Franziska Wagner studied comparative political sciences at the University of Mannheim and at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, Sciences Po. Her research interests lie in party politics, far-right politics, social media, and computational approaches to social sciences. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D in Political Sciences at the Central Eu…

Today, I'm talking with Dr. Keri Leigh Merritt about her recent piece in Aeon Magazine, entitled "The southern gap." The piece explores the roots of economic underdevelopment in the American South, a problem that still plagues the region. From there, we talk more broadly about the politics of the South and what it means to be a Southerner today. Ke…

Dr. Kristin Lunz Trujillo from the University of South Carolina joins to discuss ruralness and identity in America. We talk about the new book, White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy by Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman, as well as some of the broader ideas about who is rural and what that means for the people living in those places. You ca…

Pulaski fellow Bailey Fairbanks joins to talk about the potential for a mifepristone ban and the practice of judge shopping.De către The Pulaski Institution

Bailey Fairbanks joins Alan to talk about the Supreme Court's temporary hold on Texas's SB4. We also chat about a story featured in one of this week's Headlines from the Heartlands, concerning Russian Orthodoxy and American neo-Confederates. Find the link to our new home for Headlines from the Heartlands here: https://alanelrod.substack.com?utm_sou…

Dr. Alex Middlewood of Wichita State University joins to talk about her new venture, IKE Lab. At IKE Lab, Alex and Brian Amos are building data and analysis of Kansas elections down to the most local level. We also talk about a new anti-DEI bill in Kansas, the challenges of brain drain, and crackdowns on local authority in red states. Read Dr. Midd…

Bailey Fairbanks joins to talk immunity, Judge Aileen Cannon, Alabama's IVF U-turn, and the Michigan primary.De către The Pulaski Institution

Welcome to a new regular segment of The Periphery, in which I'll be joined by Pulaski fellow Dr. Bailey Fairbanks to talk about current events with an eye to Pulaski's mission. This time, we're talking about the Alabama Supreme Court's recent ruling that frozen embryos are children.De către The Pulaski Institution

This episode is guest hosted by Pulaski fellow Dr. Dominik Stecula. Dominik is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Colorado State University. His research interests encompass the intersection of political communication, political behavior, and science communication, in the American, but also in a comparative context. He was also born in …

Matt McManus joins to talk about his newest book, The Political Right and Equality: Turning Back the Tide of Egalitarian Modernity (Routledge). The book is a wide-ranging and gripping exploration of right-wing arguments against egalitarianism. We talk about as many of McManus's subjects as we can fit into an episode, including Fyodor Dostoevsky, Pa…

Itoro Bassey is a first-generation Nigerian-American who grew up in Southbridge, Massachusetts. She is a journalist, playwright, cultural worker, educator, and novelist. Her debut novel, Faith, was published by Malarkey Books in 2022. Itoro has previously worked as a correspondent for Arise News and is now a segment producer for the BBC, based in W…

Dr. Kevin Vallier is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Bowling Green State University, where he directs their program in Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law. Vallier’s interests lie primarily in political philosophy, ethics, philosophy of religion, and philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE). He is also an affiliate with the Center for…

Pulaski fellows Dr. Hanah Stiverson and Dr. Dominik Stecuła join Dr. Michael Simeone from New America and Arizona State to discuss some of the dangers of misinformation and disinformation, with particular attention given to rural and exurban America. A link to the video version of the panel is here: (488) A Pulaski Panel: Misinformation, Disinforma…

Craig Calhoun is University Professor of Social Sciences at Arizona State University. Previously, he was Director of the London School of Economics, President of the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), founder of the Institute for Public Knowledge at NYU, and a professor there and at UNC-Chapel Hill, Columbia, and Princeton. He is also a member…

Samuel C. Spitale is a media studies expert who has written for Huffington Post, as well as Geek magazine and Advocate.com. Previously, he worked at Lucasfilm Ltd. in global product development. In addition to How to Win the War on Truth, he is the author of Star Wars: Collecting a Galaxy. We talk about his book, the ways in which he thinks about o…

Matt McManus is a lecturer in political science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He is the author of The Emergence of Postmodernity and Liberalism and Liberal Rights: A Critical Legal Argument amongst other books. His forthcoming work includes the essay collection Nietzsche and the Politics of Reaction for Palgrave MacMillan and The Poli…

William Kristol has been a major figure in American political life for decades. He was a founder of The Weekly Standard, and is a regular guest on leading political commentary shows. Prior to his work at The Weekly Standard, Kristol led the Project for the Republican Future, an organization that helped shape the strategy that produced the 1994 Repu…

