AEI Events Podcast

Govs. John Kasich and John Hickenlooper discuss bipartisan proposal to stabilize health insurance market

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On this AEI Events Podcast, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Ohio Gov. John Kasich discuss their proposal to stabilize the individual insurance market and to make a series of other health reforms with Vox’s Sarah Kliff. The two governors stressed the importance of stabilizing the individual insurance market in the near term and maintaining a bipartisan approach. They spoke of the need for compromise as the health care debate moves forward.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) changed how the health insurance market works, making coverage available to everyone regardless of their health status. This year’s premium increase and the departure of insurers from some local markets have raised concerns that those markets are unstable. Uncertainty about the federal government’s commitment to promoting this market and paying insurers for new cost-sharing reductions required by the ACA has created new concerns for 2018.

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AEI Events Podcast

Amb. Nikki Haley discusses considerations on US policy toward Iran

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On this AEI Events Podcast, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley outlined some of the Trump administration’s key considerations in assessing Iranian compliance – an important matter given that next month, President Trump will need to announce whether he finds Iran complying with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Iran deal.

US law requires the president to certify every 90 days not only that Iran has not materially breached the deal but also that suspending sanctions against Tehran is appropriate and proportionate to Tehran’s behavior and is vital to US national security interests. Therefore, even if Iran has not surpassed the nuclear deal’s limit on uranium enrichment, the Trump administration could decide not to certify the deal if it violates one of the latter requirements. In such a scenario, Ambassador Haley emphasized that Congress would then have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Iran.

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AEI Events Podcast

The future of Iranian power in the Middle East

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In this AEI Events Podcast, Vice Admiral (Ret.) Mark Fox and Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Trask discuss how Iran pursues its foreign policy goals and conducts warfare in the Middle East. Both guests, along with AEI’s Frederick W. Kagan and J. Matthew McInnis, explain how they expect to see Tehran expand its methods in coming years.

The speakers agree that Iran masters asymmetric warfare, such as support for proxies, and thus will use increased resources to expand these operations. Lt. Gen. Trask, currently vice commander of the US Special Operations Command, highlights the importance of J. Matthew McInnis’ monograph “The Future of Iran’s Security Policy,” particularly its value to military planners and policymakers who need insight into Iranian strategic capabilities and thinking. Lt. Gen. Trask calls the monograph mandatory reading for all planners at the Special Operations Command.

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AEI Events Podcast

Donald Trump’s Chinese economic challenge

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In this AEI Events Podcast, AEI’s Desmond Lachman welcomes experts on China to discuss the US-Chinese economic relationship, particularly in light of the policies of the new Trump administration. Dr. Lachman sets the stage by emphasizing the importance of the Chinese economy to the American and global economies, pointing out that China faces a credit bubble, capital flight, and the need to transition from its investment-driven, export-led growth to a consumption-based economy.

Following Dr. Lachman’s remarks, a panel discusses China’s transition to a consumption-based economy, the interests of US multinational firms, and whether China is or will be a US economic peer. Panelists include AEI’s Derek Scissors, David Dollar (Brookings Institution), Rory Macfarquhar (Peterson Institute for International Economics), and Brad Setser (Council on Foreign Relations). The discussion is moderated by Desmond Lachman (AEI).

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AEI Events Podcast

Viewpoint diversity in American higher education

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In this AEI Events Podcast, a panel of academics, hosted by AEI’s Ryan Streeter and Samuel J. Abrams, discusses the experience of conservative professors on campus and the role faculty play in addressing the campus political climate. The panelists touch on a variety of topics, including the prevalence of confirmation bias and the necessity of including all ideas to avoid decline in the quality of research and education, as well as risks of overstating the current campus climate, and they disagree about whether the campus climate will lead to tangible societal change.

The panel features Samuel J. Abrams (AEI), Gerard Alexander (University of Virginia), Eliot Cohen (Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies), James Gimpel (University of Maryland), and Samuel Goldman (The George Washington University). It is moderated by Pete Peterson (Pepperdine School of Public Policy).

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AEI Events Podcast

Addressing the military readiness crisis: A conversation with Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)

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In this AEI Events Podcast, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) joins AEI’s Thomas Donnelly for a discussion of the ongoing military readiness crisis and what Congress can do to begin addressing it. The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Readiness, Rep. Wilson describes how the series of cuts to the national defense budget under President Obama severely damaged the US military, eroding its ability to perform all the tasks we ask of it.

Rep. Wilson speaks about the serious threats facing the country, focusing in particular on Russia, North Korea, and China, and the importance of US leadership in facing those challenges. Consistent American engagement in foreign affairs, he emphasizes, enabled democracies and free markets to flourish in Central and Eastern Europe, South America, and around the world, but that peace and prosperity is possible only through American military superiority. To reclaim and sustain that superiority, Rep. Wilson calls for Congress and the administration to support the higher defense budget proposed by the chairmen of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. With persistence and steady leadership, he believes that the US can rebuild its military.

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AEI Events Podcast

Financial Crisis, Corporate Governance, and Bank Capital: A Discussion with Sanjai Bhagat

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In this AEI Events Podcast, AEI’s Peter J. Wallison welcomes Sanjai Bhagat of the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business to discuss Dr. Bhagat’s new book, Financial Crisis, Corporate Governance, and Bank Capital (Cambridge University Press, March 2017).

