector, non-financial consumers and businesses. In contrast, wholesale CBDCs are designed for restricted access by financial institutions. CBDC-W could be used for improving the efficiency of interbank payments or securities settlement, as seen in Project Jasper (Canada) and Ubin (Singapore). Central banks interested in addressing financial inclusion are expected to consider issuing CBDC-R.Further, CBDC–W has the potential to transform the settlement systems for financial transactions undertaken by banks in the G-Sec Segment, Inter-bank market and capital market more efficient and secure in terms of operational costs, use of collateral and liquiditymanagement. Further, this would also provide coincident benefits such as avoidance of settlement guarantee infrastructure or the need for collateral to mitigate settlement risk.About 18 months back, in edition #122, I wrote a fairly detailed piece about CBDC in the context of China running a pilot for digital Yuan. It will be useful to bring that piece up to contextualise the RBI CBDC pilot.What's Money?As we have written in an earlier post, money performs three roles for us: it is a store of value, it is a medium of exchange, and it is a unit of measure. Through it, we save for the future, pay for goods and services and measure the value of very different things using a common unit. These roles mean anything that aspires to be a currency (the usable form of money) should have a relatively stable value over time and should be widely acknowledged as a store of value and unit of account among people. If it does so, the network effect takes over after a while, and it becomes a widely used currency.Throughout history, a key feature of a sovereign state was its control over the supply and circulation of money that's used within its boundaries. The royal mints, after all, have been around for more than two thousand years. As modern nation-states emerged through the 19th and 20th centuries and as global trade increased, central banks emerged to manage the monetary system and provide financial stability.There are three forms of money in any modern economy:* Banknotes: These are physical paper currency notes issued by the central bank that we all use in our everyday lives. This is a direct promise by the central bank to pay the note holder a specified sum of money. This promise is printed on all currency notes.* Bank Deposits: Ordinary people and businesses don't hoard banknotes to conduct their business. They deposit their money in commercial banks. These deposits are stored in electronic form by these banks. The banks offer two services to their customers. They convert these deposits to central bank money in the form of banknotes when you demand it at an ATM and they offer to transfer your money to someone else through a payment system that exists between banks. Unlike banknotes, your deposits aren't risk-free. They aren't backed by any sovereign guarantee. A bank will be able to convert your money into banknotes only if it is solvent and can honour its commitments. We have seen instances of a bank failing to do so in India (Yes Bank, PMC etc.).* Central Bank Reserves (“reserves”): Commercial banks have their own accounts with the central bank where they deposit their funds. These deposits are used by banks to pay each other to settle transactions between them. The reserves are the other form of central bank money apart from banknotes. These are risk-free and therefore used for settlements among commercial banks.Where does CBDC then fit in?Simply put, a CBDC is a digital form of a banknote issued by the central bank. Now you might think we already use a lot of digital money these days. Yes, there's money we move electronically or digitally between banks, wallets or while using credit/debit cards in today's world. But that's only the digital transfer of money within the financial system. There's no real money moving. The underlying asset is still the central bank money in the form of reserves that's available in the accounts that commercial banks have with the central bank. This is what gets settled between the commercial banks after the transaction.This is an important distinction. We don't move central bank money electronically. But CBDC would actually allow ordinary citizens to directly deal with central bank money. It will be an alternative to banknotes. And it will be digital.CBDC: The Time Is NowSo, why are central banks interested in CBDC now?There are multiple reasons.One, cryptocurrency that's backed by some kind of a stable asset (also called ‘stablecoin') can be a real threat as an alternative to a sovereign currency. Stablecoins are private money instruments that can be used for transactions like payments with greater efficiency and with better functionality. For instance, the current payment and settlement system for credit cards in most parts of the world has the merchant getting money in their bank accounts 2-3 days after the transaction is done at their shops. A digital currency can do it instantly. For a central bank, there could be no greater threat to its ability to manage the monetary system than a private currency that's in circulation outside its control.Two, in most countries, there's an overwhelming dependency on the electronic payment systems for all kinds of transactions. As more business shifts online and electronic payment becomes the default