Ways & Means
78 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 months ago - ★★★★★ - 61 ratingsWays and Means features bright ideas for how to improve human society. The show is produced by the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.
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Episodes
S8 Episode 8: Goodbye, Cloud Factory
December 06, 2023 15:12 - 21 minutes - 20.1 MBIn this episode: how a crusade shut down a coal-fired Chicago power plant for good. What the closing of that plant meant for children’s health and the environment. And what it didn’t mean. This is the eighth and final episode in our “Climate Change Solutions” series, where we look at research-based ideas to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Guests: Kimberly Wasserman is Exeutive Director of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, and past winner of the Goldman Environme...
S8 Episode 7: Climate Migration: Why People Leave and What Might Help Them Stay
November 16, 2023 15:05 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBIn this episode of Ways & Means: the hidden role that climate plays in the story of migration. How a changing climate is driving thousands of people to enter the U.S. each year. And how relatively small, inexpensive changes on the ground could make a difference with a daunting geopolitical problem. This is the seventh episode in our “Climate Change Solutions” series, where we look at research-based ideas to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Guests: Sarah Bermeo is a political economis...
S8 Episode 6: The Tiny Packaging Tweak That Could Help The Planet
September 20, 2023 09:00 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBIn this episode: kicking America’s multi-billion-dollar food waste habit. How tons of wasted food contribute to climate change, and how one simple change – better food date labels – just might help make a dent in the problem. This is the sixth episode in our “Climate Change Solutions” series, where we look at research-based ideas to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Guests: Norbert Wilson, Director, Duke World Food Policy Center Roni Neff, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomber...
S8 Episode 5: Bringing Water to Thirsty Fields With Help From the Sun
March 30, 2023 14:10 - 20 minutes - 27.8 MBIn this episode of Ways & Means – New research into how solar mini-grids could change lives for farmers in Ethiopia, and why that matters for the climate as a whole. This is the fifth episode in our Climate Change Solutions series, where we look at surprising answers to the question of what we can do to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Guests: Jonathan Phillips, Director, James E. Rogers Energy Access Project at Duke University Rahel Bekele, Postdoctoral Associate at Duke University’...
S8 Episode 4: How Cleaner Cookstoves Can Help Build a Healthier Planet
March 08, 2023 19:50 - 18 minutes - 25.4 MBUpgrading stoves for people in the developing world could bring about a double win: improving people’s lives while making a big contribution to fighting climate change. We follow along with Duke Professor Subhrendu Pattanayak on a research trip to rural Kenya, and are invited into people's homes to see how they cook, and what might make them change their methods. This is the fourth in our series Climate Change Solutions, a look at surprising answers to the question of what we can do to hel...
Welcome Lauren Rosenthal
March 08, 2023 18:24 - 1 minute - 2.38 MBWe are thrilled to welcome Lauren Rosenthal to the Ways & Means host chair! Lauren is an award-winning reporter and audio producer. Recently she's been focused on climate stories. (Check out her work on Season 2 of "In Deep," a podcast from APM Reports + American Public Media which explored "one city's year of climate chaos.") Lauren will start by hosting the next episodes of our Climate Change Solutions series.
S8 Episode 3: Greener Pastures: The search for climate-friendly ways to raise animals.
November 17, 2022 19:20 - 22 minutes - 30.6 MBIn this episode of Ways & Means, we explore the impacts of meat production. Can we find a better way to raise animals as food and help the planet at the same time? This is the third in our series Climate Change Solutions, a look at surprising answers to the question of what we can do to help cool a rapidly heating planet. Guests: Cameron Oglesby, journalist and Duke Sanford School of Public Policy Master of Public Policy student North Carolina farmer Johnny Rogers Jennifer Curtis,...
S8 Episode 2: Getting Strategic with Solar
October 12, 2022 09:00 - 18 minutes - 24.9 MBLocation, location, location. Place matters a lot when it comes to the impact solar panels can have on the environment. The biggest environmental benefit comes from regions powered by coal. If your local electric utility runs on coal and you install solar panels on your home, it means that the power plant doesn’t have to burn as much coal to power your home, and that is really good for the climate. In this episode of Ways & Means: getting strategic when it comes to solar subsidies. This is...
