When Professor Anne-Maria Makhulu returned to South Africa to start her research in the late 1990s, the South African Truth & Reconciliation Commission was just beginning to start its work. She says that while the newly established transparency was important for understanding the workings of the government during apartheid, the commission’s function was largely symbolic. […]
Leadership
Ep. 108: A Wartime President?
In late March President Trump said he considers himself a wartime president. The fight against COVID-19 has since intensified; the number of cases in the US doubled in that time. How does Trump compare to wartime leaders of the past? Sanford School @ Duke · A Wartime President? Bruce Jentleson is the William Preston Few […]
Ep. 90 Housekeeper / City Council Member
Research shows that working-class people almost never become politicians, but Carmen Castillo is both a hotel housekeeper and a Providence Rhode Island City Council member. Yet when Carmen first began to work as a housekeeper, the only English words she knew were “yes” and “no.” Carmen joins Sanford School of Public Policy Dean Judith Kelley […]
Ep. 85 The Last Ambassador to Venezuela
Venezuela is in the midst of a catastrophic economic crisis. According to Forbes, Venezuela’s yearly annual inflation reached 80,000% in 2018, up from 2,400% the year before. The hyperinflation was so intense that officials revalued the currency at a rate of 100,000 to 1 – and even after that, the exchange rate with the US […]
Ep. 81 Popular: Likeability, Status and Success
Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy welcomed Mitch Prinstein the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and the director of clinical psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mitch examines how our popularity affects our success, our relationships, and our happiness and why we don’t always want to be […]
Ep. 76 Making Voting Trend with Parkland Student Leader
Sari Kaufman is a junior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida. Her high school was the site of a horrific mass shooting on Valentines Day. Seventeen students and staff were killed and many others were injured. Since the shooting, Kaufman has worked alongside her friends to register thousands of voters. She says […]