Hi Carrie, Olympics viability. Brisbane Australia granted 2032 games. No other country applied. We will probably still be in lockdown by then anyway.

So many people have suffered as a result of the pandemic. But there’s one group who may pay the price for an especially long time: America’s children. As schools start to reopen this spring, and federal funds begin to flow into states and municipalities, what can we do to make up for kids’ social, emotional, and academic loss?

Susanna Loeb, director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown, has some ideas. At the top of the list? Tutoring. To help spread what she and her team call “high-impact” tutoring to a wider range of communities, they’ve created The National Student Support Accelerator, a one-stop resource for schools and teachers to develop effective, long-term tutoring infrastructure in schools. On this episode, Sarah talks with Susanna about the definition of “high impact tutoring,” how to make it scale, and why it’s exactly what America’s students need right now. 

You can learn more about the National Student Support Accelerator here: [https://studentsupportaccelerator.com/]

You can read more about the story of its creation here: [https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-03-04/accelerator]

You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/11bP3xkMf8t3w3xh_IUXey_m6bdr4FX-g/view?usp=sharing]

'High-Impact’ Tutoring: Why It’s Exactly What America’s Students Need

2020 was a year defined by loss. Loss of life, of jobs, of opportunities. On this episode Sarah talks with Juliet Hooker, a political theorist and professor at Brown who has been thinking a lot about how feelings of loss affect not just our psyches, but our politics. Her newest book project, tentatively titled “Black Grief/White Grievance,” aims to shed light on how exactly these feelings intersect with matters of race, class, and history, and how they ripple out to our politics (for both good and bad) today.

You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ep0OFfCll8LbajR2ITb8x_b2cFVW2dd9/view?usp=sharing]

Grief, Grievance, and Race in American Politics

This is the fourth and final part in a special series from Trending Globally exploring the housing crisis in the United States, and in Rhode Island in particular. The crisis has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but as we’ll show, it’s a problem that has been with us for much, much longer.

In this episode, we delve into Brown University's complicated relationship with the residential communities it touches. We explore the idea of housing not as a commodity but as a basic human right, and talk with people who are working to make that idea a reality. And we recommend ways that activists, politicians, and residents everywhere we can work toward equitably and affordably housing all Americans.

Contributors to this podcast include students from Brown University and the media collective Signs of Providence. You can learn more about their organization here: [evicted-in-ri.com/#/]

You can listen to Parts 1, 2, and 3 here: [soundcloud.com/watsoninstitute/sets/less-to-lean-on-housing]

You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U6ui1xYSxfY8xmJwrFXcibPf1WVTohgV/view?usp=sharing]

To learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts, visit: [watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts]

Less to Lean On, Part 4

In February, a colleague at the Watson Institute forwarded the team at Trending Globally an email from a former student. The subject line read: “I write to you in desperation and with my life at risk.”

The email was sent from Yangon, the capital of Myanmar. The man who sent it was not exaggerating.

Myanmar is in the midst of violent unrest, which started when the country’s military staged a coup on February 1, 2021. Min (that's not his real name) has been part of the protests against the coup, and he’s been trying to get word out to the rest of the world about what’s happening in his country.

On this episode: a conversation with Min about life during military coup, and a message from Myanmar.

You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AUxhaoxbIhxr_GM4qv2mFaIrASlF0_i6/view?usp=sharing]

You can learn more about Watson's other podcasts here: [https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts]

A Message from Myanmar

On this episode, Sarah and Dan talk with scholars across Watson about the climate issues they think aren’t getting enough attention. The answers range from how climate change will affect warfare to the role international bribery might play in maintaining a habitable earth. Hopefully these conversations will leave you with lots to think about and underscore just how much our politics, policies, and futures depend on a healthy planet. 

Guests on today’s episode: Jori Breslawski, Jeff Colgan, Mark Blyth, and Patsy Lewis. 

You can learn more about Watson’s Climate Solutions Lab here: [https://watson.brown.edu/climatesolutionslab/]

You can learn more about the Rhodes Center here: [https://watson.brown.edu/rhodes/]

You can learn more about the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies here: [https://watson.brown.edu/clacs/]

You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZMDCU-Kx9Jn05GUe8JipFmBm_oKWO6HS/view?usp=sharing]

What’s Missing from the Climate Discussion?

On April 20, 2021, Derek Chauvin was found guilty in the death of George Floyd. But despite the overwhelming evidence -- including the infamous video of him kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes -- that verdict was hardly a foregone conclusion.

On this episode Sarah talks with Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, associate professor of sociology at Brown, about why convicting police officers of crimes in the U.S. is so incredibly rare. Her 2016 book, “Crook County,” explores this question, and paints a picture of the overlapping forces that keep justice from being served when it’s directed at the police themselves. 

You can learn more about and purchase Crook County here: [https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=23968]

You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/15jsauv8_pldhgps5FkxP6U6hS4WylDHF/view?usp=sharing]

Even After Derek Chauvin, Prosecuting Police Officers Is an Uphill Battle. Why?

After getting a master’s degree in public affairs at Watson, it’s common for folks to work in government, or with an NGO, or on a political campaign. Less common is what Anna Lenaker, from the Watson MPA class of 2020, did after graduating. She wrote a memoir. 

