Defending Ideas

Are you better off today than you were four years ago?

This is a common question voters hear from candidates during an election year. But on this episode, two economists ask that question, then try to answer it using economic data. They say the evidence shows that overall the economy is showing signs of strength, but there's a disconnect: Regular Americans don't believe they're better off. What's causing this?

This week's episode features AEI Senior Fellow Beth Akers in another Defending Enterprise feature segment. Beth interviews Claudia Sahm, a former Federal Reserve economist who now runs her own economic consulting firm. They discuss the latest economic indicators, coupled with consumer sentiment data, exploring why some of the experts and average Americans diverge on their current views of the economy.

Defending Enterprise is a regular feature segment with contributor Beth Akers. This segment is intended to equip listeners to become better champions of the free enterprise system.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. 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 the policy implications of intact families gain traction in public debate, one positive impact of healthy marriages and strong families often gets ignored: civic engagement.

This week, guest Brandon Dabling sits down with Nic Dunn to discuss how the institution of marriage and family impacts the civic health of the United States. Brandon is an independent researcher and the author of A New Birth of Marriage: Love, Politics, and the Vision of the Founders.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. 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.

Public discussions of "the good life" usually center on things like a quality job, decent pay and other benefits that are primarily material. But what if – as a society – we're missing the things that truly impact happiness and human flourishing? Even when we discuss what's been described as America's "loneliness epidemic," too often the importance of human connection and strong families get left out.

Guest Dr. Jenet Erickson joins host Nic Dunn to show why human connection through meaningful relationships – like those within a family unit – are generally much more important for a flourishing life than the things that usually get measured and publicly discussed. They discuss how to restore these principles to the center of the public debates about our biggest societal challenges.

Jenet is a family fellow at the BYU Wheatley Institute, a senior fellow for the Institute for Family Studies, and a co-author of “The Utah Family Miracle: Five Policy Ideas to Keep Utah Families Strong and Stable,” a report issued jointly between Sutherland Institute and the Institute for Family Studies.

Show notes:

• Jenet Jacob Erickson – Wheatley Institute (byu.edu)
• America has a loneliness epidemic. Here are 6 steps to address it – NPR
• Publications | Utah Family Miracle – Sutherland Institute
• Policy | Success Sequence – 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, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. 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.

New survey data shows that a majority of likely voters in Utah support the concepts of the success sequence and approve of teaching them in schools. So, when critics still push back against the sequence – education, work, and marriage before kids – as one of the best frameworks for avoiding poverty and living a successful and happy life, what's the best response?

Sutherland Visiting Scholar Brad Wilcox returns to the podcast to give a rebuttal to some of the better-known critics of the success sequence. He joins host Nic Dunn to review the latest survey data showing broad bipartisan support for teaching the success sequence among likely voters in Utah and to make the case that the third step in the sequence – marriage – still matters for kids' outcomes.

Brad is also a fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, director of the National Marriage Project, professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Show notes:

• Success Sequence – Sutherland Institute
• For kids, marriage still matters – Sutherland Institute
• Uncommonly Popular: Public Support for Teaching the Success Sequence in School | American Enterprise Institute – AEI

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. 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.

Debates about family policy often focus on an array of programs or interventions like licensed child care, pre-K or the K-12 education system. But all too often, the family itself as an optimal environment for the healthy development of young children – and a fundamental institution of civil society – gets left out of the discussion.

This week’s guest explains why we need to elevate the family as “essential infrastructure” for children and society. She also argues for better inclusion of the evidence showing which environments are truly optimal for early childhood development.

Dr. Katharine Stevens is the founder and CEO of the Center on Child and Family Policy and formerly led AEI’s early childhood program as a resident scholar. She joins host Nic Dunn to help recenter true pro-family policy at the core of our public debates and offer policymakers and voters a framework for a better approach.

Show notes:

• Center on Child and Family Policy (ccfp.org)
• A Flawed Agenda for America's Young Children — Center on Child and Family Policy (ccfp.org)
• Does Pre-K Work? The Research on Ten Early Childhood Programs — and What it Tells Us — Center on Child and Family Policy (ccfp.org)
• How a Faulty Generalization is Sabotaging Early Childhood Policy — Center on Child and Family Policy (ccfp.org)
• Mitt Romney says Democrats’ proposals are biased toward parents working outside home – Deseret News
• Parents want more time with their kids. We should find ways to help them - 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, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. 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.