Dr. Justin Ellis is a senior lecturer in criminology at the Newcastle School of Law and Justice. His research into digiqueer criminology critically analyses the relationship between digital media technology, criminal justice, and queer representation and resistance. His broader research focus is on the relationship between digital technologies on i…

Dr. Shaun Casey was U.S. special representative for religion and global affairs and director of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs. He is also a non-resident fellow at Pulaski. His new book is Chasing the Devil at Foggy Bottom: The Future of Religion in American Diplomacy. From the publisher: "In this fresh and pro…

This episode's guest is Tom Nichols, professor emeritus at the United States Naval War College and staff writer at The Atlantic. Tom is the author of the Peacefield newsletter and the Atlantic Daily newsletter. His most recent book is Our Own Worst Enemy: The Assault from within on Modern Democracy. In that book, he "challenges the current depictio…

Dr. Alex Middlewood joins for another conversation in our 50 Takes on Democracy Series. Dr. Middlewood is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wichita State University. Her areas of specialization include gun politics, public opinion, political behavior, civic engagement, and gender. Her research focuses on the political participation and…

Dr. Luke Perry joins to talk about New York politics, with a focus the upstate regions away from New York City. Dr. Perry is Professor of Political Science at Utica University and Director of the Utica University Center of Public Affairs and Election Research. Perry’s recent books include The 2020 Presidential Election: Key Issues and Dynamics, The…

In the second of our 50 Takes on Democracy episodes, Dr. Kevin Baron of Austin Peay State University joins to talk about Tennessee. We discuss anti-CRT and anti-LGBTQ legislation, the state of Tennessee's education system, and the challenges of representation. You can read Kevin's 50 Takes essay here: Cultivating Anti-Democratic Tendencies in Tenne…

In the first of our episode featuring authors from Pulaski's 50 Takes on Democracy series, Dr. Steven L. Taylor joins to discuss the state of things in Alabama. We talk about one-party dominance, gerrymandering, and the distortive effects of primaries on American politics. His 50 Takes essay can be found here: Alabama: Lack of Competition and Elect…

On this episode, Jessica Pishko joins to talk about sheriffs—their history, politics, and institutional role in law enforcement in America. Jessica Pishko is a lawyer and journalist who focuses on sheriff accountability. She graduated with a J.D. from Harvard Law School and received an M.F.A. from Columbia University. She practiced corporate law, s…

Dr. Heather Yates (Acting Director of the Program on Nativism, Nationalism, and Populism at Pulaski) joins to talk about the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe and what it means for subnational democracy in America. We talk about the myths surrounding abortion, the political conditions in anti-abortion states, and what this all means for citizenship a…

Dr. Stephen Knott joins us in an episode co-hosted by Dr. Heather Yates. Dr. Stephen F. Knott is a professor in the National Security Affairs Department. Prior to accepting his position at the War College, Knott co-chaired the Presidential Oral History Program at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. His books include “…

Edward Goldberg is a Non-resident Fellow at the Pulaski Institution. He is a leading expert in the area of where global politics and economics intercept. He teaches International Political Economy at the New York University Center for Global Affairs where he is an Adjunct Assistant Professor. He is also a Scholarly Practitioner at the Zicklin Gradu…

One of the topics that’s gotten more than a little traction in the last half decade is liberalism and, more specifically, whether or not liberalism and its ideas, its values, are in retreat. And that’s pretty important to us at Pulaski because really at the end of the day Liberalism, taken as its broad commitments to openness, pluralism, democratic…

In this episode, Dr. Christopher Weaver and Dr. Andre Audette discuss the role many churches and congregations play across America in promoting and facilitation civic engagement. They also discuss research on the politicization of religion in America and the way this shapes the preferences of churchgoers in selecting where to worship. Christopher W…

Dr. Angie Maxwell is the Director of the Diane Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society and the holder Diane Blair Endowed Professorship the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She's the author, along with Todd Shields, of The Long Southern Strategy: How Chasing White Voters in the South Changed American Politics. In this book—wh…

Dr. William Haden Chomphosy is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Hendrix College (Conway, AR) and a non-resident fellow at the Pulaski Institution. He joins today to discuss his research on abandoned oil and gas wells across the United States and the economics of restoring this land. We also discuss the potentials for carbon capture technology…

Dr. Heather Yates is an associate professor of political science at the University of Central Arkansas and an non-resident fellow at the Pulaski Institution. Her research centers on the intersection between emotions and political behavior. Join us for a ranging discussion looking at some of the big issues in our current moment through that lens. We…

John Hogan Morris, a non-resident fellow at Pulaski and Assistant Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Nottingham (UK), joins to discuss some current topics in British economics. First, we discuss the Johnson government's Levelling Up agenda and its implications for Britain's regions. Then, we talk about the United Kingdom's net zer…