Solving Public Problems with Beth Noveck

Solving Public Problems with Beth Noveck

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Kristian Williams, "Policing the Progressive City: Portland, Oregon, from Settlement to Uprising" (AK Press, 2026)

Kristian Williams, longtime activist and writer, joins Michael Stauch to discuss his new book Policing the Progressive City: Portland, Oregon, from Settlement to Uprising" (AK Press, 2026) about police reform in Portland. Billed as perhaps the nation’s most “progressive” city, W ...  Show more

Michael Brownstein et al., "Somebody Should Do Something: How Anyone Can Help Create Social Change" (MIT Press, 2025)

A novel and scientific approach to creating transformative social change—and the surprising ways that each of us can help make a real difference. Changing the world is difficult. One reason is that the most important problems, like climate change, racism, and poverty, are structu ...  Show more

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Lisa Vanhala, "Governing the End: The Making of Climate Change Loss and Damage" (U Chicago Press, 2025)
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A searing account of how the international community is trying—and failing—to address the worst effects of climate change and the differential burdens borne by rich and poor countries. Climate change is increasingly accepted as a global emergency creating irrevocable losses for t ...  Show more

How to make grassroots political change (w/ Katie Fahey)
How to Be a Better Human

What can you do when a problem feels too daunting to take on? Enlist some help. Political issues can often feel too difficult to solve, but Katie Fahey–the founder of the grassroots organization Voters Not Politicians and executive director of the democratic reform organization T ...  Show more

Will We Artificially Cool the Planet? The Science and Politics of Geoengineering with Ted Parson
The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

Global heating continues, despite the increased use of renewable energy sources and international policies attempting otherwise. Even as emissions reduction efforts continue, our world faces more extreme weather, sea level rise, and human health impacts, all of which are projecte ...  Show more

What is environmental authoritarianism and why we should be mindful of its allure
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The argument that authoritarian governments are better at dealing with the climate emergency is gaining ground, fuelled by the idea that undemocratic states face fewer constraints and so can operate more efficiently and effectively. Some are even arguing that this isn’t just a ne ...  Show more