As Democrats and Republicans battle over redrawing congressional maps, California’s system of direct democracy is once again in the spotlight. For over a century, California has allowed citizens to directly pass or reject laws on high profile issues, from marijuana and gay marriage to homelessness and sports betting. But the state’s direct democracy system has come under scrutiny in recent years, with critics saying special interests have gained too much influence. To discuss the pros, cons and history of California’s direct democracy, we are joined by Mark Baldassare, senior fellow at the USC Price School’s Bedrosian Center on Governance.

As Democrats and Republicans battle over redrawing congressional maps, California’s system of direct democracy is once again in the spotlight. For over a century, California has allowed citizens to directly pass or reject laws on high profile issues, from marijuana and gay marriage to homelessness and sports betting. But the state’s direct democracy system has come under scrutiny in recent years, with critics saying special interests have gained too much influence. To discuss the pros, cons and history of California’s direct democracy, we are joined by Mark Baldassare, senior fellow at the USC Price School’s Bedrosian Center on Governance.

The United States is one of history's most notable democracies, yet the U.S. democratic system has been in decline for years, with reduced public trust, increasing polarization and low levels of voter turnout. Our guest today, Mindy Romero, is among those spearheading “By the People, For the People,” a nationwide campaign that seeks to rebuild trust in U.S. democracy. She discusses the campaign and the challenges facing U.S. democracy.

Rural America is often portrayed as a deteriorating place that’s hopelessly divided from other parts of the country. But our guest, USC Price Professor Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, has researched rural America and paints a more nuanced picture. Her book – The Overlooked Americans: The Resilience of Our Rural Towns and What It Means for Our Country – argues that rural and urban Americans have far more in common than not, and that many rural communities are faring much better than typically portrayed in media accounts.

The Food and Drug Administration plans to ban employees of regulated companies, including drug manufacturers, from serving on the agency’s advisory committees. The new policy is aimed at combating industry influence and conflicts of interest, but will it make a difference? We are joined by Genevieve Kanter, an Associate Professor at the USC Price School, who has researched conflicts of interest at the FDA as well as the “revolving door” of people moving between jobs in government and regulated industries.

The Los Angeles wildfires were one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history, killing dozens of people and destroying thousands of homes and businesses. As catastrophes like this one become more common, we are joined by Research Professor Adam Rose, a leading expert in the economics of disasters. We discuss how these estimates are calculated and what can be done to make disasters less costly.

The opioid epidemic has killed roughly 900,000 Americans since the year 1999 – and one of the factors that fueled the crisis was doctors overprescribing opioids to patients. Jason Doctor, a USC Price School Professor, has been researching a way to curb overprescribing: notifying doctors when their patients fatally overdose. In this episode, we’ll discuss his studies and how they can help policymakers combat this health crisis.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs – commonly known as DEI – have become a hot-button issue in U.S. politics. Many organizations launched or expanded DEI programs in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a police officer. Now, a backlash against DEI has turned into policymaking, with federal, state and local governments aiming to restrict or ban DEI programs. Shaun Harper, a University and Provost Professor at the USC Price School, joins the show to discuss policymakers’ actions against DEI and the potential consequences.

Owning a home has long been promoted as a tenet of the American Dream, but many Americans now find that dream out of reach. Last year, the share of first-time home buyers shrank to historic lows, according to the National Association of Realtors. To help us understand the causes of the housing crisis and how we can solve it, we are joined by Richard Green, director and chair of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.

With President-elect Donald Trump returning to the White House and Republicans retaking control of Congress, conservative policymakers are hoping to reshape the “administrative state.” That’s the collection of federal agencies, regulatory boards and the like that oversee everything from environmental protection to education policy. USC Price Associate Professor William Resh joins the show to explain how Trump and his allies, including billionaire Elon Musk, could transform the federal bureaucracy and what that could mean for government workers and the public.