The Ballpark is the LSE US Centre's regular podcast on the politics and policy of the United States. Through features and interviews with academics from the LSE and elsewhere, The Ballpark looks more closely into what's going on behind the headlines.

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The Ballpark

In March 2023, the Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson and Mohid Malik spoke to Professor Yasheng Huang, Epoch Foundation professor of global economics and management at MIT’s Sloan School of Management about his new book, The Rise and Fall of the EAST, which will be published by Yale University Press in August 2023. They also discussed Chinese technological development over the last three decades, and the challenges China currently faces in developing and maintaining its talent and human capital to support innovation.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Professor Yasheng Huang (MIT), Chris Gilson (Phelan US Centre), Mohid Rehman Malik (Phelan US Centre)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: The Rise and Fall of the EAST with Professor Yasheng Huang

In March 2023, the Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson and Mohid Malik spoke to Samuel Bazzi, Associate Professor in the School of Global Policy and Strategy and the Department of Economics at the University of California, San Diego about his new research on The Confederate Diaspora. They discussed how white migration from the early American South soon after the Civil War helped to diffuse and entrench Confederate culture across the United States, holding back civil rights and economic equality for Black Americans, and how the diaspora continues to influence on contemporary American politics. 

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Professor Samuel Bazzi (University of California, San Diego), Chris Gilson (Phelan US Centre), Mohid Rehman Malik (Phelan US Centre)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: The Confederate Diaspora with Professor Samuel Bazzi

We live in turbulent times. Globalized challenges like climate change, pandemics, migration, and supply chain disruptions are rising in urgency. With these and other challenges in mind, in June 2023, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and the LSE Phelan US Centre convened the Lloyd George Study Group on Global Governance.
 
For this episode of the Ballpark, we asked each of the ten members of the Lloyd George Study Group on Global Governance one question: What do you take to be the defining global challenges of the coming decades? Their answers tell us a great deal about what global challenges we face, and how we might begin to tackle them. 
 
This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  
 
Contributors: Wu Xinbo (Fudan University), Eghosa Emmanuel Osaghae (University of Ibadan, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs), Selina Ho (National University of Singapore), Peter Trubowitz (LSE Phelan US Centre), Charles Kupchan (Georgetown University), Cornelia Woll (Hertie School), Bahgat Korany (The American University in Cairo), C. Raja Mohan (Asia Society Policy Institute), Monica Herz (Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro), Chris Gilson (Phelan US Centre).

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: The defining global challenges with the Lloyd George Study Group

In May 2023, the Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson spoke to Brian Burgoon, Professor of International and Comparative Political Economy in the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam, and Peter Trubowitz, Professor of International Relations, and Director of the Phelan US Centre at LSE and Associate Fellow at Chatham House, about their new book Geopolitics and Democracy, which will be published in July 2023 by Oxford University Press.

In this Extra Inning podcast, they discuss the rise of anti-globalist forces which are against international cooperation and multilateralism, and how this connects to the decline of the welfare state and citizens’ perceptions about threats from abroad.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Professor Peter Trubowitz (LSE Phelan US Centre), Professor Brian Burgoon (University of Amsterdam)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Geopolitics and Democracy with Brian Burgoon and Peter Trubowitz

In December 2022, the Phelan US Centre’s Chris Gilson and Mohid Malik spoke to Mark Selverstone, Associate Professor in Presidential Studies at the University of Virginia's Miller Centre of Public Affairs, and chair of the Miller Center's Presidential Recordings programme, about his new book, The Kennedy Withdrawal Camelot and the American Commitment to Vietnam. They discussed the factors that shaped President Kennedy’s views on Vietnam, the relationship between Kennedy and his Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara, and their views on a potential withdrawal from Vietnam, and the usefulness of White House recordings to academics and historians.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Professor Mark Selverstone (University of Virginia), Chris Gilson (Phelan US Centre), Mohid Rehman Malik (Phelan US Centre)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: The Kennedy Withdrawal with Professor Mark Selverstone

In May 2023, the Phelan US Centre’s Mohid Malik spoke to Pranab Bardhan, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. In this Extra Inning podcast, they discussed the argument put forward in Professor Bardhan’s 2022 book, A World of Insecurity: Democratic Disenchantment in Rich and Poor Countries. Their conversation explored the future of democratic governance as it confronts majoritarian politics throughout the world.   
 
