Andre Perry, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, discusses his new research project on the more than 1,200 majority-black communities in the United States. Also in this episode, Makada Henry-Nickie, also a new David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the Governance Studies program, joins us for our regular "Coffee Break" segment. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple Podcasts, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Christina Kwauk, postdoctoral fellow for the Center for Universal Education in the Global Economy and Development program, discusses the findings of a new report which examines how promoting girls' reproductive rights, investing in girls' education, and developing girls' life skills for a green economy are effective strategies for mitigating the effects of climate change. Also in this episode, Joseph Kane addresses the complex water infrastructure challenges the United States faces in a new Metro Lens segment. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple Podcasts, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Juliana Barbassa and Theresa Williamson, two contributors to "Rio 2016: Olympic Myths, Hard Realities" from the Brookings Institution Press, discuss the corruption, disruption, and overall economic costs of hosting last year's summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Also in this episode, David Wessel stops by for his regular economic update, and Bill Galston, senior fellow in the Governance Studies program, answers a question from one of our listeners. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple Podcasts, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In the second part of a two-part series on challenges facing U.S. foreign assistance, experts from the global development community discuss the importance of the private sector in aid financing, measuring aid effectiveness, foreign assistance success stories, and more. These experts, including Brookings Senior Fellow Homi Kharas, were some of the members of the 14th annual Brookings-Blum Roundtable. Also in this episode, Molly Reynolds, a fellow in the Governance Studies program, analyzes Senator Bob Corker's (R-Tenn.) critique of President Trump and the relationship between congressional Republicans and the White House in our regular "What's Happening in Congress" segment. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple Podcasts, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Leading voices from the global development community, including George Ingram, a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program, discuss the challenges facing U.S. foreign aid. These experts were all participants at the 14th annual Brookings Blum Roundtable. The experts address the role of U.S. leadership in an increasingly multipolar world, what Americans think of foreign assistance programs, ideas to reform the U.S. foreign aid architecture, and more. This is part one of a two-part series of conversations on the U.S. development assistance under challenge. Also in this episode, Andre Perry, a new Rubenstein Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, stops by for our regular "Coffee Break" segment. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple Podcasts, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Brookings expert Scott Andes discusses the findings of a new report from the Centennial Scholar Initiative, "Capturing the next economy: Pittsburgh's rise as a global innovation city," which examines how Pittsburgh was able to transform itself from a manufacturing economy to leader in global innovation and technology. Also in this episode, Adie Tomer and Ranjitha Shivaram discuss broadband subscription rates in American neighborhoods in a new Metro Lens segment, and Ryan Nunn, policy director for the Hamilton Project, answers a question from one of our listeners. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple Podcasts, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Tim Edgar, former ACLU lawyer and National Security Council advisor on cybersecurity, and current senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, discusses his new book "Beyond Snowden: Privacy, Mass Surveillance, and the Struggle to Reform the NSA" with the director of Brookings Institution Press Bill Finan. Also in this episode, David Wessel joins us for his regular economic update and Robin Lewis discusses a new report from Brookings Center for Technology Innovation on financial and digital inclusion around the world. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple Podcasts, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

10 years after the Great Recession, new research from the Hamilton Project at Brookings scholars Jay Shambaugh and Ryan Nunn demonstrates that although the 'jobs gap' from the recession is now closed, millions of American men and women of prime working age remain out of the labor force. Also in this episode, Molly Reynolds explains what's happening in Congress and John Villasenor discusses new research on private sector investment in health research and development. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple Podcasts, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

In the second of two parts of a conversation about the U.S.-Mexico border wall that President Trump has pledged to build, Brookings Senior Fellow Vanda Felbab-Brown discusses the costs of a wall for the U.S. economy and the environment, and whether it would have any effect on crime and violence. Also in this episode, meet Jay Shambaugh, new director of the Hamilton Project at Brookings. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple Podcasts, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

President Donald Trump pledges to build a wall on the border between the U.S. and Mexico, claiming that it will stop criminals and drugs from entering the United States. Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow in the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at Brookings and author of the new Brookings Essay, "The Wall: The real costs of a barrier between the United States and Mexico," addresses these and other claims made about the border wall. This is part one of a two-part conversation about her essay and the wall. Also: in another installment of Metro Lens, the Metropolitan Policy Program's Joseph Parilla discusses why services exports (as opposed to goods exports) need to be a more central part of the Trump administration's focus on its made in America agenda. Thanks to audio producer Gaston Reboredo with assistance from Mark Hoelscher, and to producer Vanessa Sauter. Additional support comes from Jessica Pavone, Eric Abalahin, Rebecca Viser, and David Nassar. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on Apple Podcasts, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is a part of the Brookings Podcast Network.