This week we talk about failure! How do we assess political and societal failures? Should we consider generational processes in the analysis? Is failure necessary to learn and grow? We explore these questions and more this week, and also, find out who is leading in the quote-guessing count!

Check out what are reading this week:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01299-y
https://mashable.com/article/ford-f-150-lightning-tesla-cybertruck/

In this week's episode we talk about leadership! What is leadership? What makes a good leader? How can we measure the effectiveness of a leader? Are there different world views on leadership traits? We also share a quote from one of our favorite leaders! Who do you consider a leader today? let us know!

This week we are changing things up a bit with a special episode! We picked some famous quotes from renowned  politicians, activists and policy experts that resonated with us and asked each other to guess who said the quote. This exchange led to some interesting discussions and we learned something knew about these public figures and about us too. We hope you enjoy this episode, let us know what you think and share one of your favorite quotes with us!

We are starting this week's conversation with the word "coalition". How are coalitions formed? Who can be part of coalition? Are they a requirement for policies to be implemented in a democratic manner? Do coalitions reduce extremism? Can coalitions be stable in the long-term? Our conversation starter sparked many interesting questions and; join us as we try to answer them!

Our conversation starter this week is "American"! We discuss what we think American identity is and how it is viewed/perceived both at home and abroad. We also touch on the American Dream, its past, present and future. We hope you enjoy this week's word and let us know what you think next week's conversation started should be!

Our conversation starter this week is "innovation", a complex, multi-dimensional word indeed! We dive into the differences in access to 21st century innovation across the country and across the world. Moving forward, we discuss whether innovation emerges more effectively under democracies or under autocratic/one party rule. Let us know what you think next week's conversation starter should be at [email protected]

We are trying out a new format! Every week, we'll select a word from one of our listeners that will serve as our conversation starter. For today's episode, we selected "phony". Join us as we discuss what political leaders, economic ideas and institutions we perceive to be phony and why we should call them out.

In this episode we hit a topic that has become part of our daily lives: social media. The lack of a social contract (minimum standards of engagement) in social media platforms has enabled more and more radicalization and extremism in the past years. Now, the extremism we see on social media is migrating to the halls of congress, our classrooms and other common spaces, threatening the future of society. 

Resources:
Social Media and Political Discourse
Social Media and Democracy
Social Media and Political Branding 

Along the way, the United States seems to have lost its national vision and that has had a negative effect on the country’s priority in investing in infrastructure. We discuss what factors have led the US to fall behind in infrastructure and what we believe the government can do to regain a national vision for future. Let us know what you think the US’s vision should be for the coming decades!

Resources:

The State of U.S. Infrastructure  

Benefits of Infrastructure Investment

Infrastructure Report Card

Part One: What is infrastructure? Why do governments invest in infrastructure? Our curiosity this week brought us to this important topic and since our conversation touched on several aspects, this episode will be divided into two parts. In part one, we discuss how investing in infrastructure can be an indicator that a country has a strong vision for its present and future. Don’t forget to check back in for part two!

Resources:

The State of U.S. Infrastructure  

Benefits of Infrastructure Investment

Infrastructure Report Card