COVID-19 has ripped through nursing homes and long-term care facilities in the US. At its height, in North Carolina alone, four in 10 COVID-19 cases and deaths occurred in these kind of care facilities which are filled with the most vulnerable people in our society. Our guest today says COVID-19 has painfully unveiled and amplified […]
Social policy
Ep. 125 Building Organizations that Matter
What does it take – as a woman – to build a business from the ground up? Are there special challenges that women face? Our guest today, Maya Ajmera, started her first organization, the Global Fund for Children, shortly after she graduated from Duke University with a Master of Public Policy degree. To date, the […]
Ep. 122 Unintended Consequences
Sometimes we know exactly what the consequences of a policy will be, and sometimes we don’t. In this episode, we’ll explore a surprising consequence related to stepped-up enforcement of immigration policy in one county in North Carolina: Mecklenburg County. Over the past 20 years, many counties in the US have made an agreement with Immigration […]
Ep. 120 The Failed Politics of Consumer Financial Protection
As Elizabeth Warren memorably wrote, “It is impossible to buy a toaster that has a one-in-five chance of bursting into flames and burning down your house. But it is possible to refinance an existing home with a mortgage that has the same one-in-five chance of putting the family out on the street.” That quotation is […]
Ep. 117 South Africa After the Rainbow
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. […]
Ep. 111 Philanthropy Series: Helping People With Means to Give
Thomas J. Tierney is an expert in smart philanthropy and co-founder of the Bridgespan Group which provides management consulting to nonprofits and philanthropists. He is the co-author of Give Smart: Philanthropy That Gets Results, which is intended for philanthropists and nonprofits with the resources to do big things to make big changes in the world. […]