Tag Archives: Economics

The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Oct. 20th, 2013

First, why do the super-rich continue to make gains while other Americans are losing ground, in the “winner-take-all” politics?Paul Pierson and Jacob S. Hacker are the authors of, Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer–and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class. [ dur: 25 mins. ]

  • Paul Pierson, Professor of Political Science, UC Berkeley.
  • Jacob S. Hacker, Professor of Political Science, Yale.

Then, on the Scholars’ Cirle panel, we examine the politics of the US Constitution, its effect on political institutions and the political process, and ask whether it should be revised or amended. Also, includes comparative analysis with other constitutions. [ dur:  32 mins. ]

  • David S. Law, Professor of Law and Political Science. Washington Univ., St. Louis.
  • Sanford Levinson, Professor of Political Science and Law at Univ. of Texas School of Law. Author of Framed: America’s 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance
  • Louis Michael Seidman, Professor of Constitutional Law at Georgetown University. Author of On Constitutional Disobedience (Inalienable Rights)

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Sept. 1st, 2013

The great recession of 2007—2008 was not solely a financial crisis. Similar to financial crises of our past, it was indeed a political crisis, say our guests. We spend the hour analyzing the failures of democracy that allowed such a crisis to happen, and what reforms are necessary to prevent it from happening again. [ dur: 57 mins. ]

We are joined by Nolan McCarty, Keith T. Poole and Howard Rosenthal, authors of the book, “Political Bubbles: Financial Crises and the Failure of American Democracy.”

  • Nolan McCarty is the Susan Dod Brown Professor of Politics and Public Affairs and Chair of the Department of Politics at Princeton University, respectively.
  • Keith T. Poole is the Philip H. Alston, Jr. Distinguished Chair and Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Georgia and Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of California San Diego.
  • Howard Rosenthal is Professor of Politics at New York University and Professor Emeritus of Social Sciences and of Politics at Princeton University.

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Aug. 11th, 2013

First, we look at the gap between the American Dream and reality, with Miles Corak

  • Miles Corak is professor of economics with the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottowa. He is the author of, Generational Income Mobility in North America and Europe and The Intergenerational Transmission of Employers.

Then, are high alerts, embassy closures, and national surveillance state reasonable reactions to the threat of terrorist acts?  Joining us are John Mueller and Mark Stewart, together, they coauthored Terror, security, and Money: Balancing the Risks, Benefits and costs of Homeland Security.

  • John Mueller is a research scientist and professor of political science at Ohio State University and author of Retreat from Doomsday and War, Presidents and Public Opinion.
  • Mark Stewart is a professor of civil engineering and director of the Center for Infrastructure , Performance and Reliability at the University of Newcastle in Australia.

Finally, on the Scholars’ Circle panel, with climate change, depleted natural resources, and more than 9 billion people. What will the world look like in 2050?

  • Deepak Ray is Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Global Landscapes Initiative Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. He is co-author of the study, “Yield Trends Are Insufficient to Double Global Crop Production by 2050,” and “Solutions for a Cultivated Planet.”
  • Eward Miguel is Professor at University of California, Berkeley and Director of the Center for Effective Global Action. He is the author of, Africa’s Turn? He is co-author of Economic Gangsters: Corruption, Violence and the Poverty of Nations, and the study, “Quantifying the Influence of Climate on Human Conflict.?
  • Laurence C. Smith is Professor and Chair of Geography at UCLA and author of The World in 2050: Four Forces Shaping Civilization’s Northern Future.

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- June 16th, 2013

In this hour, we continue exploring the bank of the banks and the role it plays in international economies. [ dur: 10 mins. ]

  • Adam LeBor, Author: Tower of Basel: The Shadowy History of the Secret Bank that Runs the World

Then, is the national surveillance state a permanent feature of the US? [ dur: 20 mins. ]

  • Prof. Sanford Levinson. Prof. of Government and Law, University of Texas. Author: Constitutional Stupidities, Constitutional Tragedies

Finally, what do the uprisings in Turkey mean for the country itself, Middle East and the West? [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Dr. Marcie J. Patton is a Professor of Politics at Fairfield University. Her publications include, “Turkey,” “AKP Reform Fatigue in Turkey: What’s happened to the EU process?” and “The Economic Policies of the AKP Government: Rabbits from a Hat?”
  • Mark LeVine is a Professor of History at the University of California,Irvine. His books include, “Why They Don’t Hate Us: Lifting the Veil on the Axis of Evil,” “Heavy Metal Islam: Religion, Popular Culture and Resistance in the Middle East,” and co-authored “Religion, Social Practice, and Contested Hegemonies: Reconstructing the Public Sphere in Muslim Majority Societies”
  • Asli Ü. Bâli is Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law. She is the author of numerous publications including, “The Perils of Judicial Independence: Constitutional Transition and the Turkish Example” “From Subjects to Citizens? The Shifting Paradigm of Electoral Authoritarianism in the Middle East” and co-authored, “American Overreach: Strategic Interests and Millennial Ambitions in the Middle East.”

