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This is the official podcast of the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. Our mission is to continue the distinguished legacy and lifetime work of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to advance American democracy through multigenerational civics education, civil discourse and civic engagement.
37 Episodes
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Perhaps no extant product of the U.S. Constitution has received more bipartisan animus than the Electoral College. Since 1800 there have been more than 700 proposals introduced in Congress to amend or eliminate the way in which America chooses its presidents. Yet the Electoral College lives on. Why do we have this system? Why does it inspire such cross-party antipathy? Can it be changed -- should it be changed? -- and if so how? The Sandra Day O'Connor Institute welcomed participants from 36 ...
In his book The Quest for Character, Massimo Pigliucci asks: can good character be taught? Through an exploration of Greek and Roman philosophy, and especially the interaction of Socrates and Alcibiades, Pigliucci helps us understand what makes a good leader, and how we can educate others, and ourselves, to be better people and citizens. This podcast is created by the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. ...
Do open primaries and ranked-choice voting have the potential to improve American elections, or will they create more problems than they solve? Kevin Meyer, former lieutenant governor of Alaska; Steve Goldstein, executive director of Save Democracy AZ; and Jaime Molera, former Arizona superintendent of public instruction join the O'Connor Institute and Civics for Life to discuss the issue. This podcast is created by the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. The opinions expressed do not necessarily ...
Civics for Life and the O'Connor Institute welcome Jed Perl as he joins Liam Julian, director of Public Policy, for a discussion on the relationship between art and society, the artist’s role in society, and whether art and artists have definite social and political responsibilities. Perl is the author of nine books, including a two-volume biography of the American sculptor Alexander Calder; a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship; an art critic for the New Republic for twenty years and a con...
Americans today are more politically polarized than in the past. We are more likely to align our political identities with specific ideological stances, and we are more likely to view the opposition with hostility (according to data from, among other sources, Pew Research Center and Rice and Stanford Universities). Can this political polarization be overcome? This podcast is created by the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Sand...
Emancipation in America is often presented as a single and singular undertaking. But Professor Kris Manjapra's new book, Black Ghost of Empire, complicates that story by situating America's national emancipation in a long line of global emancipations--including the first emancipations, which occurred in America's North in the late 18th century--that were in many ways structured to benefit former enslavers and ensure that the formerly enslaved remained repressed. Were these compromised emanci...
Civics for Life and the O'Connor Institute welcome Professor Cristina Rodríguez and Mr. Adam White as they join host Liam Julian, director of Public Policy, for an online conversation and share diverse perspectives on the Future of the Court. Rodríguez and White both served as members of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, formed by President Joe Biden's Executive Order 14023 in April 2021. The Commission’s purpose was to provide an analysis of the pr...
On Thursday, Oct. 17, we welcomed participants from 36 states to our Public Square online discussion on the decline of civics education being taught today. The research is clear: study after study shows that we Americans don't know civics. This is especially the case for younger Americans, who data reveal to be less informed about civics than their older counterparts. Obviously there is a need for more and better civic education in schools, a proposition that consistently receives stron...
The story often told is that rural America is in decline, and that rural Americans are resentful of their suburban and urban counterparts. But Elizabeth Currid-Halkett argues in her new book The Overlooked Americans: The Resilience of Our Rural Towns and What It Means For Our Country that rural Americans and rural America are in many ways actually thriving. Currid-Halkett joins Institute director of public policy Liam Julian for an enlightening discussion. This podcast is created by the Sandr...
What is the museum’s role in society? How does – and can – the museum function as a civic space? Dr. Anthea Hartig, the first woman director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, sat down with Civics for Life to briefly discuss these and other questions. The following podcast is created by the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. We offer a platform of civil discourse to all...
Economist Dr. Art Laffer—creator of the famous Laffer Curve and advisor to U.S. presidents including Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton—joins the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy for a wide-ranging conversation about the American economy. From inflation and government spending to monetary policy and long-term growth, Dr. Laffer shares his unique perspective, blending economic analysis with historical insight. Drawing from his time in the Reagan administration, he reflects on ...
Gerrymandering, according to Webster, is "to divide or arrange (an area) into political units to give special advantages to one group when voting districts are designed to achieve specific political outcomes." Nick Seabrook, an authority on gerrymandering and constitutional law, discusses his book, One Person, One Vote: A Surprising History of Gerrymandering in America and, just weeks before our nation heads to the polls, breaks down how new voting districts following the 2020 U.S. Census co...
"This is a film about why you should join a club." So begins the documentary Join or Die, available to stream on Netflix, that follows the work of sociologist Robert Putnam, who famously argued that American civic organizations and engagement were in serious and steady decline and that this would not bode well for the nation. The documentary's co-directors and co-producers (and siblings), Rebecca and Pete Davis, join the O'Connor Institute to discuss their film and why joining a club may be t...
From trade wars to rising prices, America’s economic landscape is being reshaped by powerful forces. How do tariffs affect U.S. industry and global standing? With inflation cooling but uncertainty lingering, where are things headed next—and what does it mean for policy and growth? Economist John Cochrane joins the Institute to explore the pressures and policies defining this critical moment for the U.S. economy. This podcast is created by the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. The opinions expres...
At a time when civic knowledge is in decline, political scientist Jeffrey Sikkenga makes the case that the health of our democracy depends on how—and whether—we teach American principles. Sikkenga, executive director of the Ashbrook Center, joined the O’Connor Institute to discuss A Republic, If We Can Teach It, which he coauthored with Hoover Institution fellow David Davenport. The book explores the challenges facing civic education today and argues that a strong republic requires citizens w...
Is democracy in trouble? Many Americans believe so: recent polls consistently rank "threats to democracy" as one of respondents' top concerns. In the new book The Civic Bargain, authors Brook Manville and Josiah Ober look to history for examples of democracies under threat. By examining the ways in which historical democracies confronted their own challenges, the authors are able to distill lessons and principles that can benefit us today. This podcast is created by the Sandra Day O'...
At a time when many Americans struggle with economic insecurity, sociologist Jessica Calarco offers an exploration of how women have become America’s default social safety net. Calarco joined the O’Connor Institute to discuss her latest book, Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net. Drawing on extensive research and interviews, she argues that American society relies disproportionately on women’s unpaid and underpaid labor and that this reliance has concealed critical gaps ...
As we transition from Black History Month into Women's History Month, we share "Heroes of Abolition and Suffrage" from our podcast library. This powerful conversation brings together descendants of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglass, and Booker T. Washington. Coline Jenkins and Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. continue the work of their three significant ancestors, honoring their legacy of work in civil rights history and shaping the world around us today. Grab your headphones and join us for t...
At a time when Americans seem more divided than ever, Yuval Levin offers a compelling argument for how we can rebuild a shared national identity. Levin, the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, joined the O’Connor Institute to discuss his latest book, American Covenant, which examines the Constitutional foundations of American unity. This podcast is created by the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute. The opinions expressed do not necessarily...
We are pleased to share this conversation with Dr. Carla Hayden of the Library of Congress led by moderator Chevy Humphrey, CEO of the Museum of Science and Industry, originally recorded in 2021. In it, she discusses the Library of Congress's significant history and the information available at the country's most extensive library. Specifically, she spotlights crucial pieces of African American History, the 13th Amendment, and the life of President Abraham Lincoln. You can listen to this ill...
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