This week is our August edition of Incentives & Instincts, a recurring series in which Justin speaks with economist and friend Bryce Ward about some of the broader challenges facing our society.

It is back to school season and phones remain a hot topic in public schools. Some states have legislated bans and we're starting to have enough data to evaluate …

This week's guest is Theresa Williams, crisis intervention team program manager for Missoula. CIT programs bring together law enforcement, mental health professionals, advocates and other partners to improve community response to mental health crises. Theresa has a deep background in social work and has worked in the behavioral health space for over 20 years.

In this episode, Theresa talks about her background in social work and how her early experiences working at a homeless shelter made her realize the need for a more trauma-informed approach.

This week Justin speaks with Andrew Light, distinguished professor of philosophy, public policy and atmospheric science at George Mason University. Andrew has also served in the highest levels of U.S. Government, most recently as the Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs at the U. S. Department of Energy. Andrew recently visited the University of Montana to deliver the 2025 Albert Borgmann Lecture.

In this conversation, Andrew explains how philosophical training set him up for success in navigating and negotiating public policy. He discusses his role in leading the U.S. through energy discussions and the importance of bringing together experts from different fields like science, economics and law to inform policy decisions.

This week Justin speaks with Gillian Glaes and Peter Baker about the value of international experiences and perspectives. Gillian directs the University of Montana’s Franke Global Leadership Initiative, and Peter directs international programs at the Mansfield Center. Together, these two play a significant role in shaping the international experiences and perspectives available to students in Montana.

In this conversation Gillian and Peter talk about how international programs and perspectives enrich not only the student body, but the wider community, and how international engagement can enable a place to better welcome diversity.

Today is the July edition of Incentives & Instincts, a recurring series in which Justin speaks with economist and friend Bryce Ward about some of the broader challenges facing our society.

This episode is a continuation of last month’s conversation on artificial intelligence and its impact on our quality of life. In this conversation, Justin and Bryce discuss the business models and incentives around A.I. and its potential to be a force for good. They also dive into a listener question that harkens back to the duo’s interest in the youth-sports industrial complex.

Listen to last month’s episode here.

This week Justin speaks with Dr. Reed Humphrey, who has held almost every academic position at the University of Montana.

In part two of this two-part episode, Justin presses Reed on the tenuous nature of the provost position at UM. Reed talks about the pros of interdisciplinary initiatives and the importance of stability and institutional knowledge in academic leadership roles, as well as the need to balance innovation and tradition in higher education.

This week Justin speaks with Dr. Reed Humphrey, who sits at the threshold of retirement after a long and winding academic career. Reed has held nearly every academic position possible at the University of Montana, and there’s not much he hasn’t seen.

Reid reached out to Justin and asked if he would be interested in kicking the tires of higher education. Naturally, Justin said he’d love to.Tune in to part two of this conversation next week.

This week Justin talks with Paul Reichert, CEO of Prospera, a nonprofit economic development organization focused on southwest Montana.

Paul explains Prospera’s role helping small businesses as a “navigator and problem solver,” discusses some of the challenges facing the nonprofit — like financing infrastructure and community development projects — and answers Justin’s magic wand question: If Paul had a magic wand, what would he change to make operating and/or owning a small business in Montana easier?

In this week’s episode, Justin speaks with a former student, Eli, about his journey establishing a relationship with artificial intelligence.

Eli turned to Chat GPT to help him with school, in social situations and while working on figuring out his life. He talks to Justin about how he uses Chat GPT as a sounding board and considers it something that really cares about him, while also being aware that it’s a human-made technology with flaws.

Today is our June edition of Incentives & Instincts, a recurring series in which Justin speaks with economist and friend Bryce Ward about some of the broader challenges facing our society. The duo has been putting this episode off for a long time, but now is the time to talk about AI.

In this conversation, Justin and Bryce talk about how AI could impact …