option, this is a serious vulnerability that's open to hackers and the enemy states to exploit. A CBDC offers an alternative system that's outside the payment and settlement network among commercial banks. It will improve the resilience of the payment system.Three, central banks need to offer a currency solution for the digital economy that matches any form of digital currency that could be offered by private players. Despite the digitisation of finance and the prevalence of digital wallets in the world today, there's still significant ‘friction' in financial transactions all around us. You pay your electricity bill electronically by receiving the bill, then opening an app and paying for it. Not directly from your electric meter in a programmed manner. That's just an example of friction. There are many other innovations waiting to be unleashed with a digital currency. Central banks need to provide a platform for such innovations within an ecosystem that they control. CBDC offers that option.Lastly, digital money will reduce transmission loss both ways. Taxes can be deducted ‘at source' because there will be traceability of all transactions done using CBDC. It will also allow central banks and the governments to bypass the commercial banks and deliver central bank money in a targeted fashion to citizens and households without any friction. The transmission of interest rates to citizens for which central banks depend on commercial banks could now be done directly.While these are the benefits of a digital currency, there are other macroeconomic consequences including the loss of relevance of bank deposits that we have with our banks. Some of these may seem speculative at the moment but these are factors to consider as things move forward. A CBDC that offers interest will mean we could have a direct deposit account with the central bank. This will also mean a move away from deposits in banks to CBDC with the central bank. Also, the nature of a bank ‘run' will change. Today a bank ‘run' means a rapid withdrawal of banknotes from a bank by its depositors who are unsure of the solvency of the bank. This takes time and is limited by the amount of money available in ATMs. In a CBDC world, the ‘runs' will be really quick and only constrained by the amount of CBDC issued by the central banks. Depositors will replace their deposits with CBDC pronto.This secular move away from deposits could increase the cost of funds of commercial banks. They will have to depend on other sources of funds than the low-cost deposits that customers deposit every month in the form of salaries to them. A reduction in deposits will reduce the availability of credit in the system. This will have a repercussion on the wider economy. It will also mean greater demand for reserves from the central bank by the commercial banks to provide credit to their customers. Central banks will increase their reserves and their balance sheets will become bigger. These are among many potential scenarios that could unfold. These are early days and it will be interesting to track the iterations of the pilots that the RBI will do as it appreciates the use cases, the design features and the policy issues involved. This is an interesting space to watch. India's track record on building national digital infrastructure in payments is second to none. It might be the one place where the promise of CBDC could turn into reality. A Framework a Week: China's PredicamentTools for thinking public policy— Pranay KotasthaneA couple of weeks back, I had linked out to a CSEP paper by Amb. Shivshankar Menon. Titled Internal Drivers of China's External Behaviour, he explains the domestic imperatives that are likely to modify China's external behaviour. In that paper, one #lightbulb framework explains the novelty of the situation that China finds itself in. Here's the text from the paper:Today, China faces an unprecedented situation at home and abroad and is therefore reacting in new ways. China is more powerful than ever before but is also more dependent on the world. This is an unprecedented combination, not known in Chinese history—not in the Han when she had to ‘buy' off the Xiongnu by marrying Han princesses off to steppe leaders; nor in the Song when she was one and sometimes the weakest power in a world of equals; nor in the high Qing when she was powerful but independent of the external world, as the Qian Long emperor reminded George III in writing. [Internal Drivers of China's External Behaviour, CSEP Working Paper, Shivshankar Menon ].We can interpret this insight visually in this 2x2 framework.The implication is that China finds itself in an unfamiliar position today and as a result, will act externally in new ways altogether. The high power-high dependence combination helps explain China's belligerence in the Himalayas and the South China Sea. It also explains the drive towards self-reliance in technology domains. The high-dependence on adversaries acts as a motivation, and high domestic power gives China the confidence (over-confidence?) to do it all domestically. Observe China's response to the US export controls on its semiconductor industry. I expected a definitive retaliation after the 20th Party Congress had reaffirmed Xi's control. But that hasn't happened. It only makes sense if China's political establishment is confident of overcoming the dependence in due course while taking advantage of it to bolster present capabilities.Advertisement: Takshashila is now accepting applications for the next cohort of GCPP. Apply now. If you like reading this newsletter, you will find the course enriching.PolicyWTF: Emigration EmbargoesThis section looks at egregious public policies. Policies that make you go: WTF, Did that really happen?