S8 Episode 1: Paying for a Healthy Planet
September 14, 2022 09:00 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBThe Amazon has been called the lungs of the planet. Its dense jungles play a key role in absorbing the Earth’s greenhouse gases, but the forest is disappearing quickly. In this episode: research from Colombia, Africa and China illustrates how economics can help slow deforestation and combat the climate crisis. Guests: Lina Moros, Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia Wumeng He, Wuhan University, China; Duke Kunshan University Alex Pfaff, Duke University This is the first in our...
Debugger Presents: Begged and Borrowed
March 16, 2022 19:35 - 54 minutes - 75.5 MBSpecial Takeover: The Debugger podcast has taken over the Ways & Means feed for a three-part series: Defending Democracy (and Us!) from Big Tech. This episode is the third of the series. Large technology companies are so powerful they now threaten democracy. They are too big to sue, and current regulations are not holding them responsible for their actions or outcomes. What can be done when a large tech company is doing something that is harmful to society? How can the technology companie...
S7 Episode 3: Begged and Borrowed
March 16, 2022 19:35 - 54 minutes - 75.5 MBLarge technology companies are so powerful they now threaten democracy. They are too big to sue, and current regulations are not holding them responsible for their actions or outcomes. What can be done when a large tech company is doing something that is harmful to society? How can the technology companies that want to differentiate themselves demonstrate they are behaving responsibly? Well – this isn’t the first time the U.S. has been faced with a large, runaway industry that needed effectiv...
Debugger Presents: What Hasn't Worked
March 09, 2022 19:25 - 48 minutes - 66.2 MBSpecial Takeover: The Debugger podcast has taken over the Ways & Means feed for a three-part series: Defending Democracy (and Us!) from Big Tech. This is episode two of that series. Very large tech companies fit into a special tech category called “platforms.” Companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Amazon are so big – it’s like they are on a raised on a platform at a country fair, and can be heard all over the fairgrounds. The platform gives them an advantage; because they can be h...
S7 Episode 2: What Hasn't Worked
March 09, 2022 19:25 - 48 minutes - 66.2 MBVery large tech companies fit into a special tech category called “platforms.” Companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Amazon are so big – it’s like they are on a raised on a platform at a country fair, and can be heard all over the fairgrounds. The platform gives them an advantage; because they can be heard by more people, their technology can have a more impactful reach. These companies have a lot of money, and power. But what if society becomes convinced one of these tools is hurt...
S7 Episode 1: Too Big to Sue
March 02, 2022 10:00 - 42 minutes - 58.9 MBIt’s critical to understand just how hard it is to tell big tech companies what to do. The United States’ legal system is set up for a fair fight, but in practice tech firms are often able to act as their own judge and jury. They control everything from what apps we see, to what data they collect about us to whether or not misinformation and hate speech circulate widely online. This episode is the first of a three-part series, Defending Democracy (and Us!) from Big Tech, a collaboration b...
Debugger Presents: Too Big to Sue
March 02, 2022 10:00 - 42 minutes - 58.9 MBSpecial Takeover: The Debugger podcast has taken over the Ways & Means feed for a three-part series: Defending Democracy (and Us!) from Big Tech. In this episode: It’s critical to understand just how hard it is to tell big tech companies what to do. The United States’ legal system is set up for a fair fight, but in practice tech firms are often able to act as their own judge and jury. They control everything from what apps we see, to what data they collect about us to whether or not misin...
Season 7 is coming
February 28, 2022 17:01 - 1 minute - 2.57 MBSeason 7 launches Wednesday March 2 with a series: "Defending Democracy (And Us!) From Big Tech." The three-part series explores how powerful big tech companies are, and what governments can do to keep them accountable. The series is hosted by journalist Bob Sullivan, and is a collaboration with the Debugger podcast. Thanks to the Cyber Policy program at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy, and Duke's Kenan Institute for Ethics. Promo music: Footsteps on Alden and the Cor...
S6 Episode 6: A Conversation About Reparations
May 14, 2021 20:31 - 1 hour - 84.2 MBThroughout history, the U.S. and other countries have paid reparations to a wide range of people and groups, for a variety of wrongs. But reparations to African Americans have not been paid to date. In the final episode of the series The ARC of Justice – From Here to Equality, listen in on a live conversation about reparations. How would the debt be calculated? Who would qualify? What methods might work? This episode was recorded in front of a live virtual audience on Thursday, April 15, 20...
S6 Episode 5: White Brutality
April 07, 2021 11:11 - 42 minutes - 58.8 MBThroughout the nation’s history, time and again, promising signs of African American progress have been shattered by acts of violence serving the interests of white supremacy. The extent of that violence is widespread and ongoing. This is the fifth installment of the series "The ARC of Justice - From Here to Equality." Get show notes, credits, transcript and discussion guide. Join us for the live season finale, Thursday April 15 at noon.
