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How companies are remaking the corporate landscape in spite of politics, and sometimes because of politics, in really interesting ways. A conversation with the CEOs of PayPal and Levi Strauss & Co.
American jobs and American democracy are both in crisis. Working people show up in political discourse in discussions of “the white working class” or “essential workers,” but our politics does little to improve their lot. Why has policymaking become divorced from the interests of working people, and what does this mean for our democracy? How does the nature of work influen...
George F. Will enjoys a reputation as one of the nation’s most distinguished and widely read columnists. Highly decorated for his writing and commentary, Will is known for his reflections on Western thought and its application to current political life in America. His newest book, The Conservative Sensibility, contrasts the Founders’ vision for America, embracing natural r...
Demagogues promise a return to an imaginary past. The opposite of demagogues — politicians — focus on visions of a glorious future. The New Yorker’s Masha Gessen, author of The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia, explores a number of such visions — visions of a more equal, sustainable life, visions of the common good and inclusive politics — as express...
Globalization ushered in an era of free trade, fluid borders, and unparalleled corporate profits. For its proponents, the global integration of states and their economies was a political and economic win that created a wealth of opportunities for workers and consumers around the world. But in the United States, jobs are disappearing in construction zones, clerical offices,...
How do we know the real effect of inflation on the buying power of individuals in the United States? Unless we change the way we analyze data and evaluate key economic indicators, we will not have an accurate picture of the health of our economy, according to Eugene Ludwig, a leader in finance and former comptroller of the currency. Ludwig is joined by two panelists on opp...
In every field — business, politics, science, tech, and sport — women are breaking barriers in unprecedented numbers. Women CEOs frequently outpace their male counterparts in delivering profits, women are at the forefront of scientific research (CRISPR, anyone?), and women coaches exceed expectations for leading teams … of men. As more women have taken up posts in DC than...
Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan talks with Judy Woodruff about his life after Congress. How have the policies he helped implement fared under the current administration? What are Ryan’s views on current economic policies? He'll address what is going well, what we can do better, and the issues he'll prioritize in his post-Washington world. Underwritten by Southern Com...
Why do some leap ahead while others fall behind in today’s chaotic, connected world? Two visionary thinkers take you on a whirlwind tour of the 21st century, revealing how "new power" — open, participatory, and peer-driven — is reshaping politics, business, and society. New power works like a current, not a currency — and it is most forceful when it surges — and understand...
The past years have seen a tremendous mobilization of women, from #MeToo and Time’s Up to climate strikes and marches for political freedom. The potential to shift women’s political, economic, and social power is profound, so how will this activism be harnessed to fundamentally change our nation’s course? What is the agenda for women going into the 2020 elections? Hear fro...
Much has been written about the elections this year – about the candidates, their policies, their personalities. But there is another story of equal importance: about us. America rests on a structure of interlocking systems – an education system that would ideally produce a citizenry knowledgeable about civics and skilled at thinking critically about what they’re seeing...
Featured Ideas Festival Scholars include Lashon Amado, María Teresa Kumar, Michael McAfee, and Eshauna Smith. Fueling today’s highly charged political environment is the growing sense that opportunity is elusive and inequality is rising because our national economic policies unfairly disadvantage the middle class. Millions of Americans believe they’re pawns in a game they...
The Veterans Health Administration, which serves nine million vets, has come under fire for long delays in providing services and reimbursing clinicians, and fixes are clearly needed. But former Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin got a lot of pushback when he argued against privatizing the $200 billion system. Everyone agrees that the veterans who sacri...
While the politics of gun reform remain divisive, many Americans are convinced that when it comes to gun violence, something has to change. Whether it’s getting more data about shootings, more background on buyers, or more resources to law enforcement to interrupt cycles of violence, there is a growing chorus of Americans demanding action. In the absence of congressional a...
The American economy motors on, with unemployment near record lows, incomes outpacing rising prices, the debt default averted, the stock market showing surprising strength, and the much-predicted recession still not in sight. Using the charts he brings to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and his New York Times op-eds articles, Steven Rattner will attempt to square why, then, American...
What are the factors that will affect economic growth? A distinguished panel of investors and business leaders are joined by a top observer of economic issues to share perspectives. What kinds of policies — planned or hoped for — will boost our economy and keep it steady?
Allowing everyone a fair chance at economic prosperity and upward mobility is a goal we can all support. But, how? Leaders of investment disruptor Robinhood, the MacArthur Foundation, and Prudential join to discuss the systems, practices, and policies to provide greater access to capital markets.
Through the rise of European populism — from Brexit in the West to Orban in the East, from the Swedish far right in the North to the Italy's Northern League in the South — European politics and economics have been completely altered by the emergence and strengthening of populist movements. But what are the economics behind the erosion of the centre in Europe and where is i...
Technology used to be a lot more accessible, open, and ethical. It was driven by optimistic tinkerers rather than big companies. That changed. The entire industry and ecosystem is now ruled by a handful of companies rather than upstarts. American tech giants are now among the most powerful institutions in the world, rivaling governments in their power over media, culture,...