Podcast Episodes

Diplomacy, security, and the “Art of Coercion”

In his new book “The Art of Coercion,” Watson political scientist Reid Pauly provides a seemingly straightforward definition of coercion: “The practice of convincing a target by the use of threats, t…

Published on 13 hours ago

The role of universities in a democratic society (originally broadcast on the Rhodes Center Podcast, in collaboration with “Brown 2026”)

What’s the role of a university in a democratic society? What responsibility do universities have to foster the public good, and what responsibilities does the public have to support centers of educa…

Published on 3 weeks ago

What does the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ mean for America?

On July 4th, President Trump signed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” into law. The bill cuts trillions of dollars in taxes, and allocates hundreds of billions in new spending. To offset all of this, …

Published on 1 month ago

USAID is gone. What's the future of international aid?

On July 1st, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) officially closed its operations. It was the culmination of a months-long effort by the Trump administration to dismantle t…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Inflation’s winners and losers, with Mark Blyth

On this episode, Dan Richards talks with Mark Blyth about his new book, co-written with Nicoló Fraccaroli, called “Inflation: A Guide for Users and Losers.” 

Mark and Dan discuss the competing theorie…

Published on 2 months ago

How American firearms fuel violence in Mexico (rebroadcast)

Mexico, like the United States, has a gun violence problem. It has one of the highest murder rates in the world, and most of those murders come from firearms. In 2019, for example, almost 70% of the …

Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago

Press freedom and democracy in Africa and around the world

The World Press Freedom Index, which is issued by Reporters without Borders, measures the health of press freedom around the world. They do so along a number of axes, including the economic health of…

Published on 3 months ago

Trump’s (second) “first 100 days”

Tuesday, April 29, marked the first 100 days of Trump’s second term. 

To help make sense of all that’s happened (and a lot has happened), Dan Richards spoke with political scientist and Interim Direct…

Published on 3 months, 4 weeks ago

Why America can’t build things like it used to

On this episode, Dan Richards talks with Marc Dunkelman, Watson Institute fellow in International and Public Affairs and author of the new book “Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress―and How to Brin…

Published on 4 months, 1 week ago

AI and the future of human rights

In 2022, OpenAI, Inc. launched a free version of its software ChatGPT, ushering in a new phase in the widespread use of artificial intelligence. Since then, a constant stream of breakthroughs in AI t…

Published on 4 months, 3 weeks ago