J.B. Wogan
@jbwogan
Podcaster Q&A
Tell us about yourself – what is your background?
I covered politics and government for a decade. During the Great Recession, I became interested in the role that economics plays in public policy and went back to school to learn more about the social sciences. My coursework deepened my interest in how data could help bypass partisan politics and help public officials institute more effective public policies, leading me to write about social impact bonds, behavioral nudge experiments, city stat programs, and public sector innovation models.
Why did you get into podcasting?
Since grad school, I have sought ways to bridge the gap between the research community and the public sector workers who are in a position to put research-based insights to use. When I joined the communications team at Mathematica, I saw the success of podcasts like Freakonomics, Planet Money, and Hidden Brain, and believed a podcast would be a great way to make policy-related research approachable for policymakers and practitioners who aren't keeping up with the latest peer-reviewed journals.
How did the idea for the show come about?
The show is called On the Evidence and the premise is that our understanding of today's most pressing challenges and our responses to those challenges should be based the best available information. I wanted the show to explore evidence about collective problems and solutions for addressing them.
What do you hope listeners take from the show?
Not only is it possible to confront the most serious and large-scale problems facing humanity today, but if you follow the latest social science research closely, you'll find examples of how public and private organizations all over the globe are already making encouraging gains.
What's been the biggest challenge for you?
The perennial challenge for anyone seeking to communicate public policy research: How to ensure that the information is being conveyed in the right way, at the right time, to the right audiences. We've experimented with different lengths of episodes, different formats, different methods of engaging audiences, and we are still learning how to ensure that we're providing a useful public service to listeners who might turn our evidence into action.
How can your listeners support your show?
There are a few ways you can support the show: 1) Subscribe and share your favorite episode with someone who might also enjoy our show. 2) Rate and review us on your podcasting app of choice. 3) Email me with suggested topics or guests for future episodes: [email protected].
Any future plans that you'd like to share?
We plan on adding more "solutions" episodes, which are brief summaries of recent research from Mathematica that found some kind of intervention moved the needle on a pressing health or social challenge. We also plan on scheduling more live shows, so that audiences can participate in episodes and ask their own questions.
Anything else you'd like to share?
I love hearing from listeners. Email me and let me know what you get out of listening to the show: [email protected].
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