The book, titled ‘Able to Be Otherwise,’ tells the story of Anna’s turbulent childhood, growing up with a mother who suffered from overlapping struggles with mental health, poverty, and addiction. On this episode Sarah talks with Anna about her at-times-unbelievable journey from the streets of Tijuana, to fire-ravaged forests of California, to the halls of Brown University. In telling this story, she also provides a powerful argument for how we might re-envision the role of public policy in an interconnected world. 

You can learn more about -- and purchase -- ‘Able to Be Otherwise’ here:

[https://www.amazon.com/Able-Be-Otherwise-Anna-Lenaker-ebook/dp/B093TTHW8G/]

[https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/able-to-be-otherwise-anna-lenaker/1139385749?ean=9781636767192]

You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yhc-gNuF9X4hxLAirVNuBglbCXC5SPky/view?usp=sharing]

Making Public Policy Personal with Anna Lenaker '19 MPA '20

Between Covid-19 and America’s racial reckoning over that past 12 months, there’s never been a more important time to understand how race and racism affect both the reporting and the consumption of news in America. In the leadup to Juneteenth, Watson held an event exploring these issues with some of the leading voices covering race today: New York Times reporter John Eligon and CNN Senior Correspondent Sara Sidner. They were interviewed by former President of CNN Jon Klein ’80. It was a fascinating event that we thought our listeners at Trending Globally would love, so on this episode we’re broadcasting an edited version of their conversation. 

[Link to video of their full conversation forthcoming]

You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QZWcis5385gDbqZS_5C8BRI-yl2fCuAA/view?usp=sharing]

Reporting on Race in a Year of Racial Reckoning

Audrey Truschke is a scholar who has gotten in some very hot water lately. She’s regularly harassed on Twitter, she’s facing a lawsuit, and she’s received death threats. ‘What’s she an expert in?’ you might ask. Public health? Election law? Critical Race Theory? Nope.

Ancient Sanskrit. 

On this episode we’re sharing part of a new podcast from Watson. It’s called ‘Sensing the Sacred’ and it’s hosted by Finnian Gerety, a visiting assistant professor of religious studies and contemplative studies at Watson’s Center for Contemporary South Asia.

Finnian and Sarah talk about the motivation behind the show, which explores spirituality in South Asia from angles as diverse as the origins of yoga to the rise of Hindu nationalism. Finnian also shares some of his recent conversation with Audrey Truschke, where they talk about the role of Sanskrit in Hindu nationalist propaganda, and more broadly about how to contest the ‘fascist blueprint’ we see being enacted around the world today. 

You can learn more about and subscribe to ‘Sensing the Sacred’ here: [https://watson.brown.edu/southasia/news/podcasts]

You can buy Audrey’s book here: [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0231197055/]

You can learn more about Trending Globally by subscribing to our podcast newsletter here: [https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/f52w0GW?mode=preview&source_id=b6880bc0-edf0-49c9-8b65-17e2fccc5854&source_type=em&c=]

You can read a transcript of this episode here: [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b3A56qGMM_1-ik1U_20fE5LXJKnhOWas/view?usp=sharing]

Hindu Nationalism, Contested Histories, and Challenging the Fascism Blueprint

Mark Blyth, political economist at Brown's Watson Institute, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and associate director of Brown's Annenberg Institute, share their take on the week's news.

On this episode: the Delta variant spreads the globe; the economy is doing great and has reverted to the mean (or it isn't and it hasn't); Carrie's Olympic fever and Mark's Olympic skepticism; Haiti, South Africa, and fragile states in peril; billionaires in space; waiting for Prince Harry's memoir's Netflix adaptation.

You can learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts here: [https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts]

[Transcript forthcoming]

07/30/2021 - There Is No Mean Reversion (Except for Bennifer)

SOUNDCLOUD LISTENERS: We've moved Trending Globally to a new podcast platform and new website, so starting this fall, episodes will no longer be available on Soundcloud. You can still listen by subscribing to Trending Globally on your favorite podcast app, or online here: [https://trending-globally.captivate.fm/]. Thanks! 

Before the pandemic, Watson economist Emily Oster was best known for her books Expecting Better and Cribsheet. They offered data-driven advice about pregnancy and raising young children, and they’ve become required reading for many young parents. 

Her knack for synthesizing data into plain-language advice made her a natural fit for her next role: as one of the unofficial guiding voices behind school reopening plans in America this past year.

The pandemic -- and Emily’s role in it -- have added special valence to her newest book, The Family Firm: A Data-Driven Guide to Better Decision Making in the Early School Years. Unlike her previous two books, this one is focused less on crunching data than on teaching readers how to make complex decisions when they don’t have all the data. As such, it’s probably her most universal book to date. 

On this episode Sarah ’87 talks with Emily about The Family Firm, her experience in the spotlight during recent debates over school reopening, and how to make decisions that you can feel good about no matter the outcome. 

You can purchase The Family Firm here: [https://www.amazon.com/Family-Firm-Data-Driven-Decision-ParentData/dp/1984881752/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1628615092&sr=8-1]

Transcript forthcoming.

How to Make Tough Decisions with Economist Emily Oster

Mark Blyth, political economist at The Watson Institute at Brown University, and Carrie Nordlund, political scientist and associate director of Brown's Master of Public Affairs program, share their take on the news. Subscribe now to hear Mark and Carrie cut through the media haze, and provide a thought-provoking, topical, and often hilarious conversation about the world today.

07/30/2021 - There Is No Mean Reversion (Except for Bennifer)

Mark and Carrie

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