The AEI Events Podcast

By American Enterprise Institute

What's The AEI Events Podcast about?

AEI hosts over 200 events each year with leading thinkers, politicians, newsmakers, and scholars. Listen each week to the full conversations, debates, and speeches hosted by AEI scholars.

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The AEI Events Podcast episodes:

04.22.2022
The Future of Online Speech Regulation: Section 230 and Beyond
Members of Congress and state legislatures are taking aim at online platforms’ ability to set and enforce content-moderation guidelines as private entities. Several proposals in Congress would scrap or amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which shields online...
04.13.2022
War in Ukraine: Russian losses, Ukrainian victory, and the information war
The war in Ukraine has raged for more than a month, yet predictions of a rapid Russian victory have proved wrong. Indeed, it now appears that by the definitions Vladimir Putin putatively set — to oust the “Nazi” regime of...
09.30.2021
‘The Poor Side of Town: And Why We Need It’: A book talk with Howard Husock
In “The Poor Side of Town: And Why We Need It” (Encounter Books, 2021), AEI’s Howard Husock combines a critique of more than a century of housing reform policies with the idea that simple low-cost housing — a poor side...
09.23.2021
Uncontrolled spread: A book event with Scott Gottlieb
As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to shift from an acute crisis to an endemic pathogen, AEI’s Scott Gottlieb — physician, medical policy expert, public health advocate, and former US Food and Drug Administration commissioner — is releasing a book, “Uncontrolled...
09.16.2021
20 years after 9/11: Counterterrorism lessons for future frontiers
Twenty years after the 9/11 attacks, the Joe Biden administration has ended the “forever war” in Afghanistan, replacing US boots on the ground with an over-the-horizon counterterrorism capability. Africa, not the Middle East, has become the next frontier for groups...
09.09.2021
Should the Fed launch a digital currency? A speech by Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller
The majority of the world’s central banks are exploring digital currency. Most proposals for a central bank digital currency could function like US dollars. It could be widely accepted, an alternative to cash in an increasingly cashless society. In the...
09.02.2021
Confronting Joe Biden’s proposed TRIPS waiver for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments
The Joe Biden administration’s announcement in early May that it would support suspending intellectual property (IP) rights at the World Trade Organization for COVID-19-related vaccines and treatments provoked controversy in the US and abroad. Advocates argue that waiving Trade-Related Aspects...
08.26.2021
America’s ever-shrinking fighting force
The US defense budget is at its largest in decades, yet the Air Force’s combat-coded aircraft inventory, the Navy’s battle-force ship fleet, and the Army’s number of active-duty soldiers have all shrunk. Is this trend reversible? The Pentagon’s creeping bureaucracy...
08.05.2021
The Budget and Accounting Act at 100: Looking back and forward
The enactment of the Budget and Accounting Act in June 1921 was a seminal event in the history of the federal budget process. It created two consequential American government institutions: the Bureau of the Budget (now the Office of Management...
07.22.2021
Swapping jerseys: What changes when African extremists join the Islamic State?
The Islamic State is gaining allies in Africa. Extremist groups linked to both the Islamic State and al Qaeda are intensifying their grip on communities across large swaths of the continent. Why do local African jihadist groups join international terror...
06.17.2021
Should we amend or abolish the Electoral Count Act?
The Electoral Count Act of 1887 was adopted to ensure Congress counted only valid slates of electors during a presidential election. But scholars and election experts have warned that it was poorly drafted and invited confusion. The problems with this...
06.10.2021
President Joe Biden’s first defense budget request
On May 28, the White House will release its budget request for fiscal year 2022, including for the US military. This budget will provide early indicators of the new administration’s strategic priorities and inform the defense and foreign policy debates...
06.02.2021
Is America entering a new secular age?
Rapid growth of secular identities and beliefs in America is transforming the religious and political landscape. “Secular Surge: A New Fault Line in American Politics” (Cambridge University Press, 2021) documents the rise of the country’s largest “religious” group and its...
05.27.2021
Making college pay: An economist explains how to make a smart bet on higher education
The cost of college makes for frightening headlines. The outstanding balance of student loans is more than $1.5 trillion nationally, while tuitions continue to rise. And after a pandemic that nearly dismantled the traditional “college experience,” many wonder if college...
05.20.2021
Part 1: Convergence or divergence? Assessing Biden’s 100 days
President Joe Biden’s first 100 days have included major legislative action, millions of COVID-19 vaccinations, and an announced withdrawal from Afghanistan. What are the domestic and foreign policy implications of these 100 days? More importantly, what template do these past...
05.20.2021
Part 2: Convergence or divergence? Assessing Biden’s 100 days
President Joe Biden’s first 100 days have included major legislative action, millions of COVID-19 vaccinations, and an announced withdrawal from Afghanistan. What are the domestic and foreign policy implications of these 100 days? More importantly, what template do these past...
04.15.2021