Upcoming Episodes
March 31, 2021 21:49 - 1 minute - 2.42 MBEpisode 5 premieres April 7. It will explore white violence against Black people through the decades. Episode 6 premieres April 15 (Live!) Join us for a discussion with William A. "Sandy" Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen as well as other reparations experts. Don't forget to register for the live event. (Music in this teaser by Solomon Fox.)
S6 Episode 4: Whitening the Middle Class
March 24, 2021 09:00 - 32 minutes - 45 MBIn this episode: The GI Bill was a conveyor belt into the middle class for millions of white WWII veterans, but many African American veterans were excluded. Subsequent generations continue to feel the effects. This is the fourth installment of the series "The ARC of Justice - From Here to Equality." Get show notes, credits, transcript and discussion guide. Produced with North Carolina Public Radio WUNC. Made possible by the Duke Office for Faculty Advancement thanks to funding f...
S6 Episode 3: A Tale of Two Cities
March 17, 2021 08:00 - 30 minutes - 41.2 MBIn this episode: how the federal government promoted housing segregation and thwarted African American home ownership. This is the second installment of the series “The ARC of Justice – From Here to Equality." Get show notes, credits and transcript. Produced with North Carolina Public Radio WUNC. Made possible by the Duke Office for Faculty Advancement thanks to funding from The Duke Endowment.
S6 Episode 2: This Land is My Land
March 10, 2021 10:00 - 26 minutes - 36.4 MBA tale of two promises made by the government – one kept, one broken. What happened, and what does this have to do with the existing wealth gap between African Americans and white Americans? This is the second installment of the series “The ARC of Justice – From Here to Equality." Get show notes, credits and transcript. Produced with North Carolina Public Radio WUNC. Made possible by the Duke Office for Faculty Advancement thanks to funding from The Duke Endowment.
S6 Episode 1: Not So Long Ago
March 03, 2021 10:00 - 27 minutes - 37.5 MBWe’re dedicating the entire season of the podcast to this topic: what could have been done, and what could still be done, to start to close the wealth gap between white and Black Americans? The series “The Arc of Justice – From Here to Equality” is inspired by the research of professor William “Sandy” Darity Jr. He has co-written an award-winning book with the folklorist and arts consultant A. Kirsten Mullen, From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century. Get...
Live: Climate Whistleblowers
November 14, 2020 18:08 - 29 minutes - 40.4 MBLive event for Duke Energy Week 2020. Guests: Hilton Kelley, Goldman Environmental Prize winner. A former Hollywood stuntman, Kelley returned home to Port Arthur, Texas to battle for environmental justice. Karen Torrent of The National Whistleblower Center and Duke Prof. Tim Profeta discuss the new Climate Risk Disclosure Lab initiative. Co-hosts: Journalist Lindsay Foster Thomas; Prof. Deondra Rose of Polis: Duke Center for Politics; Duke Master of Public Policy student Raffi Wineburg.
Short Takes: Sandy Darity
November 11, 2020 18:28 - 5 minutes - 8.12 MBIn this “Short Takes” episode, host Deondra Rose talks with Prof. Sandy Darity for a continued discussion of reparations. Jentleson's work was the topic of the Ways & Means Podcast episode: Reparations: How it Could Happen. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis, the Center for Politics at Duke University.
S5 Episode 6: Reparations: How it Could Happen
October 29, 2020 20:32 - 21 minutes - 29.6 MBThe question of whether and how to compensate descendants of people formerly enslaved in the United States has hung over the country since the end of the Civil War. It’s getting new traction in the 2020 election. Duke Professor William "Sandy" Darity has created a Reparations Planning Committee to flesh out the details of how a reparations program would work. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis, the Center for Politics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Fin...
Short Takes: Bruce Jentleson
October 29, 2020 14:41 - 11 minutes - 16.3 MBIn this “Short Takes” episode, host Deondra Rose talks with Bruce Jentleson about his research into great political leaders, specifically Nelson Mandela, in his book, The Peacemakers: Leadership Lessons from 20th Century Statesmanship. Jentleson's work was the topic of the Ways & Means Podcast episode: Secrets of Great Political Leadership.