— Pranay KotasthaneRina Agarwala has an excellent article in The Monkey Cage, highlighting the restrictions preventing the less-educated, poor Indians from emigrating easily. “Under India's 1983 Emigration Act, poor emigrants have to hire a government-certified recruiter, fill out piles of government paperwork, pay huge fines and hope for government approval. Unlike Ramdas Sunak's experience in the 1830s, they usually emigrate without family members on temporary visas, working under difficult conditions for little pay under the control of their foreign employer.Although these emigrants send home the largest share of India's massive remittances — an estimated $100 billion in 2022, and which have saved India through multiple financial crises and cover 40 percent of the basic needs for millions of poor households — they receive little acknowledgment or support from the Indian government.Educated emigrants, by contrast, are free to leave India as they please. Since the 1980s, the Indian government has offered them awards and special financing options for savings accounts, investments and bonds within India. The government has also encouraged their temporary return to India with business partnerships and high-level positions within the Indian government. Receiving countries are also more likely to welcome educated Indians than poor immigrants. [Is the new U.K. prime minister a paragon of immigrant success?, Rina Agarwala, Washington Post]It is indeed quite disturbing how the emigration policy came to be this way. There are good intentions behind it, of course. The government's rationale is that these entry barriers are meant to check human trafficking. That's why the restrictions on less-educated women are even more stringent than those for men. Check this out:The Emigration Act (1983) states that persons of working age who have not completed schooling up to the tenth standard are issued an ECR (Emigration Clearance Required) passport. The remaining population is eligible for an ECNR (Emigration Clearance Not Required) passport. When men having ECR passports plan to emigrate for work, they need to obtain an “Emigration Clearance” from the office of the Protector of Emigrants (PoE) before travelling to certain countries (currently, 18 in total). What's even more egregious is that a woman of age less than thirty with an ECR passport is completely banned from getting emigration clearance for all kind of employment in any ECR country.But the anticipated unintended result is that it blocks off opportunities for people who probably would improve their life outcomes the most by emigrating. I'll leave you with a link to edition #15, in which we write about this policyWTF and solutions to improve the situation.HomeWorkReading and listening recommendations on public policy matters* [Podcast] Our Puliyabaazi on public libraries received a lot of listener interest. What do you make of it?* [Book] Global Value Chains and the Missing Links: Cases from Indian Industry by Saon Ray and Smita Miglani is a must-read to understand India's prospects in different sectors, given the shifting geopolitics and geoeconomics.* [Podcast] Math with CCP Characteristics. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit publicpolicy.substack.com
We're in conversation this week about the recent arrest of Malawi vice president Saulos Chilima. Kim, our resident Malawi expert, answers Rachel's questions about what is happening, the historical context, and more. In Kim's recent article for The Monkey Cage, she writes: "Malawians have seen tensions between their presidents and VPs before. They may be somewhat cynical about government attempts to fight corruption." Find the books, links, and articles we mentioned in this episode on our website, ufahamuafrica.com.
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: For the first time in this country's history, LGBTQ candidates are on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Plus, The Pennsylvania ACLU has filed a federal complaint against a school district in the state, alleging it discriminates against trans and non-binary students. And 20 states across the country have pledged to offer a legal shield against anti-LGBTQ legislation. A move some are referring to as the “rainbow wall.” And for our November pick for Bookmarked: Author Stacy Schiff joins Under the Radar to discuss her newest book, 'The Revolutionary.' She gives a very detailed history of the oft-overlooked founding father, Samuel Adams, and the mark he left on his young country. Guest: Stacy Schiff is the author of six biographies, esayist, and winner of the the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for biography. Grace Sterling Stowell, executive director of the Boston Alliance of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Youth, or BAGLY. Janson Wu, executive director of GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, or GLAD. E.J. Graff, journalist, author and managing editor of The Monkey Cage at the Washington Post.