This Extra Inning was produced by Mohid Malik and Anderson Tan.  
 
Contributors: Professor Pranab Bardhan (University of California), Mohid Rehman Malik (LSE Phelan US Centre)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Democratic Disenchantment in Rich & Poor Countries

In June 2023, the Phelan US Centre spoke with Robert J. Sampson the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at Harvard University about his new study, The Birth Lottery of History. This study followed over 1,000 Americans over 23 years and looks at the effects on different age cohorts of the social transformation of crime, punishment, and inequality over the last three decades.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson, Mohid Malik, and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Robert J. Sampson (Harvard University)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: The Birth Lottery of History with Professor Robert Sampson

In 2023 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Naveeda Khan, associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at Johns Hopkins University about her new book, In Quest of a Shared Planet: Negotiating Climate from the Global South, the role that UN Climate Change Conferences (or “COPs”) play in the global climate framework, and the relationship between the global north and south in taking responsibility for and mitigating the effects of climate change.

This Extra Inning was produced by Mohid Malik and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Naveeda Khan (Johns Hopkins University)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: In Quest of a Shared Planet with Dr Naveeda Khan

In 2023 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Amanda Sahar d’Urso, Assistant Professor at Georgetown University and Dr Tabitha Bonilla, Associate Professor at Northwestern University, about their recent article Religion or Race? Using Intersectionality to Examine the Role of Muslim Identity and Evaluations on Belonging in the United States in the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics, which they also wrote about on the US Centre’s USAPP blog. They discuss the role of religious and racial identity in America today.

This Extra Inning was produced by Mohid Malik and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Amanda Sahar d’Urso (Georgetown University) and Tabitha Bonilla (Northwestern University)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Religion over Race with Dr Amanda Sahar d’Urso and Dr Tabitha Bonilla

In 2023, the Phelan US Centre ran an essay competition for master’s students with the prompt, “What responsibility does the US have to the rest of the world on climate change?”. In this Extra Inning, we speak to the author of the winning essay, Oscar Parry, and the runners-up, Jibran Raja and Alia Yusuf. We discuss the essay competition, what it’s like for students to engage with a wider audience, and the opportunity they had to present their essays in the UK parliament to MPs and the British-American Parliamentary Group.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Oscar Parry (LSE Anthropology), Jibran Raja (LSE International Relations), Alia Yusuf (LSE School of Public Policy)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Master’s students essay competition on climate change

In 2023 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Theda Skocpol, Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University about her new book, with Lainey Newman, Rust Belt Union Blues Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party. Using Western Pennsylvania as a case study, their book examines the decline of labor unions and the shift of working-class voters away from the Democratic Party. We also discussed the appeal of Donald Trump to blue-collar voters and how unions might regain their previous role in American community life.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Theda Skocpol (Harvard University)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Rust Belt Union Blues with Professor Theda Skocpol

In 2023, the Phelan US Centre spoke to spoke to William C. Wohlforth, Daniel Webster Professor in the Department of Government at Dartmouth College, about the United States’ role as the world’s unipolar power. They also discuss the rise of China and what this means for the international role of the United States, and his upcoming book, with Jill Kastner, on great power subversion.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Contributor: Professor William C. Wohlforth (Dartmouth College)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Why China Hawks are Wrong with Professor William Wohlforth

In January 2024, the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Ashley Tellis, the Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about how the US has engaged with China economically in recent decades. They discuss how the US’ strategy towards China has shifted across recent presidencies, the effectiveness of ‘friendshoring’ policies, and decoupling and de-risking relationships between China, the United States, and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