S5 Episode 5 Secrets of Great Political Leadership
October 15, 2020 21:32 - 16 minutes - 29.7 MBWhat makes a great political leader in a deeply divided time, and what can we learn from one of the most striking examples in history? Listen to the story of Nelson Mandela and learn about the surprising strategies that made his leadership work. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis, the Center for Politics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Find out more at polis.duke.edu
S5E5 Secrets of Great Political Leadership
October 15, 2020 21:32 - 16 minutes - 29.7 MBWhat makes a great political leader in a deeply divided time, and what can we learn from one of the most striking examples in history? Listen to the story of Nelson Mandela and learn about the surprising strategies that made his leadership work. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis, the Center for Politics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Find out more at polis.duke.edu
S5 Episode 5: Secrets of Great Political Leadership
October 15, 2020 21:32 - 16 minutes - 29.7 MBWhat makes a great political leader in a deeply divided time, and what can we learn from one of the most striking examples in history? Listen to the story of Nelson Mandela and learn about the surprising strategies that made his leadership work. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis, the Center for Politics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Find out more at polis.duke.edu
Welcome to Our New Host, Lindsay Foster Thomas
October 14, 2020 18:27 - 1 minute - 3.58 MBToday, we're announcing a new chapter in Ways and Means - we have a new host! Lindsay Foster Thomas is a content director at WUNC and has worked at NPR's Marketplace, On Second Thought at Georgia Public Broadcasting with host Celeste Headlee, and was also part of the national production team at WAMU that launched NPR's 1A with founding host Joshua Johnson. We're beyond excited to have her with us. Welcome, Lindsay!
Short Takes: Phil Napoli
October 08, 2020 18:17 - 11 minutes - 15.7 MBThis is a bonus conversation with Professor Phil Napoli. Phil's work was featured in last week's episode, "When Local News Dries Up." He talks with Deondra Rose, Research Director for Polis, Duke University's Center for Politics. Among other things, they talk about what is hopeful in today's journalism environment. Music: Blue Dot Sessions, CC Attribution, Non-Commercial License
S5 Episode 4: When Local News Dries Up
October 01, 2020 08:00 - 24 minutes - 33.2 MBThe decline in local news is having a real effect on democracy. A look at why local news is struggling -- and what can be done about it. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis, the Center for Politics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Find out more at polis.duke.edu
Short Takes: Kristin Goss
September 28, 2020 21:29 - 7 minutes - 10.6 MBToday: a post-Ways & Means episode conversation with professor Kristin Goss about the rise of the gun control movement in America. Goss's work was the topic of last week's Ways & Means episode: The Battle Over Guns in America: What's Changed. The host of Short Takes is Deondra Rose, Director of Research for Polis, the Center for Politics at Duke University. Music: Blue Dot Sessions, CC Attribution, Non-Commercial License
S5E3 The Battle over Guns in America - What's Changed
September 17, 2020 08:00 - 23 minutes - 31.6 MBOn this episode we ask – how did the gun control movement become a force in American politics after being overshadowed for so long by the NRA? In a word: money. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis: the Center for Politics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy
S5 Episode 3: The Battle Over Guns in America - What's Changed
September 17, 2020 08:00 - 23 minutes - 31.6 MBOn this episode we ask – how did the gun control movement become a force in American politics after being overshadowed for so long by the NRA? In a word: money. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis: the Center for Politics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy
Short Takes: John Holbein
September 10, 2020 08:00 - 9 minutes - 13.4 MBToday: a post-Ways & Means episode conversation with John Holbein of the University of Virginia about how to get more young people to vote. Holbein's work, along with Duke faculty member Sunshine Hillygus, was the topic of last week's Ways & Means episode: Why Young People Don't Vote - And How to Change That Deondra Rose is Director of Research for Polis, the Center for Politics at Duke University. Music: Georgia Overdrive by Blue Dot Sessions, CC Attribution, Non-Commercial License
Why Young People Don’t Vote – And How to Change That
September 03, 2020 09:00 - 24 minutes - 33.3 MBFor some reason there's a big gap between young Americans' intention to vote and the chance that they will actually do it. In this episode: why so few young people in the United States vote. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis: the Center for Politics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy
S5 Episode 2: Why Young People Don’t Vote – And How to Change That
September 03, 2020 09:00 - 24 minutes - 33.3 MBFor some reason there's a big gap between young Americans' intention to vote and the chance that they will actually do it. In this episode: why so few young people in the United States vote. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis: the Center for Politics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy
Short Takes: Carolyn Barnes
August 27, 2020 15:42 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MBAfter each new Ways & Means episode airs this season, Duke Prof. Deondra Rose will have a followup conversation with the featured researcher. Today: a conversation with Prof. Carolyn Barnes about how government-funded programs can help parents become politically engaged. Barnes' work was the topic of last week's Ways & Means episode: How Afterschool Programs Can Empower Parents. Deondra Rose is Director of Research for Polis, the Center for Politics at Duke University.