In this review from The Monkey Cage's African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular, Laura Seay tells us that Born in Blackness is a compelling, unforgettable read. Hear the full review on today's bonus episode!Review read by Ami Tamakloe.Books, Links, & ArticlesBorn in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War by Howard French"Born in Blackness is a compelling, unforgettable read" by Laura Seay
In this review from The Monkey Cage's African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular, Laura Seay tells us that The Black and White Rainbow "deserves to be a classic in the field." The book is a story of race, citizenship, and memory in South Africa, reviewed by Seay in September 2021.Review read by Ami Tamakloe.Books, Links, & ArticlesThe Black and White Rainbow: Reconciliation, Opposition, and Nation-Building in Democratic South Africa by Carolyn Holmes"The Black and White Rainbow Reveals How Hard It Is to Build a 'Rainbow' Nation" by Laura Seay
Hosted by Andrew Keen, Keen On features conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and writers about the economic, political, and technological issues being discussed in the news, right now. In this episode, Andrew is joined by John Sides, author of Campaigns and Elections: 2022 Election Update. John Sides (Vanderbilt University) studies elections, political campaigns, voter behavior, and public opinion. His work has appeared in numerous major journals. He is coauthor of The Gamble (with Lynn Vavreck) and Identity Crisis (with Vavreck and Michael Tesler) and is a founder of and contributor to The Monkey Cage, a popular Washington Post political science blog. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Michela Wrong's book, Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad, explores the 2013 murder of an exiled Rwandan official. In this bonus episode, hear Laura Seay's review of the book, first published in The Monkey Cage in August 2021. Books, Links, & ArticlesDo Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad by Michela Wrong"Michela Wrong's New Book Explores the 2013 Murder of an Exiled Rwandan Official" by Laura Seay
What happened to the 276 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in April 2014? A book by Joe Parkinson and Drew Hinshaw named after the movement, "Bring Back Our Girls," tells the story. This episode is a reading of Laura Seay's review of the book, first published in The Monkey Cage in July 2021. Review read by Ami Tamakloe.Links, Books, & ArticlesBring Back Our Girls: The Untold Story of the Global Search for Nigeria's Missing Schoolgirls by Joe Parkinson and Drew Hinshaw"Seven Years Ago, #BringBackOurGirls Was a Global Campaign. What Happened?" by Laura Seay in The Monkey Cage
John Sides is a political scientist at Vanderbilt University and co-founded The Monkey Cage, which is a popular political science blog now available at the Washington Post. The blog gives academic social scientists a platform to use their expertise to help the public understand political news. In our conversation, John talks about the origins of TMC, the kinds of articles that are successful, and how (and why!) to write well for a public audience.This episode is the final episode in a special podcast series on science communication. You can find more info and episodes here: http://opinionsciencepodcast.com/hot-scicomm-summer/Learn more about Opinion Science at http://opinionsciencepodcast.com/ and follow @OpinionSciPod on Twitter.
Robtel Neajai Pailey's Development, (Dual) Citizenship, and Its Discontents in Africa is a "must-read for researchers and policymakers working in the fields of migration, citizenship, diasporas, and development." This week's bonus review from The Monkey Cage is by Fulya Felicity Turkmen, our former podcast research assistant! The review is read by Ami Tamakloe. Books, Links, & ArticlesDevelopment, (Dual) Citizenship and Its Discontents in Africa: The Political Economy of Belonging to Liberia by Robtel Neajai Pailey"Can You Be a Citizen of More Than One Country? Here's What to Learn from Liberia." by Fulya Felicity Turkmen
In this week's episode of Politics In Question, Hans Noel joins Julia and James to talk about political parties. Noel is an associate professor in the Department of Government at Georgetown University, where he conducts research on political coalitions, political parties, and ideology. He is the author of Political Ideologies and Political Parties in America, and a co-author of The Party Decides: Presidential Nominations Before and After Reform. Noel also blogs on political parties at Mischiefs of Faction and the Monkey Cage.How have events over the last decade shaped our understanding of political parties? Should we think about parties differently today than how we thought about them ten years ago? Why are the Democratic and Republican parties comprised of certain groups and interests? And does the conventional view of ideological polarization distort political reality when it comes to parties? These are some of the questions Hans, Julia, and James ask in this week's episode.Additional InformationPolitics in Question PodcastMore shows from The Democracy Group
In this week's episode of Politics In Question, Hans Noel joins Julia and James to talk about political parties. Noel is an associate professor in the Department of Government at Georgetown University, where he conducts research on political coalitions, political parties, and ideology. He is the author of Political Ideologies and Political Parties in America, and a co-author of The Party Decides: Presidential Nominations Before and After Reform. Noel also blogs on political parties at Mischiefs of Faction and the Monkey Cage.How have events over the last decade shaped our understanding of political parties? Should we think about parties differently today than how we thought about them ten years ago? Why are the Democratic and Republican parties comprised of certain groups and interests? And does the conventional view of ideological polarization distort political reality when it comes to parties? These are some of the questions Hans, Julia, and James ask in this week's episode.