Contributor: Dr. Ashley Tellis (Carnegie Endowment)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: The Future Of US - China Competition With Dr Ashley Tellis

In 2023 the Phelan US Centre spoke to the authors of the Brattle Group Report on Reparations for Transatlantic Chattel Slavery, which estimates reparations for the total harm from enslavement, including to those who were enslaved and to their descendants. Dr. Coleman Bazelon, Rohan Janakiraman, and Mary Olson discuss their report and how it can inform calls for reparations for enslavement.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

Contributors: Dr. Coleman Bazelon, Rohan Janakiraman, and Mary Olson (Brattle Group)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: The Brattle Group on Reparations for Transatlantic Chattel Slavery

In January 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Jordan Tama, Provost Associate Professor at American University’s School of International Service about his new book, Bipartisanship and US Foreign Policy: Cooperation in a Polarized Age. They also discussed how party control in the US government can influence foreign policy, the changing coalitions of the Democratic and Republican parties and why some foreign policy issues have bipartisan consensus while others don’t. 

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Contributor: Dr Jordan Tama (American University)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: Bipartisanship and US Foreign Policy with Dr Jordan Tama

In January 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Andrew Rudalevige, the Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of Government at Bowdoin College and visiting professor in the LSE’s Department of Government for the 2023-24 academic year. They spoke about the separation of powers in US government and the executive branch, and former President Trump’s potential plans to reshape the federal bureaucracy to create more political appointees if he is re-elected to the presidency in this year’s presidential election.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Professor Andrew Rudalevige (Bowdoin College)

The Ballpark | Extra Innings: The Limits of Presidential Power with Professor Andrew Rudalevige

On March 5th, 16 US states and territories held primary elections to decide the 2024 Republican and Democratic presidential nominees: a day known as “Super Tuesday”. The Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Jason Casellas about the Super Tuesday results, the primary race so far, and what the trends may mean for the general election in November.

Jason Casellas is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston and is the John G. Winant Visiting Professor for American Government at Oxford University for 2023-24. 

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Additional resources:

- Phelan US Centre event recording: Déja vu all over again? Super Tuesday and the race for the presidency. 6 March 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XtA_AZWvkc
- LSE USAPP blog series on the 2024 Elections - https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/category/the-2024-elections-2/
- LSE USAPP blog Q&A series on the 2024 elections from Thomas Gift (UCL) - https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/author/thomas-gift/

The Ballpark | Super Tuesday 2024 results with Professor Jason Casellas

In February 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Mathieu Duchâtel, Resident Senior Fellow and Director of International Studies at Institut Montaigne about transatlantic convergence between the EU and the United States on China policy. They also discussed the fault lines between the EU and US on China policy, and how China has responded to these divergences, including on Taiwan policy.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Contributors: Dr Mathieu Duchâtel (Institut Montaigne)

The Ballpark | China Policy: The Limits of Transatlantic Convergence with Dr Mathieu Duchâtel

In March 2024 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Jason Casellas about how the role of Latino voters in the United States and their changing voting patterns. They also discuss how Latino voters might influence the 2024 presidential election.

Jason Casellas is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston and is the John G. Winant Visiting Professor for American Government at Oxford University for 2023-24. 

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.  

Additional resources:

•	The Ballpark podcast: Super Tuesday 2024 results with Professor Jason Casellas - https://wp.me/p3I2YF-dF3 

Contributors: Professor Jason Casellas (University of Houston and Oxford University)

The Ballpark | Latino Voters In The United States With Professor Jason Casellas

In March 2024, the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Elizabeth Saunders, Professor of Political Science at Columbia University about her new book, ‘The Insiders’ Game: How Elites Make War and Peace’ and the role of ‘elites’ in US foreign policymaking.

This Extra Inning was produced by Chris Gilson and Anderson Tan.

LSE: The Ballpark | The Insider's Game: How Elites Make War and Peace with Prof. Elizabeth Saunders

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