Hardly Working with Brent Orrell

America’s workforce development and anti-poverty programs are rife with complexity and bureaucracy. Looking for work is hard enough but the way we organize our welfare and workforce systems makes it even more difficult.

To address this challenge and create a welfare system that works for people seeking self-sufficiency rather than against them, the State of Utah has developed a unique approach that consolidates services rather than fragmenting them which saves time, energy, and money while helping families make the most of the resources and opportunities they have to build a better future.

Brent is joined by Mason Bishop, an Adjunct Fellow at AEI to discuss his recent report: “Utah Department of Workforce Services: A System Integration Model”.

We live in times marked by the omnipresence of the internet and instantaneous access to the accumulated knowledge of humanity. This leads us into relying on quick, narrow answers to large, complex questions. Are we going too far in our reliance on experts and, in the process, forgetting how to think for ourselves?

Brent talks to Vikram Mansharamani, a lecturer at Harvard University and the author of “Think for Yourself: Restoring Common Sense in An Age of Experts and Artificial Intelligence”. They discuss the need to reduce our reliance on experts living in the silos of their own professional fields, the importance of a liberal arts education, and the importance of staying focused on your mission.  

Most people know that the human brain is divided into two hemispheres: the left brain and the right brain. But what purpose does this division serve, and how does it influence perception, behavior, economics, and culture? In this rebroadcasted episode of “Hardly Working,” host Brent Orrell is joined by Dr. Iain McGilchrist, author of “The Master and His Emissary,” […]

The post The Divided Brain: Perception, Social Life, and Interpersonal Neurobiology [REBROADCAST] appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Recent research from the American Enterprise Institute found that women and racial and ethnic minorities feel unwelcome in STEM fields, unlike their white male counterparts. It is clear that more work needs to be done to ensure that STEM careers continue to attract and retain a diverse workforce. To discuss this and other findings of […]

The post Building a more inclusive STEM workforce appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

While statistical models and probability scores can be useful for helping diagnose problems, they are not reliable information for predicting the future. Brent is joined in this episode by two eminent economists, John Kay, a fellow at St. Johns College, Oxford and the first dean of Oxford’s Said Business School, and Mervyn King, former Governor […]

The post How statistical modeling can make it harder to understand the world appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Brent talks with Tamar Jacoby on the valuable and often overlooked role community colleges play for both four-year universities and local employeers

The post Tamar Jacoby on the future of community colleges appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Can thinking through the arch of history assist modern thinkers in planning for the future? Or is the future uncertain and separate from the happenings of the past? Brent cohosts today’s episode with Albert Zambone, an Oxford University-trained historian of colonial America and the host of the Historically Thinking podcast. Together, Brent and Al interview […]

The post Future history: looking behind to shape what’s ahead appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Contrary to the popular assumption that people who engage in criminal activity at some point in their life will always be dangerous and criminally-oriented, the data show that the majority of people who leave prison will never become re-incarcerated. Brent talks to Shawn Bushway, a criminologist at the University of Albany and a Senior Policy […]

The post Once a criminal, not always a criminal: What we know about desistance appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Hundreds of thousands of workers are no longer working standard office hours in a corporate setting, but instead work freelance and gig jobs that allow for greater flexibility in hours, job type, and location. Is the future of the American labor market in gig work, and how are workers faring in the new, gig economy? […]

The post Worker without a boss: The new American gig economy appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Technology has been rapidly advancing, and along with it has come an increased reliance on artificial intelligence, algorithms, and other forms of computer programming. Can we trust these programs to uphold our values of inclusion, diversity, and fairness? Brent talks to Robert Elliot Smith, an artificial intelligence expert and author of “Rage Inside the Machine: […]

The post How computers and the algorithms that drive them influence our life, work, and future appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.