Defending Ideas

Imagine you're offered a raise that, if you accepted, would actually make your family worse off.

This is the experience of some families in poverty when they hit something called the benefits cliff. This "cliff effect" is triggered when a family's increase in earned income prompts a disproportionately larger decrease in the benefits they receive through federally funded public assistance programs.

This week's guest is Kelsey Underwood, vice president of strategy and product for the Georgia Center for Opportunity. She joins the show to discuss how the benefits cliff can disincentivize work, negatively impacting families struggling to escape poverty. She also touches on GCO's efforts in various states to clear obstacles to upward mobility for impoverished Americans. The discussion centers around the dignity of work that fosters upward mobility and identifies resources available to policymakers and business leaders to help address the issue.

Show notes:

• Home - Georgia Center for Opportunity
• Home - Benefits Cliffs

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.

It's common for voters to complain that Congress doesn't do enough on a number of different issues, citing gridlock and political dysfunction. But what about areas where it would actually be better if Congress did less?

On this episode, we discuss why education has become such a polarized issue, and why Congress is ill-suited to make real progress on behalf of students. Sutherland Institute Education Policy Fellow Christine Cooke Fairbanks joins the podcast to argue for returning more of these contentious issues – education in particular – to the states.

Show notes:

• How members of Congress should approach education policy (Utah Policy op-ed)
• Why Congress can’t deliver on education policy - Sutherland Institute
• Why Utah students would benefit from the ‘success sequence’ (Salt Lake Tribune op-ed)

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by 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.

These days it’s popular in some circles to be very critical of capitalism and free enterprise. In fact, some polling data shows a decline in American voters' support for capitalism. But the polarization around America's economic system is actually harming our ability to advance a principled and pragmatic approach to economic opportunity.

American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Beth Akers joins the show to rebut the overly simplistic "capitalism vs. socialism" polarized framing you usually hear. In this episode, you'll be equipped with the best approach to acknowledge capitalism's shortcomings, while still being a firm defender of our free enterprise system.

Before joining AEI, Dr. Akers worked as a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a visiting research scholar at the Federal Reserve Board, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a staff economist at the Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism by 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.

Utah has enjoyed a longstanding perch atop various state economic and societal rankings, including job growth, happiness, upward mobility, and more. New research shows how that success is tied to the stability of Utah families, and why the decline in some key indicators of family structure should concern you.

Sutherland Institute Visiting Scholar Brad Wilcox joins the podcast to discuss his new report: "The Utah Family Miracle: Five Policy Ideas to Keep Utah Families Strong and Stable."

The report - issued jointly with Institute for Family Studies and co-authored by Jenet Erickson and Patrick Brown - unveils how marriage and family structure are significant contributors to Utah’s best-in-the-nation status for things like economic opportunity, happiness, and strong civic and social life. The report explores the significance of data showing that marriage and family formation are on the decline. It also offers five concrete policy recommendations to Utah policymakers that will maintain and build upon Utah’s success as a national leader for strong families and a vibrant economy.

In addition to his role with Sutherland, Brad is the director of the National Marriage Project, a professor of sociology at University of Virginia, a senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, and a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Additional show notes:

• Access the full report here.
• Read "The ‘Utah family miracle’ and why it matters," originally published in Deseret News
• Visit the Sutherland family policy issues page: Policy | Family - Sutherland Institute
• Utah survey data on working parent preferences: 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, by 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.

Some Americans say they don't want to celebrate Independence Day anymore. The reason? They're frustrated with the results of various political disagreements in the country. But what if this refusal to celebrate is actually uncovering a deeper – and more prevalent – misread of the American idea?

Sutherland Institute President and CEO Rick Larsen joins the podcast to re-center the public debate about whether America is worth celebrating on this simple truth: today's American experiment is about us.


Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by 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.

Imagine you’re a small business owner. Should the government be able to coerce you and your business to express an idea you disagree with? The United States Supreme Court, ruling in favor of a small website creation business called 303 Creative, says no ruling in favor of free expression.

Sutherland Institute's court expert Bill Duncan, VP of Policy Derek Monson, and guest Marian Edmonds-Allen of New York City-based Parity discuss why the court got it right, and how our society can accommodate both free speech and differing views.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by 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.

In a win for the constitutional separation of powers, the United States Supreme Court overturned Pres. Biden's student loan forgiveness plan. Sutherland Institute's court expert Bill Duncan and guest Beth Akers of American Enterprise Institute weigh in on what the ruling means for the rule of law and the student loan issue moving forward.

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, by 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.