Defending Ideas

If you work harder and earn more, your family should be better off. But for some on the government safety net, that may not always be the case.
 
On this episode, Nic Dunn sits down with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Alex Ruder. Alex serves as Community and Economic Development Director and Principal Adviser for the Atlanta Fed, where he focuses on workforce development topics including benefits cliffs and career pathways.
 
They discuss the right way to define the benefits cliff problem, giving an overview of some solutions available to policymakers seeking to fix work disincentives in the safety net.

Show notes:

• Mitigating Benefits Cliffs for Low-Income Families: District of Columbia Career Mobility Action Plan as a Case Study — Atlanta Fed
• Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecaster (CLIFF) — Atlanta Fed
• Work & Opportunity Issue Page — Sutherland Institute

Defending Ideas is a weekly show produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.


Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

As 2024 winds down, what do the results of this election year mean for the future of politics and policy debates for the United States? 

On this episode, we look back on a tumultuous election year and offer a roadmap for a more productive and solutions-focused 2025. 

Nic Dunn is joined by Jason Perry, vice president for government relations and the director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics at the University of Utah, and Maura Carabello, founder, president, and owner of Exoro Group. Sutherland Institute President Rick Larsen also returns to the show.

This is the last episode of Defending Ideas for the year. Look for new episodes beginning in early January 2025. 

Defending Ideas is a weekly show produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

The federal government controls nearly 70% of the land in Utah, and has for a long time. Is this a problem? And if so, what should be done about it?

On this episode, we discuss Utah's new lawsuit asking the Supreme Court to weigh in on important constitutional questions around federal vs. state management of land. Nic Dunn sits down with Pacific Legal Foundation Legal Fellow Ethan Blevins and Sutherland's Bill Duncan. They give an overview of the public land issue, Utah's case, and what's next in the legal process. 

Show notes:

• The Supreme Court Shouldn’t Let The Federal Government Control 70 Percent Of A State’s Land – The Federalist
• Sutherland Institute Amicus Brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Utah v. United States
• It’s Time to Reclaim the West from Federal Control – National Review

Defending Ideas is a weekly show produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Should the U.S. Department of Education be abolished? That’s one of the questions that the new presidential administration and the new Congress may grapple with in 2025. But what does this mean for a broader education policy agenda for the next four years? 

On this episode, Nic Dunn interviews AEI Senior Fellow Max Eden about the latest national developments in education policy and what they mean for states. Sutherland Institute Education Policy Fellow Christine Cooke Fairbanks also joins the show to articulate how these national shifts may point to a renewal of state and parental empowerment in ways that will benefit students. 

Show notes:

• Trump should use the education department, not abolish it – Washington Examiner
• Could Trump's second term forever change federal education policy? – Sutherland Institute
• Education Policy Issue Page – Sutherland Institute

Defending Ideas is a weekly show produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

This episode of Defending Ideas is a special holiday message. Host Nic Dunn draws from themes of past episodes to offer a framework for navigating political disagreement with loved ones during the holidays. 


Defending Ideas is a weekly show produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

America is the land of opportunity. So how should we respond when new evidence shows that some families actually feel discouraged from working harder for the American Dream?

On this episode, Nic Dunn sits down with Randy Hicks, president and CEO of the Georgia Center for Opportunity. They discuss new evidence of how families on the social safety net sometimes feel disincentivized from pursuing work and opportunity, and how the Georgia Center for Opportunity is trying to improve the nation's safety net and empower more families to escape poverty.

Show notes:

• Strengthening the American Dream: Addressing benefits cliffs to empower safety net participants to pursue work and opportunity – Sutherland Institute
• Work & Opportunity issue page – Sutherland Institute
• Sutherland launches Work & Opportunity Initiative with new research

Defending Ideas is a weekly show produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.



Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

The election is over, and we now know the results. So, what’s next for public discourse, election trust, and political polarization? On this episode we continue our special Election Day coverage with part two of a mini-roundtable discussion with Sutherland executives. 

Nic Dunn sits down with Sutherland’s Derek Monson and Stan Rasmussen to evaluate what the conclusion of the 2024 election cycle means for the state and nation moving forward.

Show notes: 

• Opinion: Ensuring the peaceful resolution of future elections – Deseret News 
• The most important election? – Defending Ideas 

Defending Ideas is a weekly show produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.



Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Election Day is here, and it’s understandable to feel stressed or worried about the outcome. But what if there is something that has a bigger impact on America’s future than who wins? On this special Election Day edition of Defending Ideas, Nic Dunn sits down with Sutherland Institute President and CEO Rick Larsen and Sutherland Chief Development Officer Peter Reichard.

They address the overheated rhetoric that has been commonplace this election cycle, drawing from historical examples and long-standing principles to argue that how Americans act – toward each other and toward our civic institutions – actually matters more than who wins on Election Day.

Show notes: 

• Those who treat politics as religion undermine the Constitution they claim to love – Deseret News 
• Those who treat politics as religion undermine the country – YouTube
• The most ‘consequential’ election – Sutherland Institute
• Sutherland series on past presidential elections – by Peter Reichard

Defending Ideas is a weekly show produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

The cost of housing is a major issue here in Utah and across the nation, and there are many different proposals to address it. But what is the approach that policymakers should take? 

On this episode, we sit down with a national housing expert who has a plan that he says would increase Utah’s housing supply significantly without needing any government subsidies. Ed Pinto is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he also serves as co-director of the AEI Housing Center. He joins Nic Dunn to offer what he calls a “Housing Success Playbook” for Utah and offers crucial takeaways for policymakers.

This episode is in conjunction with the joint Sutherland Institute/AEI Housing Solutions Summit, sponsored by Clyde Companies.

Show notes: 

• Harris’s Down Payment Assistance Plan Would Push Home Prices Higher – AEI
• AEI Housing Center 
• Is zoning reform the answer to high housing costs? – Sutherland’s Defending Ideas   
• Utah’s pricey housing market and how to fix it – Sutherland’s Defending Ideas

Defending Ideas is a weekly show produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

The 2024 election is the first time artificial intelligence has begun to play a noticeable role during campaign season. What does that mean for the way we conduct elections in this country?  
 
On this episode, Nic Dunn sits down with an expert in AI and election policy to discuss some of the opportunities and challenges presented by this new technology. Chris McIsaac is a resident fellow in governance at the Washington, D.C.-based R Street Institute, where he focuses on electoral reform and budget policy. 
 
Chris articulates an optimistic vision of the advent of AI. He even suggests that – if approached the right way – this new technology could actually strengthen trust by improving the administration of elections as well as the voter experience.  
 
Show notes: 

• Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Elections – R Street Institute 
• R Sheet on AI and Elections – R Street Institute
• Election Policy – Sutherland Institute 

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show, we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, making you a better champion of sound ideas. Visit defendingideas.org.