Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

An award-winning show exploring today's biggest global challenges with the world's leading experts, from the Watson School of International and Public Affairs at Brown University. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Trending Globally: Politics and Policy is a news podcast hosted by The Watson School, with 213 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

The Watson School hosts Trending Globally: Politics and Policy, a news show with 213 episodes published.

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  Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

  AI and public policy: How they’re shaping each other

  Sep 30, 202652 min

  Technology and policy is one of the core research areas at the Watson School. We are committed to better understanding not only how to govern emerging technologies but also how these technologies will affect international and public affairs. On this episode, Watson School Dean John Friedman spoke with two leading experts about the emerging technology that’s on everyone’s mind today: artificial intelligence. Serena Booth and Suresh Venkatasubramanian are Watson faculty fellows and members of Brown’s Department of Computer Science, with Venkatasubramanian also holding an appointment in the Data Science Institute. Both are nationally recognized voices on the intersection of AI and public policy. They spoke with Dean Friedman about the opportunities and risks posed by AI today, what to make of the growing concern over the “existential risks” these technologies pose, and what steps we should take to govern such a powerful, fast-moving technology effectively. Learn more about Brown’s Data Science Institute Learn more about Watson and Brown’s Center for Technological Responsibility, Reimagination and Redesign’s the AI Policy Summer School Watch the conversation on our YouTube channel Transcript coming soon to our website

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  Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

  Inside the CHIPS Act: Industrial policy, national security and building a ‘startup within government’

  Aug 14, 202643 min

  On this episode, Watson School dean and economist John Friedman spoke with Todd Fisher, a 1987 graduate of Brown University, about the inner workings and long-term effects of the CHIPS and Science Act. Fisher served as Chief Investment Officer of the White House's CHIPS Program Office from January 2023 to March 2025, and currently serves on the Watson School’s Board of Governors. The Act, which was passed under President Biden, provided unprecedented government subsidies to the United States semiconductor manufacturing industry, reimagined how government can support private industry, and offered lessons for anyone interested in how to make government work more efficiently. John and Todd discuss the main opportunities and challenges the CHIPS Office faced, how the office’s approach differed from previous models of public-private partnership, and what it was like trying to, as Todd describes, build a “startup within government.” They also discuss his current role as Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Economic Opportunity in the office of New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill. Read more about the CHIPS Program and Fisher’s work at the “Factory Settings” Substack. Watch this conversation on our YouTube Channel. Transcript coming soon to our website.

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  Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

  Why this Ebola outbreak might be the deadliest one yet

  Jul 2, 202641 min

  In May, an outbreak of the Ebola virus was officially declared in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Aid groups are warning that it could become the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history . On this episode, Dan Richards spoke with two experts about why this outbreak is uniquely concerning, what the global health community needs to do to respond effectively, and how U.S. international aid policy under the Trump Administration has affected the trajectory of this public health crisis. Guests on this episode: Dr. Adam Levine is a professor of emergency medicine and international and public affairs at Brown University, who has led research and training on emergency medicine, including during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Liberia. Dr. Craig Spencer is an emergency medicine physician and an associate professor of the practice at Brown University’s School of Public Health. He has worked around the world on frontline preparedness for health emergencies, including in Guinea during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Transcript coming soon to our website Watch Trending Globally on YouTube

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  Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

  Social media, the attention economy and the health of American democracy with Chris Hayes

  Jun 11, 202649 min

  On this episode: as part of the Watson School’s programming for Brown University’s Commencement and Reunion Weekend, Dean John Friedman spoke with MS NOW’s Chris Hayes ‘01 about how social media and the attention economy have reshaped American politics, how politicians should react to these seismic changes in political media, and what this means for the 2026 mid-term elections and beyond. Chris Hayes is a journalist and the Emmy Award-winning anchor of “All In with Chris Hayes,” which airs weekdays at 8:00 p.m. on MS NOW. He is the anchor of the MS NOW Original podcast “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast,” and author of, most recently, “ The Sirens' Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource .” This conversation has been edited for clarity. Watch the full, unedited conversation on our YouTube channel. Transcript coming soon to our website.

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  Trending Globally: Politics and Policy

  The war in Iran’s ripple effect on the global energy economy

  May 28, 202638 minS0

  <p>The war in Iran is entering its third month, and according to the War in Iran Energy Cost Tracker — a new project from the Watson School's Climate Solutions Lab — the war has already cost Americans over 40 billion extra dollars in gas and diesel. But as Jeff Colgan, professor of political science at the Watson School and director of Watson’s Climate Solutions Lab, explains, when it comes to the effects of this war, the rising price of fuel is just the tip of the iceberg.</p><p>On this episode, Watson School dean and economist John Friedman talks with Jeff a...

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