Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

In the last 5 months we have learned a lot about coronavirus and Covid-19. But sometimes it feels like we’re just as confused as we were back in February. What’s safe to do? What activities should we be avoiding? When will things go back to 'normal'? On this episode Sarah talks Watson economist Emily Oster about her newest project, which seeks to provide some much needed clarity to these questions and more. They discuss her new website 'Covid Explained,' and look at some of the most popular questions people are asking. They also explore why health recommendations can be so hard to navigate, and how average people can learn to start thinking a little more like economists.

You can visit 'Covid-Explained' here.

You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

Coronavirus has been called an ‘equal opportunity' virus. But of course... it's not. Communities of color are being disproportionately affected; instead of equalizing anything, this pandemic has thrown into relief the stark inequalities along lines of race and class that are built into American society. And unfortunately, one of the clearest examples of this can be found quite close to Watson's campus.

On this episode, the third in a series we're co-producing this semester with Watson’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Sarah talks with three medical experts who are on the front lines of this pandemic in some of Rhode Island’s hardest hit communities. It’s a conversation about community health, local politics, and social justice, and while it’s focused on Rhode Island, it speaks to struggles playing out around the world.

You can learn more about the Blackstone Valley Community Health Care here.

You can read a Spanish translation here.

You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.

February is Black History Month, and in this episode of “Trending Globally,” you’ll hear from two scholars at Brown who are bringing to light overlooked aspects of the Black experience in America.

In the first half of the episode, Mack Scott, a visiting professor at Brown’s Center for Slavery and Justice, talks with Dan Richards about the complex relationship between Rhode Island’s Narragansett Nation and the state’s Black communities in the 18th and 19th centuries. It’s a vivid example of how America’s history of anti-Black racism is deeply intertwined with the history of America’s indigenous communities.

In the second half, Watson Senior Fellow Geri Augusto talks about a project she’s working on to uncover, preserve, and transmit the history of one of the Civil Rights movement’s most important and unique organizations – the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Geri is working with scholars and activists to bring this history to life and to find new, more inclusive ways to help people share their stories on their own terms.

• Explore the SNCC Legacy Project, and the SNCC Digital Gateway.
• Learn more about the theory and practice of Critical Oral History.
• Read Mack Scott's recent article in the Providence Journal.
• Photo by Danny Lyon. Learn more about the image.
• Learn more about the Watson Institute’s other podcasts.

The spread of the coronavirus has highlighted how international development affects the well-being of us all. On this episode Sarah talks with someone who has been a leader for decades in rethinking how we do international development: Watson Senior Fellow Brian Atwood. Brian’s worked with multiple US Presidents, including as the head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) during the Clinton Administration. They discuss how international development has transformed in the last few decades, the reason that some humanitarian goals were surprisingly easy to meet in the beginning of this century, and why free-flowing information is essential to global health and security.

You can read a transcript of this episode here.

Peter Maurer is the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. In early March he came to Watson, and Sarah talked with him about the challenges of humanitarian aid in the 21st century. Shortly after they spoke, Coronavirus travelled the globe, and everything seemed to change. But surprisingly, for all that's different now, so much of what Peter had to say still resonates -- maybe now more than ever.

It's not a light conversation, but but Peter's wisdom, kindness, and clarity of purpose might actually leave you feeling a little more hopeful about this scary, uncertain time.

You can learn more about Maurer's recent talk at Watson here.

You can learn more about Watson’s other podcasts here.