The role of families in human flourishing: A conversation with James Heckman
Nobel Prize–winning University of Chicago economist James J. Heckman is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking research on early childhood, which is frequently highlighted in support of expanding early care and education programs to improve children’s outcomes. His well-known “https://heckmanequation.org/resource/the-heckman-curve/ (Heckman...
04.08.2021
The politics of Islamophobia
Anti-Muslim attitudes and policies have played a prominent role in American politics in recent years, especially since then-candidate Trump’s call for a Muslim ban in 2015. In her recent book “Outsiders at Home: The Politics of American Islamophobia” (Cambridge University...
04.01.2021
Does Congress still control the power of the purse?
The Constitution gives Congress alone the authority to raise government revenues and decide how to spend those dollars. James Madison described this power as “the most complete and effectual weapon with which any constitution can arm the immediate representatives of...
03.25.2021
Hybrid homeschooling: The future of education?
Nearly all American schoolchildren have experienced home-based learning in the past year, leaving some families wondering whether they could enjoy the benefits of both at-home learning and traditional brick-and-mortar schools at the same time. Such an option does exist: hybrid...
03.18.2021
Extending US leadership on 5G: A conversation with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr
In recent years, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has taken numerous steps to ensure that the US is ready for next-generation networks — with more efficient and secure supply chains, software upgrades, and higher speeds — including 5G wireless technology....
03.15.2021
A search for common ground: Conversations about the toughest questions in K–12 education
At a time of bitter national polarization, we need to push past empty posturing in favor of a healthy, constructive competition of ideas. Frederick M. Hess and Pedro A. Noguera, who tend to fall on opposing sides of the ideological...
03.11.2021
Part 2: Should conservatives favor child allowances?
Join AEI's Tim Carney as he moderates the panel discussion in which Dr. Rachidi, Mr. Weidinger, and Dr. Winship present arguments against the child allowance while Mr. Carney and Mr. Stone presents arguments in favor in part 2 of the...
03.08.2021
A conversation with US Indo-Pacific Command’s Adm. Philip Davidson
The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act required Adm. Philip Davidson, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), to provide an independent assessment to Congress outlining USINDOPACOM’s resourcing requirements for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. Adm. Davidson joins AEI to discuss its contents...
03.05.2021
Part 1: Should conservatives favor child allowances?
Join Scott Winship, Director of Poverty Studies at AEI in conversation with AEI's President, Robert Doar, and AEI visiting scholar, Brad Wilcox in part one of an event on child allowances. President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are pushing to...
02.25.2021
To the moon, Mars, and beyond: Space exploration and public policy
For decades, a prevailing sentiment in America has been that the money spent on the space race would be better spent on domestic problems. As a result, the US space program has not fulfilled its potential for several decades. But...
02.19.2021
Donald Trump and the future of the GOP: Findings from a new national survey of Trump voters
Just how strong is Donald Trump’s brand, and what does it mean for the Republican Party going forward? A new online survey of 1,000 people who said they voted for Trump in the 2020 election provides some answers. This extensive...
02.11.2021
How should student-athletes be compensated?
High-level sports are integrated into US institutions of higher education to an extent that is unparalleled in peer countries. Intercollegiate men’s basketball and football, in particular, generate significant revenue from tickets sales and broadcasting rights. At the same time, student-athlete...
02.04.2021
Spain’s road to recovery: A conversation with Manuel Muñiz
While the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, its end appears to be in sight. Vaccine delivery, business survival in hard-hit economic sectors, and children’s education are among the many challenges policymakers face as they strive to ensure a strong and...
12.17.2020
Building transatlantic resilience: Why critical infrastructure is a matter of national security
On December 10, AEI hosted a panel of senior policy practitioners, moderated by AEI’s Kori Schake, to discuss why critical infrastructure is a matter of national security. AEI’s Elisabeth Braw explained what gray-zone warfare is and why power plants, ports,...
11.12.2020
A hard look at the defense capabilities of allies and partners
US administrations regularly criticize allies as falling short of what they should be contributing militarily. Simultaneously, US security strategy is tied to America’s global network of allies and strategic partners. The global security environment has grown more complex, but the...
10.17.2020
Irving Kristol Virtual Lecture and Summit: Nicholas Eberstadt
The American Enterprise Institute is pleased to announce the inaugural Irving Kristol Lecture and Summit—a fully virtual event that will showcase the vitality of AEI’s scholarship and celebrate the ideals of free enterprise and opportunity for all. The 2020 Irving...
08.27.2020
COVID-19 this fall: Public health, the economy, and schools
COVID-19 cases are surging throughout the United States. This threatens public health, economic outcomes, and our children’s futures. Where does the nation stand on these important issues, and what is the outlook for the fall? Join public health expert Scott Gottlieb,...
