America’s universities have powered its economy by developing an educated workforce and producing transformative technology, including the internet and vaccines. They were seen as vehicles for social mobility; when veterans returned home from World War II, the newly enacted G.I. Bill compensated millions with paid college and vocational school tuition. Howev ... Show More
Sep 10
Can Capitalism Serve the Common Good? - ft. Mariana Mazzucato
The drugs in your medicine cabinet were probably discovered on your dime, in a university lab, with NIH money. You don't hold the patent. You don't set the price. Same story with the touchscreen, the GPS and the voice assistant in your pocket.The public often helps fund breakthro ... Show More
57m 27s
Aug 13
Can Liberalism Survive This Kind of Capitalism? - ft. Daron Acemoglu
For most of the last century liberal democracies offered a simple deal: the economy grows and, if you work hard, you get a fair shot at the rewards. According to 2024 Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu, that deal is broken. Acemoglu joins Bethany McLean and Luigi Zingal ... Show More
53m 31s
Jul 2025
Can college survive Trump?
American higher education is under attack. Project 2025 laid out the battle plan pretty clearly: Get rid of the Department of Education, shut off federal funding, take control of the accreditation system, and take down diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. And in the end, ch ... Show More
57m 42s
Jan 2024
Crisis in Higher Ed & Why Universities Still Matter with Marc & Ben
<p>In this one-on-one conversation, Marc and Ben tackle the university system – what has certainly been a hot topic that’s been dominating the news over the past few months. As Marc states at the top of the episode, universities matter tremendously to our world, but they’re curre ... Show More
1h 48m
Aug 2020
University presidents on the future of education
It’s that time of the year when students typically descend upon university campuses around the country — moving into dorm rooms, filling up stadiums, cramming into classrooms and swelling small towns to capacity. Unfortunately, that is not the college scene this year. After the c ... Show More
36m 14s
Mar 2021
Universities and the Innovation Landscape
<p>What are universities for? Are they an elite pipeline for elite jobs, or can they meet the needs of societies transforming amid technological advances? <strong>Azeem Azhar</strong> explores the role of higher education in research, innovation, and progress with <strong>Geraint ... Show More
38m 24s
Sep 2025
The Grand Strategy Behind Trump’s Crackdown on Academia
<p>What is wrong with higher education in America? According to many on the right, a lot. This week, Ross Douthat talks to May Mailman, the lawyer behind President Trump’s battles with Harvard and Columbia, about the administration’s assault on the Ivy League and why “a glorifica ... Show More
59m 1s
Feb 2025
American Higher Education Under the Second Trump Administration
In this episode of International Horizons, RBI Director John Torpey speaks with Steven Brint, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Public Policy at UC Riverside, about the early days of the second Trump administration and its impact on higher education. Brint discusses the ad ... Show More
31m 24s
<p>Economist Michael D. Smith says universities are scrambling to protect a status quo that deserves to die. He tells Steve why the current system is unsustainable, and what’s at stake if nothing changes.</p><p> </p><p>RESOURCES:</p><ul><li><a href="https://amzn.to/3sK5t5r"><i>Th ... Show More