Many public policy debates in recent years have focused on the concept of equity, and what impact race and ethnicity have on opportunity for the next generation. This week's podcast guest believes we need to replace equity with agency, as a more compelling – and more effective – vision to help young people of all races lead successful and fulfilling lives.

Ian Rowe is the cofounder of Vertex Partnership Academies, a network of character-based International Baccalaureate high schools inaugurated in the Bronx in 2022. He is also a senior fellow at AEI, and the author of Agency: The Four Point Plan (F.R.E.E.) for All Children to Overcome the Victimhood Narrative and Discover Their Pathway to Power.

Ian joins host Nic Dunn to discuss his experiences as an educator, his assessment of the evidence of what actually helps children succeed in adulthood and why he wrote a book to provide an alternative to the equity-based debates that so often permeate public dialogue.
Show notes:

• Agency - A New Book from AEI's Ian V. Rowe (thefreeframework.com)
• The Privilege Hiding in Plain Sight - Ian Rowe in National Review
• FREE Landing Page | American Enterprise Institute - AEI

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. 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.

Rabbi Chaim Zippel was in Israel with his wife and baby on October 7, 2023 – the day of the Hamas terrorist attack. He joins host Nic Dunn to recount his experience getting his family to safety and react to the recent wave of antisemitism abroad and at home.

Sutherland Institute Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow Bill Duncan also returns to the podcast to apply a religious freedom lens to the instances of antisemitism topping the news in the United States. The conversation reminds listeners of America's founding principles, providing a framework to renew a core principle that is currently threatened by these recent events.


Show notes:

• Antisemitic Threats and Violence in the West: A Running Tally | National Review
• ‘We cannot be here’: Utah’s Rabbi Chaim Zippel was in Israel as Hamas attacked | KUER
• Utah leaders, faith groups join Stand with Israel rally | Deseret News
• Chabad of Utah County | Your Home For Everything Jewish, Based in Lehi, Utah (jewishutahcounty.com)
• Recent antisemitism prompts a needed reminder of America's culture of religious freedom | 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, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. 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.

Marriage is often viewed as a personal matter that isn't usually included in public policy discussions. But a growing body of evidence shows that strong families, anchored by healthy marriages, are among the biggest drivers of upward mobility and long-term success for the next generation. This prompts the question: does government have a role in promoting – or even trying to strengthen – marriage?

On this week’s episode, Nic Dunn is joined by three different guests who are leading and executing marriage and family initiatives here in Utah:

• Brian Higginbotham, Associate Vice President, USU Extension
• Alan Hawkins, Manager, Utah Marriage Commission
• Aimee Winder Newton, Senior Advisor to Gov. Spencer J. Cox and Director of the Utah Office of Families

Each will argue that the government does in fact have an important role helping to strengthen marriage and family, citing examples and best practices here in Utah.

Show notes:

• Stronger Marriage - Utah Marriage Commission | USU
• Healthy Relationships Utah | USU
• Opinion: A silver anniversary celebration for the Utah Marriage Commission - Deseret News
• Utah Office of Families | Governor Spencer J. Cox
• Publications | Utah Family Miracle - Sutherland Institute
• Amazon.com: The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind: 9780226817781: Kearney, Melissa S.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. 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.

Roughly 37.9 million Americans live in poverty according to the United States Census Bureau's official poverty measure. By any assessment, that's far too many Americans struggling to get by.

So a coalition of state-level policy thinktanks called the Alliance for Opportunity is working to bring that number down, starting with its goal of leading 1 million Americans out of poverty in ten years.

Alliance for Opportunity Executive Director Rachel Barkley and Senior Fellow Les Ford join Nic Dunn on this episode to profile the work of the coalition, and make the argument for a new national movement of welfare reform to improve social safety net programs.

Show notes:

• Home - Alliance for Opportunity
• A firsthand account of overcoming ‘benefits cliffs’ to escape poverty - Sutherland Institute
• How programs to help the poor can harm upward mobility - 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, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. 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 U.S. Supreme Court began its new term in October, with several weighty issues already on the docket. Between now and June 2024, the court will review various cases touching on free speech, separation of powers, property rights and more that could be added throughout the term.

Sutherland Institute Constitutional Law and Religious Freedom Fellow Bill Duncan returns to the podcast to give us a preview of the cases the court is taking up. He also discusses why some of the recent political attacks on the court are on weak footing – offering listeners a helpful reminder of the court’s true constitutional role, and how we can defend it.

Show notes:

• Supreme Court 2023-24 preview: 3 issues so far - Sutherland Institute
• Attacks on Supreme Court Show Flawed Understanding of Constitution | National Review

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. 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.