S5 Episode 1: How Afterschool Programs Can Empower Parents
August 20, 2020 09:00 - 22 minutes - 30.2 MBWe explore research into how government-funded afterschool programs for poor families are empowering politically motivated parents. Hear from staff and parents about how these programs have inspired change in their community and learn what elements build effective programs. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis: the Center for Politics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy
Season 5 Relaunch
August 19, 2020 20:19 - 1 minute - 1.81 MBSeason 5 of Ways & Means relaunches Thursday, August 20, 2020. The season is dedicated to issues in U.S. politics and civic life and hot topics in the 2020 elections. The season originally premiered in the spring of 2020, but was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The season is a co-production of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University and Duke's Polis: Center for Politics. https://polis.duke.edu/ Music: "Pinky" by Blue Dot Sessions
Season 5 Postponed
April 15, 2020 19:34 - 35 seconds - 817 KBWe’ve decided to pause in releasing new Ways & Means episodes for now. With the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone’s attention is on the coronavirus and that’s as it should be. So we’ve decided to take a break. We will be back this fall with the complete series of stories on ideas for sealing the cracks in our democracy. That series is in partnership with Polis, Duke’s Center for Politics. Until then, stay safe, stay apart and please wash your hands.
S5 Episode 3: How Afterschool Programs Can Empower Parents
March 25, 2020 10:57 - 22 minutes - 30.2 MBWe explore research into how government-funded afterschool programs for poor families are empowering politically motivated parents. Hear from staff and parents about how these programs have inspired change in their community and learn what elements build effective programs. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis: the Center for Politics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy
S5 Episode 2: When Local News Dries Up
March 04, 2020 09:00 - 24 minutes - 33.2 MBA look at why local news is struggling -- and what can be done about it. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis, the Center for Politics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Find out more at polis.duke.edu
S5 Episode 1: Reparations: How it Could Happen
February 19, 2020 09:00 - 21 minutes - 29.7 MBThe question of whether and how to compensate descendants of people formerly enslaved in the United States has hung over the country since the end of the Civil War. It’s getting new traction in the 2020 election. Duke Professor William "Sandy" Darity has created a Reparations Planning Committee to flesh out the details of how a reparations program would work. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis: the Center for Politics at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy. R...
S4 Episode 1: Reparations: How it Could Happen
February 19, 2020 09:00 - 21 minutes - 29.7 MBThe question of whether and how to compensate descendants of people formerly enslaved in the United States has hung over the country since the end of the Civil War. It’s getting new traction in the 2020 election. Duke Professor William "Sandy" Darity has created a Reparations Planning Committee to flesh out the details of how a reparations program would work. This season of Ways & Means is supported by Polis: the Center for Politics at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy. R...
Season 5 Preview
February 05, 2020 16:02 - 1 minute - 1.96 MBSeason 5 of Ways & Means returns Wednesday February 19, 2020. This season we are partnering with Polis, the Center for Politics at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy to look at big ideas related to the 2020 election.
S4 Episode 6: Beyond Elmo: How Puppets Teach Preschoolers Self-Control
September 13, 2019 09:00 - 12 minutes - 16.8 MBFour-year-olds are expected to be able to behave in the classroom, but more and more preschools are kicking children out for bad behavior. In this episode: new research into how to best help children control themselves in the classroom. Read a transcript of this episode. Music: Theme music by David Schulman. "Rate Sheet," "Lina My Queen," "Tiny Putty," "Rose Ornamental," by Blue Dot Sessions. Music licensed under Creative Commons attribution.
S4 Episode 5: Answering New Parents’ Cries for Help
June 12, 2019 08:00 - 16 minutes - 22.4 MBOn this episode we go inside an innovative, free public program that helps new moms and dads adjust to life with a newborn. In each location where the Family Connects program is offered, all families, rich and poor, are eligible to have a visiting nurse come right to the home after the birth of a child. The program has been shown to improve parenting behavior and reduce emergency medical care for infants. Read the episode transcript Music: Theme music by David Schulman. “Calm and Coll...