Today's Postscript uniquely engages abortion politics by addressing structural political issues (voter suppression, gerrymandering, dilutions of minority voting, obstacles to women registering their positions politically), inconsistencies in Justice Samuel Alito's majority draft, the ascent of the medical profession, the intersection of race, gender, and religion, narratives of morality, the genesis of white evangelical opposition, myths created by popular culture and abortion stereotypes, and more. Dr. Lilly J. Goren (Professor of Political Science and Global Studies at Carroll University), Dr. Rebecca Kreitzer (Associate Professor of Public Policy and Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Dr. Andrew R. Lewis (Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Cincinnati), Dr. Candis Watts Smith (Associate Professor of Political Science at Duke University and co-host of the Democracy Works Podcast) and Dr. Joshua C. Wilson (Professor of Political Science at the University of Denver). Some of the books and articles mentioned in the podcast: Diana Greene Foster, The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having – or Being Denied – an Abortion Rebecca Kreitzer's amazing slide deck of abortion facts and recommended reading list. Rebecca Kreitzer and Candis Watts Smith in the Monkey Cage, “What Alito's draft gets wrong about women and political power” Andrew Lewis, The Rights Turn in Conservative Christian Politics: How Abortion Transformed the Culture Wars Ziad Munson, The Making of Pro-life Activists:How Social Movement Mobilization WorksJosh Wilson, Separate But Faithful: The Christian Right's Radical Struggle to Transform Law & Legal Culture Mary Ziegler, Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today's Postscript uniquely engages abortion politics by addressing structural political issues (voter suppression, gerrymandering, dilutions of minority voting, obstacles to women registering their positions politically), inconsistencies in Justice Samuel Alito's majority draft, the ascent of the medical profession, the intersection of race, gender, and religion, narratives of morality, the genesis of white evangelical opposition, myths created by popular culture and abortion stereotypes, and more. Dr. Lilly J. Goren (Professor of Political Science and Global Studies at Carroll University), Dr. Rebecca Kreitzer (Associate Professor of Public Policy and Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Dr. Andrew R. Lewis (Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Cincinnati), Dr. Candis Watts Smith (Associate Professor of Political Science at Duke University and co-host of the Democracy Works Podcast) and Dr. Joshua C. Wilson (Professor of Political Science at the University of Denver). Some of the books and articles mentioned in the podcast: Diana Greene Foster, The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having – or Being Denied – an Abortion Rebecca Kreitzer's amazing slide deck of abortion facts and recommended reading list. Rebecca Kreitzer and Candis Watts Smith in the Monkey Cage, “What Alito's draft gets wrong about women and political power” Andrew Lewis, The Rights Turn in Conservative Christian Politics: How Abortion Transformed the Culture Wars Ziad Munson, The Making of Pro-life Activists:How Social Movement Mobilization WorksJosh Wilson, Separate But Faithful: The Christian Right's Radical Struggle to Transform Law & Legal Culture Mary Ziegler, Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Today's Postscript uniquely engages abortion politics by addressing structural political issues (voter suppression, gerrymandering, dilutions of minority voting, obstacles to women registering their positions politically), inconsistencies in Justice Samuel Alito's majority draft, the ascent of the medical profession, the intersection of race, gender, and religion, narratives of morality, the genesis of white evangelical opposition, myths created by popular culture and abortion stereotypes, and more. Dr. Lilly J. Goren (Professor of Political Science and Global Studies at Carroll University), Dr. Rebecca Kreitzer (Associate Professor of Public Policy and Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Dr. Andrew R. Lewis (Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Cincinnati), Dr. Candis Watts Smith (Associate Professor of Political Science at Duke University and co-host of the Democracy Works Podcast) and Dr. Joshua C. Wilson (Professor of Political Science at the University of Denver). Some of the books and articles mentioned in the podcast: Diana Greene Foster, The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having – or Being Denied – an Abortion Rebecca Kreitzer's amazing slide deck of abortion facts and recommended reading list. Rebecca Kreitzer and Candis Watts Smith in the Monkey Cage, “What Alito's draft gets wrong about women and political power” Andrew Lewis, The Rights Turn in Conservative Christian Politics: How Abortion Transformed the Culture Wars Ziad Munson, The Making of Pro-life Activists:How Social Movement Mobilization WorksJosh Wilson, Separate But Faithful: The Christian Right's Radical Struggle to Transform Law & Legal Culture Mary Ziegler, Abortion and the Law in America: Roe v. Wade to the Present Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this bonus episode, hear Ami Tamakloe read Laura Seay's review of Negotiating Public Service in Congo, a collection edited by Tom De Herdt and Kristof Titeca.The review was published as part of the 2020 African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular (#APSRS20), and this recording is being shared as part of a collaboration with The Monkey Cage, a blog on politics and political science at The Washington Post.Books, Links, & Articles"Negotiating Public Serve in Congo Is a Smart and Compelling Read" by Laura SeayNegotiating Public Service in Congo: State, Society, and Governance edited by Tom De Herdt and Kristof Titeca