08.20.2020
Collapsed Caliphate? Understanding the Islamic State in 2020
Six years ago, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi delivered his first sermon as “Caliph” of the newly minted Islamic State. Today, Islamic State branches are thriving globally despite territorial defeats in Iraq and Syria. The US is negotiating a drawdown in...
08.13.2020
The future of US farm programs: Evaluating the 2020 presidential candidates’ agriculture policy and rural development platforms
The Iowa caucuses are famous for their impacts on the race for each party’s presidential nomination, and, compared to the rest of the country, in rural Iowa, voters’ pocketbooks are disproportionately dependent on farm subsidies and the corn-based ethanol industry....
08.06.2020
Perspectives from Estonia: Prime Minister Jüri Ratas on the transatlantic relationship
As a proud member of NATO and the EU, Estonia exemplifies the Western orientation of the Baltic states and has been a key player in advancing democracy, transatlantic cooperation, and cybersecurity at the state level. However, recent challenges — in...
07.30.2020
A century of working women and the future of family childcare
This June, the Women’s Bureau in the US Department of Labor is celebrating 100 years of advancing the well-being of working women. From its inception, a central focus of the agency’s work has been childcare. Family childcare — provided in homes...
07.23.2020
Defending the 2020 elections: Lessons from Europe in countering Russian meddling
While Russian election interference caught most Americans off guard in 2016, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe were not surprised. From the Czech Republic to the Balkans to Georgia, Moscow has used tactics ranging from coup attempts to the...
07.16.2020
Family and Community Amid the Lockdown
“We’re all in this together” has become an inspirational rallying cry amid the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdowns. But never before have Americans been so far apart. Children are out of school. Our neighborhood pubs and coffee shops are empty....
07.09.2020
Disinformation pandemic: Russian and Chinese information operations in the COVID-19 era
Was the COVID-19 virus produced in the US? Was it created by the US Army? So Moscow and Beijing would have you believe. Russia and China aggressively manipulate perceptions to achieve their own aims. Their increasingly aggressive information campaigns are converging...
07.02.2020
Citizenship in a Networked Age (Part 4): Concluding Thoughts
For the fourth and final episode in a miniseries centered around a new Oxford University report on “Citizenship in a Networked Age,” Adam White is joined once again by two of the report’s co-authors: Professor Andrew Briggs and Dr. Dominic Burbidge....
06.25.2020
Citizenship in a networked age (part 3): Democratic vs. algorithmic decision-making
For the third episode in a miniseries centered around a new Oxford University report on “Citizenship in a Networked Age,” Adam White explores democratic and algorithmic decision-making. Can we draw a clear distinction between the two categories? How should we...
06.18.2020
Citizenship in a Networked Age (Part 2): Community, Platform, and Institution
For the second episode in a miniseries centered around a new Oxford University report on “Citizenship in a Networked Age,” Adam White is joined in conversation on “community, platform, and institution” with David Brooks of The New York Times, Yuval Levin of AEI and National...
06.11.2020
Citizenship In A Networked Age (Part 1)
It’s obvious that we live in a networked age, but it is not obvious how to understand the effects that modern technologies are having on the way will live, love, relate, and govern. How are social media and other Internet...
06.04.2020
‘Repugnant Laws’: A book event with Keith Whittington
Even before the US Constitution was ratified, the notion of empowering federal judges to declare statutes unconstitutional was controversial and complicated. Since Marbury v. Madison (1803), judicial review has become essential to the Supreme Court’s role in our republic. Yet...
05.28.2020
Boris Johnson’s Brexit Challenge
Following his convincing electoral victory, Boris Johnson still faces two daunting challenges. The first is to negotiate a permanent economic relationship with the European Union by the end of 2020. The second is to maintain the integrity of the United...
05.21.2020
COVID-19: A food supply crisis or a hunger crisis?
COVID-19 has devastated the US economy, disrupted the nation’s food supply chains, significantly affected federal and state safety-net programs for low-income households, and catastrophically damaged the financial well-being of tens of millions of families. These impacts are disproportionately disrupting the...
05.07.2020
North Korea’s control tower: The Organization and Guidance Department
North Korea is the world’s most repressive state — and the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD) is the key apparatus in Pyongyang’s administration of tyranny. The OGD may be little known in the United States, but, according to North Korean...
04.30.2020
Should universities be more like corporations? With UVA President James Ryan
The world continues to change rapidly, and the distinctions between institutions have been blurred. At a time when other institutions, like corporations, are taking a broader view of their responsibilities, should universities be thinking differently about their role? What should...
04.23.2020
AEI Election Watch: Examining the 2020 contests
Three days before the South Carolina Democratic primary, AEI’s election experts convened for the first Election Watch event of the 2020 campaign. With interest in the 2020 elections at record levels, AEI’s Election Watch team returns to help you navigate...

