The AEI Events Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Should we amend or abolish the Electoral Count Act? Jun 17, 2021

Show notes

The Electoral Count Act of 1887 was adopted to ensure Congress counted only valid slates of electors during a presidential election. But scholars and election experts have warned that it was poorly drafted and invited confusion.

The problems with this statute erupted in full view on January 6, 2021, when members of the House of Representatives and Senate challenged the electoral slates of two states. Some of these same legislators, along with President Donald Trump, asked Vice President Mike Pence not to certify these votes, which would have tipped the presidential election results from Joe Biden to Trump.

Please join AEI’s Kevin R. Kosar and a panel of scholars to discuss the Electoral Count Act and whether it can be improved through amendment or should be abolished.

Watch the full event here.

President Joe Biden’s first defense budget request Jun 10, 2021

Show notes

On May 28, the White House will release its budget request for fiscal year 2022, including for the US military. This budget will provide early indicators of the new administration’s strategic priorities and inform the defense and foreign policy debates of the 117th Congress as the National Defense Authorization Act is developed.

The new team in the Pentagon must deliver a budget that is consistent with strategic challenges yet balanced with President Joe Biden’s domestic policy agenda. Hot button issues include an overhaul of the Uniform Code of Military Justice regarding sexual assault, potential changes to the Joint Strike Fighter program, and what the new shipbuilding count and type mean for the near future.

Watch the full event here.

Is America entering a new secular age? Jun 02, 2021

Show notes

Rapid growth of secular identities and beliefs in America is transforming the religious and political landscape. “Secular Surge: A New Fault Line in American Politics” (Cambridge University Press, 2021) documents the rise of the country’s largest “religious” group and its distinctive set of beliefs and preferences. The authors investigate the political causes and consequences of this secular surge, drawing on unique survey data, including interviews with members of the American Humanist Association.

After a brief presentation, AEI’s Daniel A. Cox will moderate a discussion with the book’s authors — David Campbell, Geoffrey C. Layman, and John C. Green — AEI’s Ross Douthat, and Michelle Boorstein of The Washington Post to explore what the growing secular perspective means for the future of American religion and politics.

Watch the full event here.

Making college pay: An economist explains how to make a smart bet on higher education May 27, 2021

Show notes

The cost of college makes for frightening headlines. The outstanding balance of student loans is more than $1.5 trillion nationally, while tuitions continue to rise. And after a pandemic that nearly dismantled the traditional “college experience,” many wonder if college is really worth it.

Join the University of North Carolina System’s Andrew P. Kelly, The Wall Street Journal’s Josh Mitchell, and Braven’s Vince Marigna for a discussion with AEI’s Beth Akers about her new book, “Making College Pay: An Economist Explains How to Make a Smart Bet on Higher Education” (Penguin Random House, 2021). The conversation will address how aspiring students can make strategic rather than romantic decisions about college, how parents can be practical when assisting their children in this process, and how higher education can remain an engine for opportunity, upward mobility, and prosperity.

Watch the full event here.

Part 2: Convergence or divergence? Assessing Biden’s 100 days May 20, 2021

Show notes

President Joe Biden’s first 100 days have included major legislative action, millions of COVID-19 vaccinations, and an announced withdrawal from Afghanistan. What are the domestic and foreign policy implications of these 100 days? More importantly, what template do these past few months lay for the next three and a half years?

AEI’s foreign policy team assesses what the president’s decisions portend for the future of conservative foreign policy and for managing an increasingly aggressive China, fostering cooperation and burden-sharing among allies, and preventing terrorism.

Watch the full event here.

Part 1: Convergence or divergence? Assessing Biden’s 100 days May 20, 2021

Show notes

At the heart of Biden’s policy goals is the American Jobs Plan, a proposed $2.3 trillion infrastructure bill. Although the bill presumably addresses America’s aging roads and bridges, a closer look reveals a more complicated story. AEI experts discuss the many issues the bill will affect, including corporate tax policy, family policy, regulations, and the separation of powers.

Watch the full event here.

The role of families in human flourishing: A conversation with James Heckman Apr 15, 2021

Show notes

Nobel Prize–winning University of Chicago economist James J. Heckman is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking research on early childhood, which is frequently highlighted in support of expanding early care and education programs to improve children’s outcomes. His well-known “Heckman Curve” is widely cited as showing a high return on public investment in those programs.

What is Dr. Heckman’s assessment of current proposals for providing publicly funded childcare and pre-K to all children from birth to kindergarten entry? And how does he view the role of families in children’s development? Do they, too, fit into the Heckman Curve? If so, how?

Watch the full event here.

The politics of Islamophobia Apr 08, 2021

Show notes

Anti-Muslim attitudes and policies have played a prominent role in American politics in recent years, especially since then-candidate Trump’s call for a Muslim ban in 2015. In her recent book “Outsiders at Home: The Politics of American Islamophobia” (Cambridge University Press, 2020), Nazita Lajevardi uses a range of data and social science methods to assess how and why Islamophobia manifests itself and what its consequences are for Muslim Americans.

In this web event, Dr. Lajevardi and AEI’s Daniel Cox and Stan Veuger analyze these questions and related developments in policy and public opinion.

Watch the full event here.

Does Congress still control the power of the purse? Apr 01, 2021

Show notes

The Constitution gives Congress alone the authority to raise government revenues and decide how to spend those dollars. James Madison described this power as “the most complete and effectual weapon with which any constitution can arm the immediate representatives of the people.”

However, today’s Congress is losing its grip on the power of the purse. Legislators have gradually delegated their power to the executive branch, which already flouts and usurps Congress’ spending authority with increasing impunity. The budget process has devolved into leadership rushing immense spending bills to avoid shutdowns with little consideration for individual members’ needs.

Please join AEI for a discussion cohosted with Claremont McKenna College’s Salvatori Center on how Congress can regain control over the nation’s finances and thus fortify representative government.

Watch the full event here.

Hybrid homeschooling: The future of education? Mar 25, 2021

Show notes

Nearly all American schoolchildren have experienced home-based learning in the past year, leaving some families wondering whether they could enjoy the benefits of both at-home learning and traditional brick-and-mortar schools at the same time. Such an option does exist: hybrid homeschooling.

But what is hybrid homeschooling, whom is it for, and how does it look when done well? EdChoice’s Michael Q. McShane, joined by practitioners and researchers Kathaleena Edward Monds, Allison L. Morgan, and Antonio Parés, will draw from his upcoming book, “Hybrid Homeschooling: A Guide to the Future of Education” (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021), to answer these questions and explore why hybrid homeschooling might be the future of education.

Watch the full event here.

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