------------------Support the channel------------ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ------------------Follow me on--------------------- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/ Dr. Joshua Tucker is a Professor of Politics, an affiliated Professor of Russian and Slavic Studies, and an affiliated Professor of Data Science at New York University. He is the Director of NYU's Jordan Center for Advanced Study of Russia, a co-director of the NYU Center for Social Media and Politics (CSMaP) and the Social Media and Political Participation (SMaPP) lab, and a co-editor of the award-winning politics and policy blog The Monkey Cage at The Washington Post. He has been spending a lot of time working on studying the relationship between social media, politics, and political participation. In this episode, we talk about social media and politics. Topics include: setting political agendas on social media; when celebrities post about politics; echo chambers; political polarization; and organizing political action online. -- A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, PER HELGE LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, JERRY MULLER, HANS FREDRIK SUNDE, BERNARDO SEIXAS, HERBERT GINTIS, RUTGER VOS, RICARDO VLADIMIRO, CRAIG HEALY, OLAF ALEX, PHILIP KURIAN, JONATHAN VISSER, JAKOB KLINKBY, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, JOHN CONNORS, PAULINA BARREN, FILIP FORS CONNOLLY, DAN DEMETRIOU, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ARTHUR KOH, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, SUSAN PINKER, PABLO SANTURBANO, SIMON COLUMBUS, PHIL KAVANAGH, JORGE ESPINHA, CORY CLARK, MARK BLYTH, ROBERTO INGUANZO, MIKKEL STORMYR, ERIC NEURMANN, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, BERNARD HUGUENEY, ALEXANDER DANNBAUER, FERGAL CUSSEN, YEVHEN BODRENKO, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, DON ROSS, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, OZLEM BULUT, NATHAN NGUYEN, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, J.W., JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, IDAN SOLON, ROMAIN ROCH, DMITRY GRIGORYEV, TOM ROTH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, ADANER USMANI, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, AL ORTIZ, NELLEKE BAK, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, NICK GOLDEN, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, EDWARD HALL, HEDIN BRØNNER, DOUGLAS P. FRY, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, DENISE COOK, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, AND TRADERINNYC! A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, IAN GILLIGAN, LUIS CAYETANO, TOM VANEGDOM, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, VEGA GIDEY, THOMAS TRUMBLE, AND NUNO ELDER! AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MICHAL RUSIECKI, ROSEY, JAMES PRATT, MATTHEW LAVENDER, SERGIU CODREANU, AND BOGDAN KANIVETS!
This week on Under the Radar with Callie Crossley: Florida's newly passed “Don't Say Gay” law is part of the rise of anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country. Plus, Massachusetts was the first state to legally recognize same-sex marriage. But it's now the only New England state that hasn't updated a law to give clear legal protections for LGBTQ parents. And Catwoman returns to the big screen in “The Batman," portrayed as bisexual for the first time in film. It's our LGBTQ News Roundtable! Guests: Grace Sterling Stowell, executive director of the Boston Alliance of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Youth, or BAGLY. Janson Wu, executive director of GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, or GLAD. E.J. Graff, journalist, author and managing editor of The Monkey Cage at the Washington Post.
In this bonus episode, hear Ufahamu Africa host Kim Yi Dionne read her review of Love Falls On Us: A Story of American Ideas and African LGBT Lives, a book by Robbie Corey-Boulet.The review was published as part of the 2020 African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular (#APSRS20), and this recording is being shared as part of a collaboration with The Monkey Cage, a blog on politics and political science at The Washington Post.Books, Links, & Episodes"'Love Falls on Us' Explores the Intersection of African LGBT Rights and American Activism" by Kim Yi DionneLove Falls on Us: A Story of American Ideas and African LGBT Lives by Robbie Corey-Boulet
In this bonus episode, hear Ufahamu Africa host Kim Yi Dionne read Laura Seay's review of Female Monarchs and Merchant Queens in Africa, a book by Nwando Achebe. The review was published in last year's African Politics Summer Reading Spectacular (#APSRS20), and this recording is being shared as part of a collaboration with The Monkey Cage, a blog on politics and political science at The Washington Post.Books, Links, & Articles"Nwando Achebe's New Book Is a Fascinating Look at Africa's Queens, Past and Present" by Laura SeayFemale Monarchs and Merchant Queens in Africa by Nwando AchebeTransient Workspaces: Technologies of Everyday Innovation in Zimbabwe by Clapperton Chakanetsa MavhungaThese Bones Will Rise Again by Panashe Chigumadzi
