Public Affairs (Audio)

In the past few years, America’s democracy has faced formidable challenges, just as it has at other critical junctures of our history.  But our democracy has so far proven resilient, with one of the key sources of resilience being the officials who administer elections in states and counties across our nation.  As part of our Democracy Talks series, Thad Kousser, professor of political science at UC San Diego and the co-director of the Yankelovich Center, talks about the challenges we face with Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way and Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer. Series: "Democracy Talks" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 38637]

How do structures and practices of privatization and commercialization affect capacities for deliberating and defining limits? How do questions of purpose, desirability, and public good relate to the prioritization of commercialization and profit? What means, formal and informal, exist for setting limits or seeking alignment between public and private interests? Krishanu Saha, Ph.D, Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, Ph.D., Reuven Brandt, Ph.D., and J. Benjamin Hurlbut, Ph.D., engage in a lively discussion of cosmopolitan ethics. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 38730]

It has become commonplace that democracy in the United States faces an existential threat. This belief has gained popular currency in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency, nourished by his conduct in office, the attempt to overturn the 2020 election, and continuing efforts to subvert the electoral process. Whether this is true only time will tell. But a common narrative among scholars of American government holds that representative democracy is failing more systematically than the Trump phenomenon suggests. In this program, Charles Beitz, professor of politics at Princeton University, along with commentary by Martin Gilens, Pamela S. Karlan and Jane Mansbridge, talk about the current state of democratic dysfunction and what the future might hold. Series: "Tanner Lectures on Human Values" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 38274]

It has become commonplace that democracy in the United States faces an existential threat. This belief has gained popular currency in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency, nourished by his conduct in office, the attempt to overturn the 2020 election, and continuing efforts to subvert the electoral process. Whether this is true only time will tell. But a common narrative among scholars of American government holds that representative democracy is failing more systematically than the Trump phenomenon suggests. In this program, Charles Beitz, professor of politics at Princeton University, along with commentary by Pamela S. Karlan and Jane Mansbridge, talk about how to regulate rivalry in democratic representative government. Series: "Tanner Lectures on Human Values" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 38273]

It has become commonplace that democracy in the United States faces an existential threat. This belief has gained popular currency in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency, nourished by his conduct in office, the attempt to overturn the 2020 election, and continuing efforts to subvert the electoral process. Whether this is true only time will tell. But a common narrative among scholars of American government holds that representative democracy is failing more systematically than the Trump phenomenon suggests. In this program, Charles Beitz, professor of politics at Princeton University, and Martin Gilens, professor of public policy at UCLA, address how to diagnose the problem of whether or not our system of government is failing. Series: "Tanner Lectures on Human Values" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 38272]

How do Japan and South Korea view the geodynamics of the Indo-Pacific region? What are their needs, wants and fears regarding their alliance with the U.S., and how do they view China? How do they view the situation in North Korea, and how do they assess the larger ongoing, dynamic shifts in global security? While these questions are often discussed for either Japan or South Korea separately, in this conversation UC San Diego's Stephan Haggard puts them side by side to bring out similarities and differences in how both countries are repositioning in security, trade and geopolitics for 2023. Series: "Global Policy and Strategy" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 38663]

The world has lived through 2+ years of the COVID-19 pandemic, heightening the awareness of the links between health and other aspects of life including education and the economy. Future pandemics are a real risk but there are a number of other threats to human health and well-being as well. These include climate change, the rise of obesity, inverted population pyramids, inter-state conflict, rising inequalities, antimicrobial resistance. Counterbalancing these threats are the opportunities that may come through the health sector and broader innovation. Using a comprehensive future health scenario framework, Christopher Murray, professor and chair of Health Metrics Sciences, University of Washington and director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, explores the range of future trajectories that may unfold in the 21st century. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Health and Medicine] [Business] [Show ID: 38271]

A hallmark of every developed nation is the provision of a social safety net – a collection of public programs that deliver aid to the poor. Because of their higher rates of poverty, children are often a major beneficiary of safety net programs. Compared to other countries, the U.S. spends less on antipoverty programs and, consequently, has higher child poverty rates. Professor Hilary Hoynes discusses the emerging research that examines how the social safety net affects children’s life trajectories. The long run benefits are significant for the families, but also show that many programs prove to be excellent public investments. This has implications for current policy discussions such as the expanded Child Tax Credit. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Business] [Show ID: 38275]

Foreign influences on elections are widespread. Although foreign interventions around elections differ markedly — in terms of when and why they occur and whether they are even legal — they all have enormous potential to influence citizens in the countries where elections are held. Monitors and Meddlers explains how and why outside interventions influence local trust in elections, a critical factor for democracy and stability. Whether foreign actors enhance or diminish electoral trust depends on who is intervening, what political party citizens support, and where the election takes place. This talk, presented by UC San Diego political science professor Lauren Prather, draws on diverse evidence, including new surveys conducted around elections with varying levels of democracy in Georgia, Tunisia, and the United States. Series: "Osher UC San Diego Distinguished Lecture Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 38457]

The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) began in 1991 sponsored by the World Bank and the World Health Organization to fill a critical gap in global health information. It has grown steadily to become an active collaboration of more than 8,000 scientists, researchers and policy-makers from 156 countries working together to quantify health at the national and subnational level. In this program, Christopher J.L. Murray, Professor and Chair of Health Metrics Sciences at the University of Washington and Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), discusses what we've learned over the last 30 years studying global health. Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Lectures" [Public Affairs] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 38270]