What's The AEI Events Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The AEI Events Podcast episodes:

The Future of Online Speech Regulation: Section 230 and Beyond

War in Ukraine: Russian losses, Ukrainian victory, and the information war

‘The Poor Side of Town: And Why We Need It’: A book talk with Howard Husock

Uncontrolled spread: A book event with Scott Gottlieb

20 years after 9/11: Counterterrorism lessons for future frontiers

Should the Fed launch a digital currency? A speech by Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller

Confronting Joe Biden’s proposed TRIPS waiver for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments

America’s ever-shrinking fighting force

The Budget and Accounting Act at 100: Looking back and forward

Swapping jerseys: What changes when African extremists join the Islamic State?

Should we amend or abolish the Electoral Count Act?

President Joe Biden’s first defense budget request

Is America entering a new secular age?

Making college pay: An economist explains how to make a smart bet on higher education

Part 1: Convergence or divergence? Assessing Biden’s 100 days

Part 2: Convergence or divergence? Assessing Biden’s 100 days

The role of families in human flourishing: A conversation with James Heckman

The politics of Islamophobia

Does Congress still control the power of the purse?

Hybrid homeschooling: The future of education?

Extending US leadership on 5G: A conversation with FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr

A search for common ground: Conversations about the toughest questions in K–12 education

Part 2: Should conservatives favor child allowances?

A conversation with US Indo-Pacific Command’s Adm. Philip Davidson

Part 1: Should conservatives favor child allowances?

To the moon, Mars, and beyond: Space exploration and public policy

Donald Trump and the future of the GOP: Findings from a new national survey of Trump voters

How should student-athletes be compensated?

Spain’s road to recovery: A conversation with Manuel Muñiz

Building transatlantic resilience: Why critical infrastructure is a matter of national security

A hard look at the defense capabilities of allies and partners

Irving Kristol Virtual Lecture and Summit: Nicholas Eberstadt

COVID-19 this fall: Public health, the economy, and schools

Collapsed Caliphate? Understanding the Islamic State in 2020

The future of US farm programs: Evaluating the 2020 presidential candidates’ agriculture policy and rural development platforms

Perspectives from Estonia: Prime Minister Jüri Ratas on the transatlantic relationship

A century of working women and the future of family childcare

Defending the 2020 elections: Lessons from Europe in countering Russian meddling

Family and Community Amid the Lockdown

Disinformation pandemic: Russian and Chinese information operations in the COVID-19 era

Citizenship in a Networked Age (Part 4): Concluding Thoughts

Citizenship in a networked age (part 3): Democratic vs. algorithmic decision-making

Citizenship in a Networked Age (Part 2): Community, Platform, and Institution

Citizenship In A Networked Age (Part 1)

‘Repugnant Laws’: A book event with Keith Whittington

Boris Johnson’s Brexit Challenge

COVID-19: A food supply crisis or a hunger crisis?

North Korea’s control tower: The Organization and Guidance Department

Should universities be more like corporations? With UVA President James Ryan

AEI Election Watch: Examining the 2020 contests