In 2021, the Hoover Institution created various podcast episodes about today’s most pertinent topics in public policy and beyond. As 2021 draws to a close, we want to highlight some of the year’s most popular episodes, from both new and previously existing podcast series. Episode highlights include discussions ranging from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to the Biden administration’s new policies.
MATTERS OF POLICY & POLITICS
Hosted by Hoover fellow Bill Whalen, this podcast is devoted to matters of governance and balance of power at home and abroad.
The Delta (Variant) For Dummies with Jay Bhattacharya
A new COVID variant raises complicated health-policy questions: should masking be mandated and proof of vaccination required to enter indoor spaces? What about the pace and imagination of research? Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University professor of medicine and epidemiological researcher, separates fact from fiction related to the COVID “Delta” variant.
For more podcasts by Matters of Policy & Politics click here.
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THE CLASSICIST
Victor Davis Hanson examines ongoing issues of national security and current affairs in light of conflicts of the past.
Victor Davis Hanson talks about modern revolutionaries, their methods and assault on the middle-class, law-abiding citizen. And we see this in the legacy of the Cold War, Critical Race Theory, climate change, impending recall of Chesa Boudin, and the very words they use.
For more by The Classicist click here.
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ECONTALK
Russ Roberts interviews an eclectic mix of people on how economics emerges in theory and practice.
Arnold Kling on Reforming Government and Expertise
Economist and author Arnold Kling talks about improving government regulation with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Kling suggests ways to improve the administrative state--the agencies and regulatory bodies that often write the regulations that they enforce. The conversation concludes with Kling's idea for holding public intellectuals accountable for their pronouncements.
For more by EconTalk click here.
Also, listen on the main podcast players.
LAW TALK
A lively (and often funny) look at legislation and constitutional jurisprudence by preeminent law professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo. The show is hosted by Troy Senik.
The faculty lounge has been closed for renovations, but Professors Richard Epstein and John Yoo are back to break down the biggest legal stories of the summer: What will come of the Biden Administration’s decision to defy the Supreme Court over the eviction moratorium? Who can (or can’t) mandate vaccines?
For more by Law Talk click here.
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THE LIBERTARIAN
Richard Epstein analyses national developments in public policy and the law.
It’s Not Our Default: Massive Spending And The National Debt
Richard Epstein assesses the infrastructure and reconciliation bills being debated and discusses who is to blame for the upcoming debt ceiling fiasco.
For more by The Libertarian click here.
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REASONABLE DISAGREEMENTS
Hoover fellows Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss major legal and policy issues and debate points of disagreement between their libertarian and conservative perspectives.
From Mandates To Prohibitions, And Everything In Between
Richard Epstein and Adam White discuss the lawsuit challenging OSHA’s vaccine mandate, and the Fifth Circuit’s initial order against the administration. Then they turn to the Supreme Court, which just heard oral arguments on New York’s near-prohibition against keeping and bearing concealed handguns outside the home.
For more by Reasonable Disagreements click here.
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THE CARAVAN NOTEBOOK
The Caravan podcast provides discussions of politics and culture in the Middle East and the Islamic World with regard to the challenges for American foreign policy.
Repercussions of the Afghanistan Withdrawal
A Discussion with Tom Tugendhat, Member of Parliament and Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
For more by the Caravan Notebook click here.
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PACIFIC CENTURY
The 21st century may be the “Pacific century,” and China appears poised to become America’s greatest rival for global power and influence. Hosts John Yoo and Michael Auslin broadly address developments in China and Asia. They discuss the latest politics, economics, law, and cultural news, with a focus on US policy in the region.
Decoding China’s Global Strategy With Bonnie Glaser
Misha talks with Bonnie Glaser, head of the Asia Program at the German Marshall Fund about how Beijing uses its foreign and security policy to displace the US, weaken Taiwan, and undermine global institutions.
For more by the Pacific Century click here.
