Trending Globally: Politics And Policy

Dr. Kakenya Ntaiya is a senior fellow at the Watson Institute and the founder of Kakenya’s Dream, a female empowerment and education non-profit based in the rural Masai Mara of Kenya.  Kakenya grew up in the Masai Mara, in a community where it was expected that women wouldn’t go to school beyond childhood. They’d be subject to early, arranged marriages, and worse.  Yet, incredibly, Kakenya forged a different path.  On this episode of Trending Globally, you’ll hear Kakenya’s story in her own words, and learn how it led her to develop a new model for girl’s education in rural Kenya. It’s a model based on a premise that her life story also affirms: that the education of girls and the health of a community are deeply intertwined.  https://www.kakenyasdream.org/ (Learn more about Kakenya’s Dream) https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (Learn more about the Watson Institute’s other podcasts)

In the world of international affairs, there’s perhaps no concept more fundamental than human rights. Yet despite that, these rights seem to be under greater threat in more places than we’ve seen in a long time.  In order to understand how we might better promote human rights around the world, we at Trending Globally wanted to take a step back and explore the very concept of ‘human rights.’ Sarah Baldwin ‘87 and Dan Richards spoke with two experts -- one a political scientist, and one a neuroscientist -- about where exactly this concept comes from, and where it might be going.  Guests on this episode: Nina Tannenwald, Senior Lecturer in Political Science at Brown University Tara White, Assistant Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences at Brown University https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nyas.14670 (Read Tara White’s paper) on ‘Dignity Neuroscience.’ Learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (on our website. )

Remember when talking about the weather was boring? Not so anymore. Extreme weather events are becoming more common, and more extreme, with no sign of letting up.  On this episode Sarah Baldwin ’87 talks with homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem about what these changes mean for humans: Where should we live? How should we live? How should we think about our place on this planet?  Juliette Kayyem served under President Obama as an Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security and is currently a senior lecturer at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where she teaches crisis management and homeland security. Her upcoming book, The Devil Never Sleeps, reframes how to think about crisis management in an age of disasters, from the level of the individual up through the federal government. And if a conversation with an expert like this sounds too depressing, don’t worry: talking with Juliette is anything but.  Learn more about Juliette’s upcoming book https://www.publicaffairsbook

The past 18 months have been a strange time for art lovers. Museums and galleries have sat empty. Artistic communities have, like all of us, learned to live in isolation. At the same time, though, there’s been a revolution in how we think of public space in our cities and towns. Streets, parks, and even alleyways have turned into our storefronts, our classrooms, and our museums.  What do these changes mean for the art world, and for arts’ relationship to the rest of the world? On this episode, Trending Globally partnered with ‘Providence Curates’ to explore this question. Providence Curates is a nonprofit made up of artists, writers, and curators, dedicated to expanding and diversifying artistic communities in the region and to reimagining how art can enter the public realm.  This conversation was put together for PVDFest Ideas 2021, an Arts and Ideas festival in Providence, Rhode Island.  Guests on this week’s show:  Jonny Skye is a gallerist based in Providence, RI, and a board member of

This fall marks the 20th year of American military engagement abroad following the events of 9/11. This year Trending Globally is teaming up with scholars at the Costs of War project to explore the effects of two decades of war. The Costs of War project is an interdisciplinary group of scholars who have stepped in where the government has often failed, working to measure the true financial, human, political, and environmental costs of America’s post-9/11 wars.  On this episode Sarah Baldwin ’87 talks with Stephanie Savell, one of the project’s directors, about how the organization started and why its work is more necessary than ever. Dan Richards talks with David Vine about one of the most heartbreaking costs of these wars: the more than 38 million people who have been displaced from their homes in countries including Afghanistan and Iraq. https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/ (Learn more about the Costs of War Project.)  https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520385689/the-united-states-of-war (Learn more

It’s been a summer of crisis in some of the world’s most fragile states.  At Trending Globally, we’ve found ourselves asking the same questions over and over lately -- are the world’s rich countries simply not doing enough to help fragile states around the world? Or are they helping, but in the wrong way?  On this episode guest host Dan Richards talks with Brian Atwood, a visiting fellow at the Watson Institute, about the unique challenges of providing aid to fragile states. Brian led the U.S. Agency for International Development - known as USAID - under President Clinton. He was also dean of the Humphrey School for Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota from 2002 until 2010. Brian explains what the international community is getting wrong when it comes to helping the world’s fragile states, and what we might change to make it right.  You can get more information about this and every other Trending Globally episode, including transcripts, by visiting our website https://trending-globally

