The Ballpark Podcast

Contributor(s): Professor Dana Fisher | On the 6th of October, 2020 Ballpark host Chris Gilson spoke with Professor Dana Fisher about her new book American Resistance: From the Women's March to the Blue Wave, the rise of distributed organizing in the United States, and the impact that Black Lives Matter & climate protests may have on the November 2020 presidential election. Professor Dana Fisher is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland and the Director of the Program for Society and the Environment at the University of Maryland. She is the author of National Governance and the Global Climate Change Regime, Activism, Inc., and her most recent book, American Resistance: From the Women's March to the Blue Wave. Her research focuses on environmental policy, civic participation and activism more broadly. She has written extensively on activism and protest.   Contributors: Professor Dana Fisher (Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, Director of the Program for Society and the Enviro

Contributor(s): Dr Clive James Nwonka | In this special episode of the Ballpark we’re giving you a preview of our upcoming new podcast series, The Politics of Race in American Film. Chris Gilson interviews the podcast’s host, Dr. Clive James Nwonka, about what you can expect from the series, why film is such a useful lens for understanding race and society, and why taking a close look at film is especially relevant today.  Dr. Clive James Nwonka is a Visiting Fellow in the International Inequalities Institute at LSE. His research is situated at the intersections of contemporary realism and film policy, with particular interests in Black British film, international cinema and American Independent film. His published research includes writings on contemporary social realism, Black British cinema, film and architecture, and diversity policy. He is the co-editor of Black Film British Cinema II and author of the forthcoming book, Black Boys: The Aesthetics of British Urban Cinema, which will be out later this year

Contributor(s): Professor Kathleen Jamieson | The LSE US Centre’s Chris Gilson is joined for this Extra Inning by Professor Kathleen Jamieson. In this interview, Professor Jamieson talks about the impact of Russian interference on the 2016 US Presidential election, the tactics used to influence voters, and what we should be thinking about ahead of the 2020 Presidential election. Professor Kathleen Jamieson is the Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication of the University of Pennsylvania and Director of its Annenberg Public Policy Center. She is also the author of Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President - What We Don't, Can't, and Do Know. You can also find audio of Professor Jamieson’s LSE US Centre event, “Russian Hackers, Trolls and #DemocracyRIP,” on this feed. Contributors: Professor Kathleen Jamieson (Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication of the University of Pennsylvania); Chris Gilson (LSE US Centre)

Contributor(s): Professor Kathleen Jamieson | On the 27th of February 2020, the LSE US Centre hosted Professor Kathleen Jamieson for the event Russian Hackers, Trolls and #DemocracyRIP. In this lecture, Professor Jamieson brought together what is known about the impact of the Russian interventions in the 2016 US presidential election, outlined the contours of the #DemocracyRIP Russian plans to undercut the presidency of Hillary Clinton, and asked what’s next and what can we do about it. Professor Kathleen Jamieson is the Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication of the University of Pennsylvania and Director of its Annenberg Public Policy Center. She is also the author of Cyberwar: How Russian Hackers and Trolls Helped Elect a President - What We Don't, Can't, and Do Know. You can also find a one-on-one conversation between Ballpark host Chris Gilson and Professor Jamieson on this feed. Contributors: Professor Kathleen Jamieson (Elizabeth Ware Packard Professor at the Annenber

Contributor(s): Professor Leah Wright Rigueur | In this Extra Inning, Ballpark co-host Michaela Herrmann is joined by Professor Leah Wright Rigueur, who discusses the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) scandal of the 1980s, the experiences of Black Republicans in the last 50 years, the racial politics of the Reagan administration, and how #BlackLivesMatter protests can be linked back to long-standing trends like inequality and policing practices. Professor Leah Wright Rigueur is an Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the Harry S. Truman Associate Professor of American History at Brandeis University. She is the author of The Loneliness of the Black Republican: Pragmatic Politics and the Pursuit of Power and is currently working on the book manuscript Mourning in America: Black Men in a White House. You can also find audio of Professor Wright Rigueur’s lecture, “African Americans in a 'White' House: Presidential Politics, Race, and The Pursuit of Power,” on this

Contributor(s): Professor Anne Cizmar | Welcome back to Season 4 of The Ballpark from the LSE US Centre! This season we’re continuing our State of the States theme and exploring some fascinating US states and the key policy issues within them. For our Season 4 premiere, we’re heading to the Bluegrass State – Kentucky – to talk about the state’s geography, state politics, and political realignment with Professor Anne Cizmar, Associate Professor of Government at Eastern Kentucky University. Produced by Michaela Herrmann (LSE US Centre) with contributions from Chris Gilson (LSE US Centre) and Professor Anne Cizmar (Eastern Kentucky University). Title theme, ‘Take me out to the Ball game’ by Ranger and the "Re-Arrangers" (https://rangerswings.com/) used with permission; Excerpts from Great River Road (ID 360) and Lucky Hans (ID 361) are by Lobo Loco (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/NIce_Nowhere/2016111153942403), (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lobo_Loco/NIce_Nowhere/Lucky_Hans_ID_361_1261) and a