Gerrymandering is one of the topics we've discussed most on this show, with good reason. But those conversations mostly stopped at the solution of creating independent redistricting commissions to draw electoral maps, taking the process out of partisan-controlled state legislatures. While that's undeniably a good thing, this week's guest argues it's just one part of a bigger solution. An independent nonpartisan commission is not always going to create a nonpartisan map. Christopher Fowler is an associate professor of geography at Penn State and a member of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf's Redistricting Advisory Council. His research examines the way our choices about geographic boundaries shape the outcomes we are able to observe. He examine neighborhoods, school catchment areas, electoral districts, metropolitan areas, and labor markets with a focus on how these units of observation reflect the distribution of populations in space. After the interview, Chris Beem and Candis Watts Smith discuss whether ideas like ranked-choice voting and multi-member districts can take hold in America's political landscape. Regular listeners of the show will not be surprised to hear that Chris is doubtful, while Candis is optimistic.Additional InformationFowler's Monkey Cage article on redistrictingPennsylvania Redistricting Advisory CouncilRelated EpisodesExtreme maps, extreme politicsOne state's fight for fair maps
Candis Watts Smith takes a turn in the interviewer's chair this week for a conversation about abortion and American democracy following the passage of SB8 in Texas and the Supreme Court's response to it. Like a lot of things in American democracy, it's complicated.As Candis says in the episode, it isn't typical for us to discuss “hot topics” or policy matters, per se, on Democracy Works. But, this policy and the Supreme Court's response to it throws a great number of matters related to democracy into relief, including federalism, the role of the Court to protect and uphold the U.S. Constitution and constitutional rights, state politics as laboratories of democracy and policy innovation, and partisan strategies to create the country in their ideological image. Candis talks with Rebecca Kreitzer, associate professor of public policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an expert on gender and political representation, reproductive health policy and political inequality. Rebecca was one of our first guest on Democracy Works back in 2018 and we're thrilled to have her back for a second appearance on this critically-important topic.Additional InformationRebecca's Monkey Cage article on Texas's heartbeat lawPostscript podcast on abortion from the New Books NetworkRebecca Kreitzer on TwitterRelated EpisodesBehind the scenes of the "year of the woman" - Rebecca's first appearance on the show
Forrest is back! Long time brostener, Mason Kleist joins us to talk about a news incident that happened at the zoo he works at. The boys weigh in. Plus battle royale and all the other normal nonsense! Love you Patreon @ https://patreon.com/wildtimespod Discord @ https://discord.com/invite/zzTxnrHnS8 All the links @ https://thewildtimespodcast.com/info
Dennis Winge is a professional guitarist living in Ithaca, NY who is actively involved in teaching and performing in a variety of musical settings throughout the Finger Lakes. For live musical entertainment at parties, weddings, cocktail hours, and events of all kinds, Dennis brings decades of musical experience, a genuine desire to create a win/win situation for venues, patrons, and musicians, a wide versatility of styles/bands/musicians so that he can customize the perfect musical setting for each event/venue, the know-how to create those situations, a free consultation or potentially a free trial performance at your venue. Dennis is involved in multiple different bands including The Way Rock Cover Band and Blue Train Blues Band. Dennis Winge has performed at Carnegie Hall, the L.A. F.A.M.E. Awards, Grassroots Festival, and many other prestigious venues over his 30+ years as a freelance guitarist. Having started to learn guitar at age 7 and bass at age 12, Dennis has studied with some of NYC's finest jazz and rock guitarists including Ron Parmentier and Jack Wilkins. Winge played his first bar gig when he was 16, and has been a bandleader since his early 20s, when he headed the main campus function band “The Institutionalized” while attending Manhattan College. Later, he became the musical director for Ikonographics Videos, Inc. Some of the names he has played with in the rock world are Jon Cobert (who played with John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen); Cheetah Chrome (who played with the Dead Boys); Clifford Carter (who played with Paul Simon, James Taylor, Dolly Parton). In jazz he has worked with Bill Crow (who played with Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan); Gene Bertoncini (who played with Buddy Rich, Tony Bennett); Shunzo Ohno (who played with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock); Bob Meyer (who played with Joe Lovano, John Abercrombie); David Budway (who played with Jeff ‘Tain' Watts, Regina Carter). As for off-Broadway productions, Dennis has played in the pit on Les Misérables, All Shook Up, Footloose, 13, Smokey Joe's Café, as well as portions of Rock of Ages, Wicked, Aida, All That Jazz, Jekyll & Hyde, and In the Heights. We hear Dennis' song, Monkey Cage. Hear more of his music on his website and follow him on Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to like, subscribe and give the More Than Music Podcast a review wherever you listen to the podcast and share us with a friend! We release shows every Wednesday and look out for a bonus episode every now and then. Find me, Kara Conrad on Facebook and the podcast on Instagram at More Than Music Pod. If you want to talk to me or suggest a guest just send me a message on Instagram or email me at karaaconrad@gmail.com. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/morethanmusicpod/support