Before the pandemic, Watson economist Emily Oster was best known for her books https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143125702/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=0143125702&pd_rd_w=o0PIp&pf_rd_p=887084a2-5c34-4113-a4f8-b7947847c308&pd_rd_wg=nyYAA&pf_rd_r=A50VNZBK88A7JP0TMT04&pd_rd_r=10ad1cb2-1806-4244-967d-8c462f1f603f&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExMTdLVjIyOVdWOFZZJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMDAzNTYxMzc2WUI2SkM1Mk9UMyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzgwNTU4M1NMR0U2TlJIQVNEQyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2RldGFpbCZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= (Expecting Better) and https://www.amazon.com/Cribsheet-Data-Driven-Relaxed-Parenting-Preschool/dp/0525559272/ref=pd_bxgy_img_1/147-4390670-4840655?pd_rd_w=RS88E&pf_rd_p=c64372fa-c41c-422e-990d-9e034f73989b&pf_rd_r=PW3MBC3RP7GH6R10K0V7&pd_rd_r=49cfe815-4659-4c48-a11a-d956c5c47397&pd_rd_wg=aOW6t&pd_rd_i=0525559272&psc=1 (Cribsheet). They offered data-driven advice about pregnancy and raising young children, and they’ve become require

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 subscri

School is about more than just the subjects kids are supposed to learn, it’s an essential part of their social and emotional growth. This is something we all know, but sometimes take for granted. Or at least we did -- until last year. The Covid-19 pandemic made all too clear that educational success, mental health, and our environments are inextricably linked. And nowhere is this connection more apparent than in conversations around ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. On this episode, Sarah Baldwin ’87 talks with Jayanti Owens, assistant professor of sociology and international and public affairs at Watson, about how this highly common, often misunderstood condition is diagnosed and treated. Jayanti's 2020 paper, "https://bit.ly/3hEdSPx (Social Class, Diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and Child Well-Being)" which we discuss, recently won the 2021 Outstanding Publication Award from the American Sociological Association's Section on Disability and Society. We’ll also look at

This is the epilogue 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 showed in this series, it’s a problem that has been with us for much, much longer. On this episode, we introduce you to the Brown students and alumni who made this podcast possible through their research, experience, and expertise. We explore why they became interested in housing in the first place, what they learned from making the podcast, and what issues they still wrestle with when it comes to the problem of housing in America. Contributors to this podcast include students from Brown University and the media collective Signs of Providence. You can learn more about their organization here. You can listen to Parts 1-4 of Less to Lean One here. You can learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts here. [Transcript forthcoming]

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 lead-up 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. You can watch a video recording of their full conversation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwYjBWok0b4 (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

On this episode, we’re sharing one of our favorite conversations from another podcast produced by the Watson Institute: ‘The Rhodes Center Podcast,’ hosted by political economist Mark Blyth. Mark recently talked with economist and Brown professor John Friedman about 'Bidenomics': what it is, what it isn't, and what it can tell us about our precarious economic recovery. You can watch the video of John and Mark's full conversation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brxJXr7V1dE (here). You can subscribe to the Rhodes Center Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rhodes-center-podcast/id1436607891 (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

In the past 6 months (or maybe the last 5 years) Americans have been thinking about democracy and its fragility in entirely new ways. At the same time -- whether we’re talking about Poland, Turkey, or India -- it feels like democracy is on the edge around the world. But how big are these threats to democracy, actually? And how helpful is it to talk about all these different countries' experiences in the same discussion? On this episode Sarah Baldwin '87 talks with Rob Blair, a political scientist at Watson and founder of the Democratic Erosion Consortium. He’s been thinking about all these questions, and thankfully he has answers. You can learn more about the Democratic Erosion Consortium https://www.democratic-erosion.com/ (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

On this episode, Watson Economics Professor Glenn Loury talks with writer Thomas Chatterton Williams. Williams’s 2010 memoir ‘Losing My Cool: Love, Literature, and a Black Man’s Escape from the Crowd,’ combined cultural criticism with his own personal story of falling in (and out) of love with hip hop culture growing up. His 2019 book ‘Self Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race,’ continued his exploration of issues at the intersection of race, culture, family, and his own story. Whatever your views, he and Glenn's discussion will be sure to challenge your assumptions about race, class, and identity in America. You can learn about and purchase 'Losing My Cool' https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/304246/losing-my-cool-by-thomas-chatterton-williams/ (here). You can learn more about and purchase 'Self Portrait in Black and White: Unlearning Race' https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/617884/self-portrait-in-black-and-white-by-thomas-chatterton-williams/9780393608861 (here). You can learn more abo

In April, President Biden announced that the US will pull all of its troops out of Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. On this episode Dan talks with Watson Senior Fellow Stephen Kinzer about what this withdrawal might mean for Afghanistan -- and for the US. As Stephen makes clear, this news brings up questions about US foreign policy that are much bigger than any one conflict or country, and that will have ramifications for the entire world. You can learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

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’https://www.amazon.com/Able-Be-Otherwise-Anna-Lenaker-ebook/dp/B093TTHW8G/ ( here) or https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/able-to-be-otherwise-anna-lenaker/1139385749?ean=978163

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 https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=23968 (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

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 https://watson.brown.edu/climatesolutionslab/ (here). You can learn more about the Rhodes Center https://watson.brown.edu/rhodes/ (here). You can learn more about the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies https://watson.brown.edu/clacs/ (here). You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

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 learn more about Watson's other podcasts https://watson.brown.edu/news/podcasts (here).

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 http://evicted-in-ri.com/#/ (here). You can listen to Parts 1, 2, and 3 here. You can learn more about the Watson Institute's other podcasts here.