Contributor(s): Joseph Sternberg | In this Extra Inning from the LSE US Centre, Ballpark host Chris Gilson talks with The Wall Street Journal’s Joseph Sternberg about his new book, The Theft of a Decade: How the Baby Boomers Stole the Millennials’ Economic Future. Joseph Sternberg outlines the effects of the Great Recession on Millennials and talks about Millennials’ economic and political future. They also discuss the policy issues that will continue to challenge Boomers and Millennials as the former ages out of the working population and puts economic pressure on the latter. Joseph Sternberg is a member of the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, where he writes the Political Economics Column. He’s also the author of the new book, The Theft of a Decade: How the Baby Boomers Stole the Millennials’ Economic Future. Contributors: Joseph Sternberg (The Wall Street Journal), Chris Gilson (LSE US Centre)

Contributor(s): Professor Theda Skocpol | On 14 October 2019, the US Centre hosted Professor Theda Skocpol for the event “Donald Trump and the Roots of Republican Extremism in the US.” At the event, Professor Skocpol discussed her recent research explaining how sets of organizations expressing two separate currents of right-wing extremism – billionaire ultra-free-market fundamentalism and popularly rooted ethno-nationalist resentment – have worked in tandem to remake the Republican Party. Professor Theda Skocpol is the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University. Her ongoing research focuses on U.S. conservatives and the Republican Party, the politics of health care policy, and citizen reactions to the Obama and Trump presidencies. Skocpol is also the Director of the Scholars Strategy Network, a nationwide U.S. organization with more than a thousand members and forty chapters that makes the work of university researchers understandable to civic groups, policymakers, and the me

Contributor(s): Joseph Sternberg | On the 9th of October 2019, the US Centre hosted Joseph Sternberg of The Wall Street Journal at our public event, “How Millennial Economics Will Shake Up US Politics”. At the event, he presented an overview of Millennial economics in America and outlined how the Great Recession affected Millennials in particular. He also discussed the continuing effects of the recession even as economic conditions have improved, and some of the political issues that will continue to challenge Americans across the Boomer-Millennial divide. Joseph Sternberg is a member of the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, where he writes the Political Economics Column. He’s also the author of the new book, The Theft of a Decade: How the Baby Boomers Stole the Millennials’ Economic Future. Contributors: Joseph Sternberg (The Wall Street Journal), Professor Peter Trubowitz (LSE US Centre)

Contributor(s): Professor Stephen Walt | Your host Chris Gilson of the LSE US Centre is joined on this Extra Inning of the Ballpark by Professor Stephen Walt. In this interview, Chris and Professor Walt discuss the differences in US foreign policy between Presidents Trump and Obama. They also discuss Professor Walt’s new book, The Hell of Good Intentions, and why he thinks American foreign policy since the Cold War has been a failure. Stephen Walt is the Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He has previously taught at Princeton University and the University of Chicago, serves on the editorial boards of Foreign Policy,Security Studies,International Relations,and Journal of Cold War Studies, and is the author of works including The Origins of Alliances, and Taming American Power: The Global Response to U.S. Primacy. You can also find audio of Professor’s Walt’s recent talk at LSE, Can America Still Have a Successful Foreign Policy?, on the LSE:

Contributor(s): Marisa Lago | In this Extra Inning of the Ballpark, we are joined by Marisa Lago, the Director of the New York City Department of City Planning and Chair of the City Planning Commission. Alongside LSE Cities and LSE’s School of Public Policy, the LSE US Centre hosted Marisa Lago on the 5th of November 2019 for the event, Planning New York. Chris Gilson of the LSE US Centre spoke with Marisa Lago ahead of the event about what it’s like to work across three New York mayoral administrations, the big planning issues facing the city right now, and how city planning can help address inequality. They also spoke about the big challenges that New York City will be facing in the next few decades and how it plans to cope with climate change, increased automation, and an aging population. Marisa Lago is the Director of the New York City Department of City Planning and Chair of the City Planning Commission.