On this edition of the SOSH podcast, we sit down with Risa Brooks, Michael Robinson, and Heidi Urben to discuss their upcoming paper on the socialization of civil-military norms for West Point cadets. How do cadets interpret the concept of civilian control and military subordination? Are Huntingtonian norms of separated spheres and apoliticism the correct framework to be teaching cadets? What's the difference between an apolitical military versus a non-partisan military? We explore these questions and more. This episode was originally recorded on the morning of January 22nd, 2021, before the confirmation of GEN Lloyd Austin as the Secretary of Defense. Please email us a SOSHresearchlab@westpoint.edu with any comments, suggestions, and critiques. Dr. Risa Brooks is the Allis Chalmers associate professor of political science at Marquette University, nonresident senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and adjunct scholar at West Point's Modern War Institute. MAJ Mike Robinson is an assistant professor of international affairs at West Point and an Army Strategist. He received his PhD in political science from Stanford University, where his research focused on civil-military relations and partisan polarization. Dr. Heidi Urben is a retired US Army Colonel and SOSH faculty alumni who is currently an adjunct associate professor in Georgetown University's Security Studies Program and an adjunct scholar at West Point's Modern War Institute. The views expressed on this podcast are those of the speakers, and should not be seen as reflective of the official positions of the US Military Academy, the US Army, the Department of Defense, or any government entity. Links to Works mentioned by our Guests Risa Brooks. “Paradoxes of Professionalism: Rethinking Civil-Military Relations in the United States.” https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/paradoxes-professionalism-rethinking-civil-military-relations-united-states Brooks, Robinson, Urben. Article in Washington Post, Monkey Cage discussing the nomination of GEN Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/12/09/biden-has-picked-retired-general-defense-secretary-heres-why-it-matters/ Brooks, Robinson, Urben. Article in Political Violence at a Glance discussing what the cadet survey can tell us about the GEN Lloyd Austin nomination. https://politicalviolenceataglance.org/2020/12/08/how-bidens-pick-for-defense-secretary-might-shake-up-civil-military-relations/
Dr. Max Margulies is the Director of Research and an Assistant Professor at the Modern War Institute at West Point. He also serves as the course director for the thesis and capstone programs in West Point's Defense and Strategic Studies program, which includes a required course on research design. Prior to joining MWI, he was a faculty member in West Point's Department of Social Sciences, where he taught classes on international affairs and served as Executive Director of the Rupert H. Johnson Grand Strategy Program from July 2018- July 2020. In addition to his primary interests in military personnel policies, innovation, and effectiveness, he also studies and writes broadly on civil-military relations, strategy, and conflict. His writing has appeared in War on the Rocks, Lawfare, and the Washington Post's Monkey Cage. He holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Political Science from Columbia University, and a BA in Political Science from McGill University. The views expressed are personal, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Military Academy or any other department or agency of the U.S. government.
Victoria Tin-bor Hui received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University and her B.SSc. in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Victoria is an associate professor at the University of Notre Dame, and her core research examines the centrality of war in the formation and transformation of “China” in the long span of history. Hui also studies contentious politics. As a native from Hong Kong, she has written “Will China Crush the Protests in Hong Kong? Why Beijing Doesn't Need to Send in the Troops” in Foreign Affairs and “Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement: The Protest and Beyond” in the Journal of Democracy. She also maintains a blog on Hong Kong https://victoriatbhui.wordpress.com. She has extensively commented on Hong Kong politics in the media including the Washington Post's Monkey Cage, ChinaFile, ABC, the BBC, the New York Times, the Guardian, Bloomberg, Sky News, NPR, Vox, and the Christian Science Monitor. Victoria Hui's class on Contentious Chinese politics in the Fall of 2016 shifted my understanding of China and its place in the world. Following the end of the century of humiliation and the powerful Qing dynasty, we studied China's political and cultural history- Mao's cultural revolution, the invasion of Tibet and Mongolia, the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Falun Gong, the widespread jailing of human rights lawyers, and the rise of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime. Because of China's growing influence and worldwide power it is vital to understand its history of human rights abuses and oppression of its people. During our conversation Victoria shares a brief history of China as well as her insights into the ongoing fight for freedom in Hong Kong. After more than 10,000 arrests and the passage of China's new extradition law (which broadly deems any form of dissent punishable with severe consequences) Victoria remains optimistic that daily, decentralized and diversified (the 3 D's) protest tactics provide hope for the future of Hong Kong.