The best podcasts for learning about public policy research

The No Jargon podcast is one of the best places to find interviews with researchers at colleges and universities who have compelling findings on timely and policy-relevant topics. As the show's name suggests, the hosts put a premium on translating rigorous research into plain language and zeroing in on what matters.

This podcast comes from the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which produces rigorous evidence to inform policies and programs to combat poverty, inequality, and their effects in the United States. The show features interviews with researchers from universities across the country about poverty, inequality, and policy in the United States. It is similar to No Jargon in that the guests come from colleges and universities all over and the conversation steers clear of methodological terminology that might alienate a non-research audience. Unlike No Jargon, the scope of topics explored tends to be more narrowly tailored to issues related to poverty and inequality.

After the Fact, a podcast from the Pew Charitable Trusts, offers a nice contrast from the interview-style shows you'll find with No Jargon and the Poverty Research & Policy podcasts. One difference is that After the Fact is hosted by a former journalist, Dan LeDuc, whose byline has appeared in The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The St. Petersburg Times. The episodes still feature clips from interviews, but they appear in a well-crafted narrative. LeDuc frames social science findings in terms that are compelling and easy to understand. The show is structured around thematic seasons, with a series of episodes on a single topic, such as political polarization, race and research, and the connection between the health of the ocean and the health of the planet. The show also takes a fun approach with data, highlighting one fascinating statistic per episode and unpacking its meaning through conversations with experts.

Policy Currents from the RAND Corporation is the most prolific of the shows on this playlist with the shortest episodes. Episodes drop every Friday. With some exceptions, the format tends to be 10-minute episodes summarizing three important reports from RAND on topics in the news, such as gun violence, misinformation, and the war in Ukraine. Although some episodes feature interviews with RAND experts, most are scripted readouts that closely resemble a weekly newsletter from RAND. It is highly digestable and always offers an interesting take on current affairs.

Economist Jennifer Doleac interviews fellow researchers about new papers related to economics, criminal justice, and the law. Jennifer strikes a nice balance between homing in on the practical, policy implications of new research (making episodes useful for public officials) and getting into the nitty gritty details of study design (making this an excellent listen for grad students and fellow researchers). She picks papers that often have provocative or counterintuitive findings and helps guests place new scholarship within the context of the larger body evidence around the same topic. One of my favorite episode explores the relationship between violent video games and violent behavior (https://goodpods.com/podcasts/probable-causation-198976/episode-33-jason-lindo-on-violent-media-content-19717587) I also enjoyed this episode about what messages are most compelling for recruiting police officers (https://goodpods.com/podcasts/probable-causation-198976/episode-43-elizabeth-linos-on-police-recruiting-rebroadcast-32070961)