Contributor(s): Professor Theda Skocpol | In this Extra Inning of the Ballpark, your host Chris Gilson of the LSE US Centre talks with Professor Theda Skocpol about her recent research on the Republican Party. Professor Skocpol outlines the shift that the Republican Party has undergone in the last decade, driven by two distinct currents of right-wing extremism: ethno-nationalist resentment, and ultra-free-market fundamentalism. They also discuss her upcoming book, which traces the growing grassroots movement of suburban white women in left-wing politics. Professor Theda Skocpol is the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University. Her ongoing research focuses on U.S. conservatives and the Republican Party, the politics of health care policy, and citizen reactions to the Obama and Trump presidencies. Skocpol is also the Director of the Scholars Strategy Network, a nationwide U.S. organization with more than a thousand members and forty chapters that makes the work of university r

Contributor(s): Chris Murphy, US Senator for Connecticut | On March 20th 2019, the US Centre hosted Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut for his talk, "The Dangers of Brexit for the Special Relationship". Senator Murphy, who is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, spoke on the future of the US’s relationship with one of its oldest allies in the context of the UK's looming exit from the European Union. Senator Chris Murphy, is United States Senator for Connecticut. A member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Murphy has been an outspoken proponent of diplomacy, international human rights and the need for clear-eyed, forward-thinking American leadership abroad. He is currently the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on the Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism, and previously served as Chairman of the European Subcommittee.

Contributor(s): Ashley Koning, Joe Miller, Scott Thompson | For this episode of the Ballpark, we head to New Jersey and take an in-depth look at the state’s recent politics and controversial former Governor, Chris Christie. We also discuss the state of policing in New Jersey with the chief of the Camden County Police Department, and we find out just why New Jersey is known as the Garden State.

Contributor(s): Amy Goldstein, Wendy Scattergood | On this episode of the Ballpark, we take a look at the state of Wisconsin through the lens of deindustrialization. Together with our contributors, we examine how the Badger state’s politics have become more polarized in the past decade and what happened to its people when the factories began to close.

Contributor(s): Stephan Haggard, Susan Strange | For this Extra Inning from the US Centre’s Ballpark podcast, host Chris Gilson speaks to North Korea expert Professor Stephan Haggard about the just announced upcoming summit between the US and North Korea. We explore what’s at stake and what the summit may be able to achieve. Stephan Haggard is the Krause Distinguished Professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California San Diego. In 2019, he is the Susan Strange Professor in the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His work on North Korea with Marcus Noland includes Famine in North Korea (Columbia University Press, 2007), Witness to Transformation: Refugee Insights into North Korea (Peterson Institute for International Economics, 2011) and Hard Target: Sanctions, Inducements and the Case of North Korea (Stanford University Press, 2017)

Contributor(s): Jeff Frieden, Doug Irwin | This Extra Inning of the Ballpark features a conversation with Jeff Frieden and Doug Irwin as they discuss one of the most important parts of the economy: international trade. They talk about the changing consensus on trade in the US under Trump, what the growth of populism across the world means for trade and the international economy, Brexit, the growing trade war between the US and China, and give their policy recommendations for Donald Trump. Jeff Frieden is a professor at the University of Harvard’s Department of Government and the author of Currency Politics: The Political Economy of the Exchange Rate Policy and Global Capitalism: Its Fall and Rise in the 20th Century. Doug Irwin is the John French Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College, as well as the author of Clashing over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy, and Trade Policy Disaster: Lessons from the 1930s.

Contributor(s): Robynn Kuhlmann, Samantha Pettey | In this episode of the Ballpark, we head to Missouri to investigate the state’s political landscape and why its Senate race was so heated in this midterm cycle. We also talk to experts about 2018 as the Year of the Woman, explore some fascinating research on political ideology, and talk about what we can expect from this record-setting number of women in Congress.

Contributor(s): Joe Uscinski, Ros Taylor | This Extra Inning of the Ballpark features audio from the US Centre’s event “Conspiracy Theories in the Age of Trump,” which took place on 25 July 2018. Joseph Uscinski, associate professor of political science at University of Miami, speaks about his book American Conspiracy Theories and why President Trump might be America’s first conspiratorial president. Using an analysis of more than a hundred years of data taken from newspapers, surveys, and the internet, Professor Uscinski demonstrates that conspiracy theories follow a strategic logic: they are tools used by the powerless to attack and defend against the powerful. Our chair for this event, Ros Taylor, is Research Manager for the LSE Truth, Trust & Technology Commission, based in the Media Policy Project within the Department of Media and Communications at LSE.

Contributor(s): Dr. Kori Schake | In this Extra Inning of the Ballpark, your host Chris Gilson talks with Dr. Kori Schake, the Deputy Director-General of the Institute of Strategic Studies, about her book Safe Passage. Dr. Schake discusses how and when power can peacefully shift from one hegemon to another, the impact of Trump’s foreign policy on America’s standing in the world, and the future of the Republican party.