Podcasts
Can America Still Govern Itself? With Lanhee Chen
Hoover Institution fellow Lanhee Chen on why good policy so often fails politically.
October 20, 2026
Published June 20, 2023
Teachers' unions in the United States hold significant influence over school board elections, winning 70 percent of races when they make endorsements. Despite the Supreme Court’s Janus decision in 2018, union-backed candidates have continued to prevail. However, a strategy out of Florida provides a possible avenue for education reformers to challenge teachers’ unions at the ballot box.
Discussion Question:
Additional Resources:
- Read “Still the Ones to Beat: Teachers’ Unions and School Board Elections,” by Michael Hartney via Manhattan Institute. Available here.
- Watch or listen to “Hoover Book Club: How Policies Make Interest Groups: Governments, Unions, And American Education,” with Michael Hartney and Terry Moe. Available here.
- Watch “How Teachers’ Unions Became Political” on PolicyEd. Available here.
Cast
Michael T. Hartney
Related
Videos
Monetary Policy And The Shadow Open Market Committee Since The 1970s
Mickey Levy on his early career working with Alice Rivlin at the Congressional Budget Office and with Arthur Burns at AEI, as well as being part of the Shadow Open Markets Committee from its early days in the 1970s.
October 16, 2026
Videos
The Enduring Influence Of Thomas Sowell
From politics and economics to journalism and culture, leading voices reflect on how Thomas Sowell’s ideas shaped their thinking and continue to inspire new generations.
October 15, 2026