The idea that immigration is the solution to the aging of American society has become an article of faith among those arguing for ever-higher levels of new arrivals. It’s not a crazy argument; it just happens to be incorrect. In reality, the impact immigrants can have on population aging is small. Immigration certainly makes our population larger, but not younger. Guest Steven Camarota joins us to debunk this conventional wisdom and suggest alternatives for addressing the challenges of an aging society.

Steven Camarota is the director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies.

This podcast discusses themes from Steve’s essay in the Summer 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Immigration and the Aging Society.”  

In recent years, some on the right have argued that the national interest requires policymakers to coordinate key sectors of the economy, and that this would mark a return to a proud American tradition. But the history of American economic policy provides as much a warning as a guide for these would-be planners, and should leave them wary of attempts to direct the economy from the top down. Guest Mike Watson joins us to discuss this history and its lessons for today’s political leaders.  

Mike Watson is the associate director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for the Future of Liberal Society.

This podcast discusses themes from Mike’s essay in the Summer 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Industrial Policy in the Real World.”

Benjamin Franklin presents us with layers of confounding mystery. And that’s how he wanted it. From his earliest creation — a set of letters to the editor of the New-England Courant written under the pseudonym Silence Dogood — he hid himself behind masks that let him speak frankly yet always ambiguously. Both what he said and how are keys to his enduring appeal. Guest Ralph Lerner joins us to discuss how we might discern some of Franklin’s principles, and what the founding father can still teach us today about the arts of persuasion and self-government.

Ralph Lerner is the Benjamin Franklin Professor Emeritus in the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago.

This podcast discusses themes from Ralph’s essay in the Spring 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Puzzling over Franklin.”  

When we discuss education in America, we almost invariably refer to schools. But Americans have always been ambivalent about whether parents or a formal teaching establishment should ultimately be responsible for the education of the rising generation. That ambivalence itself offers a key to understanding America’s endless education debates. Guest Rita Koganzon joins us to discuss the history of these two educational traditions — institutionalized schooling and self-education — and how they might shape the future of American education.

Rita Koganzon is a professor of politics and the associate director of the program on constitutionalism and democracy at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on the themes of childhood, education, and the family in political thought.  

This podcast discusses themes from Rita’s essay in the Spring 2021 issue of National Affairs, “A Tale of Two Educational Traditions.”

The crisis in which our country found itself following the 2020 election was in many respects unprecedented. Yet it also built on a years-long pattern by which losing politicians have sown mistrust in our elections. We must now wonder if every candidate who loses a major election will refuse to concede and instead set out to raise money and build support on the back of unfounded claims of corruption. To avoid that prospect, we will need to come to terms with the scope of the problem, and that won't be comfortable for either party. Guest Brad Raffensperger joins us to discuss the bipartisan assault on trust in our elections and how we might begin to restore the public’s confidence in our democracy and its institutions.

Brad Raffensperger is the secretary of state of Georgia. Secretary Raffensperger oversaw Georgia’s closely contested race in the 2020 presidential election — including a recount by hand that confirmed Joe Biden’s win by fewer than 12,000 votes.     

This podcast discusses themes from the secretary’s lead essay in the Spring 2021 issue of National Affairs, “The Assault on Trust in Our Elections.”

The 2019-2020 school year will be remembered as the year we all became home schoolers. But well before the pandemic, the popularity of home schooling exceeded its actual prevalence, as fiscal and logistical challenges often posed insurmountable obstacles for potential home-school families. Guest Michael McShane joins us to discuss the hybrid home-school model, and how it might offer a way to close the gap as families consider their post-pandemic options. 

Michael McShane is the director of national research at EdChoice and author of Hybrid Homeschooling: A Guide to the Future of Education. Prior to his work in education policy and school-choice advocacy, he worked as a high-school teacher in Montgomery, Alabama.  

This podcast discusses themes from Michael’s essay in the Winter 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Blending Home and School.”

“Cultural humility” has recently joined diversity, inclusion, equity, and intersectionality in the social-justice lexicon. An entire social movement is hidden in those two words — one that is far from innocuous. To prevent the concept from undermining our educational institutions, we need to see cultural humility for what it really is and understand the challenge it poses to traditional academic ideals. Guest Elizabeth Corey joins us to discuss this politically motivated distortion of the virtue of humility, and to offer the alternative of liberal education.

*Note: Elizabeth Corey's bio is stated incorrectly on the podcast. She is an associate professor of political science at Baylor University, and the director of Baylor’s Honors Program. She was also a visiting professor at the American Enterprise Institute for the 2018-2019 academic year. 

This podcast discusses themes from Elizabeth’s essay in the Winter 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Questioning Cultural Humility.”

What will be Donald Trump’s lasting effects on American politics? Three conventional wisdoms have arisen in response to that question. In one view, Trump was an aberration, and his imprint will fade as President Biden reverses his executive actions and his sad attempts to remain relevant in retirement prove futile. A second view sees Trump as transformative, insisting his unconventional campaigning and governing styles decisively reconstructed the presidency and our broader political culture. A third view asserts Trump was mostly a symptom of larger forces in American and global politics. Guests Casey Burgat and Matt Glassman join us to parse through and weigh these possibilities, and discuss why each view captures a portion of the truth. Trump’s norm breaking and influence on the party system will likely be his most enduring legacy, they argue.

Casey Burgat is the director of the Legislative Affairs program and an assistant professor at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management. And Matt Glassman is a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Government Affairs Institute.

This podcast discusses themes from Casey and Matt’s lead essay in the Winter 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Politics After Trump.”

The gains from trade and technological advance in recent decades have been enormous. But the transformation has had some downsides, too. These drawbacks have transformed our politics in recent decades, and the economic disaster accompanying the coronavirus pandemic has only magnified them. Defenders of markets have too often sought to dismiss the downsides, while populists point to them as reasons to build walls of protectionism and regulation. Both approaches are forms of denial. Guest Glenn Hubbard joins us to discuss how we can make the most of the benefits of economic dynamism while addressing its costs. Rather than erecting “walls” in pursuit of perpetual economic security and stability, he argues for a policy approach focused on building “bridges” that could better connect those who suffer from economic disruption to the benefits of America’s free-market system. 

Glenn Hubbard is the Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia Business School and was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush. His forthcoming book is titled The Wall and the Bridge (Yale University Press).

This podcast discusses themes from Glenn’s essay in the Fall 2020 issue of National Affairs, “The Wall and the Bridge.”

As America’s political parties have been increasingly captured by their ideological extremes in recent decades, the space for cross-party coalition building has shrunk. Some reformers argue that only third parties can help, but this solution has never been realistic in our system. A more practical way forward would require would-be coalition builders to participate more vigorously in party politics, getting their hands dirty in organized faction building. Guest Steven Teles joins us to discuss the prospects for each party’s factions in the aftermath of the 2020 election, and whether stronger factions could lead to a more moderate and deliberative politics.

Steven Teles is a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center. He is also the co-author, along with Robert Saldin, of the book Never Trump: The Revolt of the Conservative Elites.  

This podcast discusses themes from Steve and Rob’s essay in the Fall 2020 issue of National Affairs, “The Future is Faction.”