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The Scholars’ Circle & Insighters Radio- Feb. 24th, 2013

First, how did society develop from bands of hunter and gatherers to our current political system? Where did the concepts of accountability come from? And why was a swell of democracy followed by a decline in democratic gain? What is behind political decay? Francis Fukuyama poses these questions in his latest book, The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution. [ dur: 28 mins. ]

  • Francis Fukuyama, author, senior fellow at Stanford Univ.;

Then, on the Scholars’ Circle, what are the trends and consequences of increasingly unequal society? We look at inequality, its causes and consequences. [ dur: 27 mins. ]

  • Prof. Lane Kenworthy, Sociology and Political science Univ. of AZ.; Author: Progress for the Poor
  • Prof. Miles Corak,  Prof. of Economics, Univ. of Ottawa, Canada; Author: Generational Income Mobility in North America and Europe
  • Prof. Sylvia Allegretto, Center on Wage & Employment Dynamics, Labor Economist , UC Berkeley. Author : The State of Working America:

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Insighters & Scholars Circle- Nov. 18th, 2012

1) Community gardens are emerging as an antidote to food deserts and the growing health epidemics in children. We focus on one effort in Los Angeles. Joining us is Dr. Nicole M. Gatto, Assistant Researcher in the Department of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Los Angeles. Little Green Fingers – teaching children under 5 about growing food gardens.

2) With labor unions collectively challenging austerity, what might European leaders do? What is Europe’s economic future?

  • Karl Kaltenthaler, is a Professor of Political Science and Director of Research at the University of Akron. He is the author of, “The Politics of Policy-making in the European Central Bank,” and “Germany and the Politics of Europe’s Money.”
  • Chris Tilly is a Professor of Urban Planning and Director at UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment. He is the co-author of, “Stories Employers Tell: Race, Skills, and Hiring in America,” and co-author of “Glass Ceilings and Bottomless Pits: Women’s Work, Women’s Poverty.”

3) Your memory is a political battlefield: Memory entrepreneurs try to reshape our memories to advance their political agendas. Who are they and how are they affecting the US?

  • Ellen Schrecker is a professor of History at Yeshiva University. She is the author of several books, including “Many Are the Crimes: McCarthyism in America” and “The Age of McCarthyism: A Brief History with Documents.”
  • Douglas Becker is a professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California. He is the author of numerous books, including “The Bush Administration’s Campaign Against the International Criminal Court,” “A Bird in the Bush,” and “Justice knows no Boundaries.”
  • Jon Wiener is a professor of History at the University of California, Irvine. He is the author of “How We Forgot the Cold War: A Historical Journey Across America,” “Historians in Trouble: Plagiarism, Fraud and Power in the Ivory Tower,” and “Gimme Some Truth: The John Lennon FBI Files.”

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Insighters & Scholars’ Circle – Oct. 7th, 2012

First, a look into the murky world of the global arms trade and its cost to society, democracy and security. Andrew Feinstein is author of, The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade and  Corruption Watch; [ Dur: 28 mins. ]

Then on the Scholars’ Circle, we look at poverty, inequality, and social mobility both here in the U.S. and worldwide.

  • Lane Kenworthy, Prof. of Sociology & Political Science, Univ. of AZ. Author of  Progress For Poor;
  • David A. Smith, Prof. of Sociology, UC Irvine. Author of  Third World City;
  • Gregory Clark, Prof. & Chair, Dept. of Economics, UC Davis. Author of Farewell To Alms .

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Insighters & Scholars’ Circle July 8th, 2012

From the ashes of the harsh recession new sustainable ownership models are emerging with groups, unions, and entire communities coming together to co-own their workplaces, homes, and sources of credit. With us to look into the possibilities is Marjorie Kelly, a fellow at the Tellus Institute think tank and author of, “The Divine Right of Capital,” her latest book is, “Owning Our Future: The Emerging Ownership Revolution,” and she cofounded “Business Ethics” magazine. [ dur. 27 mins. ]

And, on the Scholars’ Circle; Earlier this week a high level memorandum was leaked which revealed some of the inner workings of the supreme court. What was said in that memo? What does drive judicial decision making and what constrains it? And, how do these votes effect American society? We are joined by three experts:

  • Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and Professor of Law at University of California, Irvine. He has authored several books including his latest, “The Conservative Assault on the Constitution.”
  • Adam Winkler, Professor of Law at UCLA and the author of, “Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America.”
  • Lawrence Baum, Professor of Political Science at Ohio State University his books include, “The Puzzle of Judicial Behavior,” “Judges and Their Audiences,” and “Specializing the Courts.”

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Insighters & Scholars’ Circle – March 11th, 2012

1) When might gas prices come back down? Some experts say never. We’ll explore the realities of fuel prices with  Tyson Slocum.
2) Then, from broken heart to suicide bomber. We explore the various drives that fuel deadly terror with Ken Ballen .
3) On the Scholars’ Circle, what the Putin and rising widespread protests mean for Russia and the world.

  • Professor Daniel Treisman
  • Professor Robert English
  • Professor Katherine Stoner-Weiss

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Insighters & Scholars’ Circle – Feb 26th, 2012

First, we take a deeper look into scandals that led to the economic meltdown with G. Morgenson, author of Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armagaddon. (dur: 19min.)

On the 2nd segment we ask, what can the history of human rights tell us about the struggles of today? We talk with Micheline Ishay, author of The History of Human Rights. (dur: 10min.)

On Scholars’ Circle. Topic: historical memory. A look at how some “memory entrepreneurs” are rewriting history to shape policies of the future. (dur: 26min.)

For a transcript of this interview, please visit: TheBigQ

  • Prof. Brent Sasley, Univ. of Texas ;
  • Prof. Doug Becker, USC;
  • Prof. Alex Hinton, Rutgers Univ., author;
  • Prof. Dovile Budryte, Georgia Gwinnett College.

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