Earlier this year, the Africa Growth Initiative (AGI) at Brookings released the latest edition of the annual Foresight Africa report. AGI Director Aloysius Uche Ordu, also a senior fellow in Global Economy and Development, discusses the themes in the report.  Also on this episode, Senior Fellow Molly Reynolds explains how the budget reconciliation process in Congress works, especially the Senate parliamentarian’s critical role, and why Democrats may use it to pass President Biden’s COVID-19 relief measures with a simple majority vote in the House and Senate, thus avoiding a Senate filibuster. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Brookings scholars Tamara Wittes and Madiha Afzal discuss their policy proposals for international security, part of the new Blueprints for American Renewal & Prosperity project at Brookings. Wittes focuses on what *not* to do in the Middle East; Afzal on countering extremism through education. Also David Wessel, focuses on the proposed child tax credit in President Biden's COVID-19 relief package, which Wessel says would substantially reduce the number of children living in poverty. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on iTunes, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Elaine Kamarck, senior fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings and founding director of the Center for Effective Public Management, reflects on inauguration day, on the difficult presidential transition and the violence of January 6th, and the outlook for impeachment of the former president and President Biden’s agenda. Also on this episode, George Ingram, senior fellow in Global Economy and Development, delivers a new Sustainable Development Spotlight on how the new Biden-Harris administration can reengage the U.S. in global leadership in a world where the idea of American exceptionalism has been seriously eroded. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on iTunes, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

After the assault on the U.S. Capitol, the nation is divided and on edge. Where do we go now? What kinds of political, social, and economic reforms could help us move forward as a more united nation? Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings, came on the podcast to offer some answers. The interview happened on Monday the 11th, so before the impeachment vote in the House of Representatives. But his analysis and policy prescriptions will remain relevant long after the passions of these weeks have cooled. Also on this episode, Molly Kinder, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, discusses the enormous gap between corporate retail profits and pay for frontline workers that has grown during the course of the pandemic. While some retail giants like Best Buy and Costco have raised worker pay, others, notably Amazon and Walmart, have been far less generous. Listen to this audio on Soundcloud, too. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on iTunes, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Stephanie Aaronson, vice president and director of Economic Studies at Brookings, and Wendy Edelberg, senior fellow and director of the Hamilton Project, share their views on the state of the U.S. economy and the top economic issues facing the country in the upcoming year. Also, Sarah Binder, senior fellow in Governance Studies, offers her take on what happened in Congress this week, with a focus on the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump, and her views on why the electoral vote count rules didn’t break under pressure. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on iTunes, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

To celebrate the closing of the year, this episode features our favorite clips from past 12 months. We hope you enjoy it and perhaps take the opportunity to download full episodes that interest you, share the show with friends, and rate the podcast on Apple Podcasts. Visit the episode's show notes to get links to all of the episodes. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts here or on iTunes, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as president in 1933, the White House staff numbered fewer than fifty people, and most federal departments were lightly staffed as well. As the United States became a world power, the staff of the Executive Office increased twentyfold, and the staffing of federal agencies blossomed comparably. On this episode airing in the midst of the transition of President Elect Joe Biden, Brookings Press Director Bill Finan interviews experts Stephen Hess and James Pfiffner, the authors of the Brookings Press title, "Organizing the Presidency." In this fourth edition of the landmark volume, first published in 1976, Hess and Pfiffner argue that the successes and failures of presidents from Roosevelt through Trump have resulted in large part from how the president deployed and used White House staffers and other top officials responsible for carrying out Oval Office policy. Hess and Pfiffner reflect on earlier transitions, but also have a lot to say about President Trump’s transition in 2016, and what is happening now. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Brookings scholars William Gale and Richard Reeves discuss their policy proposals for economic growth and dynamism, part of the new Blueprints for American Renewal & Prosperity project. Gale focuses on more economic relief and stimulus now; Reeves on middle class tax cuts and some free college for national service. Also, David Wessel explains why low interest rates means a President Biden and the next Congress should not worry so much about the federal debt, and instead pass more COVID-related relief. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

Brookings scholars Annelies Goger and Martha Ross discuss their policy proposals for racial justice and worker mobility, part of the new Blueprints for American Renewal & Prosperity project. Also, Tony Pipa introduces the new segment Spotlight on Sustainable Development, in which he discusses his proposal to reimagine rural policy in the U.S. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.

“The American education system is not preparing all children to thrive,” say the guests on this episode, adding that many schools continue to operate according to an early 20th century “factory model” that aimed to mold students for the industrial economy. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Helen Hadani are co-authors of a new Big Ideas paper in the Brookings Policy 2020 series titled, “A new path to education reform: Playful learning promotes 21st-century skills in schools and beyond” In this interview, Hirsh-Pasek and Hadani explain what playful learning is and what it isn’t, what 21st-century skills are and why they are essential for our times, and how educators and school administrators can bring the playful learning approach to classrooms. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek is a senior fellow in Global Economy and Development at Brookings and in the Center for Universal Education; and also Stanley and Debra Lefkowitz Faculty Fellow in the Department of Psychology at Temple University. Helen Hadani is a fellow also in Global Economy and Development and the Center for Universal Education; as well as a fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program's Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking. Also on this episode, Amy Liu, vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, introduces the new Blueprints for American Renewal & Prosperity project that features fact-based federal policy solutions to counter the unprecedented impacts and disparities laid bare throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and bring long-needed prosperity to Americans of all walks of life. Subscribe to Brookings podcasts on iTunes, send feedback email to [email protected], and follow us and tweet us at @policypodcasts on Twitter. The Brookings Cafeteria is part of the Brookings Podcast Network.