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THE GRUMPY ECONOMIST
The Grumpy Economist podcast features Hoover Institution senior fellow John Cochrane offering analysis and commentary on the news of the day from a humorous free-market perspective.
What’s In The Reconciliation Bill? A Conversation With Casey Mulligan
Hoover Institution fellow John Cochrane talks with Casey Mulligan about what’s in the reconciliation bill. They focus on how the programs will work, or fail to work, as well as what incentives and disincentives do they give.
For more by The Grumpy Economist click here.
Also listen on the main podcast players.
The following are the audio versions of our video shows.
UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE
For more than two decades, the Hoover Institution has been producing Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson, a series hosted by Hoover fellow Peter Robinson as an outlet for political leaders, scholars, journalists, and today’s big thinkers to share their views with the world.
Victor Davis Hanson Diagnoses The Dying Citizen
Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution. His new book is The Dying Citizen: How Progressive Elites, Tribalism, and Globalization Are Destroying the Idea of America. As is typical whenever Dr. Hanson joins us, this interview covers a wide spectrum of topics and references, including the Acts of the Apostles, immigration, Jim Crow laws, primary tribal identities, the suburban everyman, the shrinking middle class, and JFK’s “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech. It’s a bracing conversation with a scholar who has an incredible breadth of interests and knowledge.
For more by Uncommon Knowledge click here.
Also listen on the main podcast players and YouTube.
GOODFELLOWS
In uncertain times what’s needed is not just clarity about today’s pandemic, but insight into the challenges that lie ahead as America recovers and returns to normal. GoodFellows, a weekly Hoover Institution broadcast, features senior fellows John Cochrane, Niall Ferguson, and H. R. McMaster discussing the social, economic, and geostrategic ramifications of this changed world.
Cryptocurrency’s future, fossil fuels and alternate energy sources, the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia, a new university devoted to academic freedom emerging deep in the heart of Texas, plus ethnic food as the gateway to a better understanding of economics and immigration: all are part of a multicourse intellectual feast featuring Hoover senior fellows Niall Ferguson, H. R. McMaster, and John Cochrane, with their guest, George Mason University economist/blogger/podcaster/foodie Tyler Cowen.
For more by GoodFellows click here.
Also listen on the main podcast players and YouTube.
BATTLEGROUNDS
The Battlegrounds interview series provides a needed forum for leaders from key countries to share their assessment of problem sets and opportunities that have implications for US foreign policy and national security strategy.
Ukraine: Perspectives On Democracy In Eastern Europe
In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and former Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk discuss the U.S.-Ukraine relationship, the Russian threat to security, and priorities for reform and strengthening governance in Ukraine.
For more by Battlegrounds click here.
Also listen on the main podcast players and YouTube.
TALKS FROM THE HOOVER INSTITUTION
The Talks from the Hoover Institution podcast and collection of audio recordings features interviews, discussions, and presentations with Hoover fellows and scholars on issues and topics from the various lecture series, programs, initiatives, retreats, board meetings, and other events at the Hoover Institution.
The Last King Of America: The Misunderstood Reign Of George III
Most Americans dismiss George III as a buffoon: a heartless and terrible monarch with few, if any, redeeming qualities (picture the preening, spitting, and pompous version in Hamilton). But in 2017, the Queen of England put 200,000 pages of the Georgian kings’ private papers online, about half of which related to George III, and these papers have forced a full-scale reinterpretation of the king’s life and reign. Roberts, an award-winning investigative historian (Churchill, Napoleon), had unprecedented access to these archives. The result is the first biography of King George III in fifty years, and the definitive one for our generation. The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III will reverse this maligned monarch’s reputation, showing that George III was in fact a wise, humane, and even enlightened monarch who was beset by talented enemies, debilitating mental illness, incompetent ministers, and disastrous luck.
For more by Talks from the Hoover Institution click here.
Also listen on the main podcast players and YouTube.