Dr. Bhagat emphasizes the Dodd-Frank Act’s costs to the US economy and highlights that, despite its stated intentions to eliminate “too big to fail,” investors and economic policymakers still believe that banks are still too big to fail. To address systemic risk and prevent a future financial crisis, bank executive compensation needs to be addressed. To this end, Dr. Bhagat emphasizes the importance of aligning management incentive with sound financial practices, and he suggests restructuring bank executive and director incentive program to include only restricted stock and restricted stock options with long vesting periods. He also underlines the importance of financing banks with considerably more equity. He clarifies that the 2007–08 financial crisis was not exacerbated by misalignment of corporate management incentive, but that this misalignment exacerbated the financial crisis.

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AEI Events Podcast

Fragmented democracy and social media: A discussion with Cass Sunstein

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In this AEI Events Podcast, AEI’s Michael Barone hosts Cass Sunstein, author of “#Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media” (Princeton University Press, March 2017). Mr. Sunstein’s book explores how the internet once promised to be the great equalizer, removing barriers between people and fostering the exchange of ideas. However, today’s internet is driving political fragmentation and polarization.

Mr. Sunstein offers some possible solutions for social platforms which would allow users to see varying opinions. He discusses that exposure to opinions different that one’s own are essential in fostering a healthy democracy.

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AEI Events Podcast

Is the age of Western economic dynamism over?

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This AEI Events Podcast features Fredrik Erixon and Björn Weigel, coauthors of “The Innovation Illusion: How So Little is Created by So Many Working So Hard,” hosted by AEI’s James Pethokoukis. Erikson argues that the declining pace of innovation in Western economies during the past few decades can be attributed to the increasing dominance of financial institutions over capitalists, corporate bureaucratization, globalization that reduces competition in certain markets, and restrictive, opaque regulations.

Erikson and Weigel are joined by AEI’s James Pethokoukis and George Mason University’s Tyler Cowen in a panel discussion. Dr. Cowen argues that even though economic growth has slowed, there is more invisible innovation in society. The discussion is moderated by AEI’s Stan Veuger.

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AEI Events Podcast

Is there a doctor — or a nurse — in the house? Scope of practice regulation and health care reform

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In this AEI Events Podcast, AEI’s Tim Carney hosts a panel discussion regarding whether obtaining medical care from trained health care professionals who are not doctors, such as nurses and nurse practitioners, could drive down costs. The panel of economists and medical professionals discuss this issue of regulation, safety, and economic opportunity, and conclude with a discussion of the role for new innovations, such as telemedicine, in the future of health care.

Panelists include Benedic N. Ippolito (AEI), Cindy Cooke (American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and R. Shawn Martin (American Academy of Family Physicians).

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AEI Events Podcast

Charter schools in the developing world: A keynote address by Liberian Education Minister George K. Werner

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In this AEI Events Podcast, AEI’s Nat Malkus welcomes Liberian Education Minister George K. Werner to deliver a keynote address on Liberia’s new education initiative, the Partnership Schools for Liberia (PSL) program, in which eight non-state operators manage 93 public primary schools. Dr. Malkus opens the event by describing Liberia’s recent history and the state of the education system. A short video is shown, detailing a typical Liberian school and outlining the PSL program. Following, Minister Werner delivers his address, discussing the rationale behind the program and its early successes.

Following Minister Werner’s remarks, panel of experts on education in the developing world discusses the implications of the PSL program. Alejandro Caballero of the International Finance Corporation states that private operators could provide substantial benefits to developing world schools. Amy Black of Results for Development stresses the importance of the government’s role in partnerships between public and private schools. Seth Andrew of Democracy Builders and Bridge International Academies believes that delaying the expansion of the model to analyze the program results, though understandable, would hurt students who are in failing schools.

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AEI Events Podcast

Medicare in the Trump era: The 2017 Trustees Report

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In this AEI Events Podcast, AEI’s Joseph Antos hosts health policy experts to discuss Medicare’s fiscal health following the release of the 2017 Medicare Trustees report. Paul Spitalnic, chief actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, delivers the keynote address, in which he summarizes the report and discusses its implications on the future of Medicare.

In the following panel discussion, topics include the value of lifetime Social Security and Medicare benefits and taxes at different ages, the competition in the Medicare system and the possibility of a more private system than we have seen in the past, and the role of the Congressional Budget Office in the Medicare reform challenge. Panelists are comprised of Keith Fontenot (Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, PC), Maya MacGuineas (Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget), Robert Moffit (Heritage Foundation), and Eugene Steurle (Urban Institute). The conversation is moderated by AEI’s Joseph Antos.

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AEI Events Podcast

North Korea’s Human Rights Abuses: A Conversation with Justice Michael Kirby

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In this series of AEI Events Podcasts, AEI’s Nicholas Eberstadt hosts experts and senior officials engaged in the development of human rights in North Korea to commemorate the third anniversary of the “Report of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” They propose an expert update on the human rights situation in North Korea and discuss how Washington and its allies in the region can seek to improve it.

This AEI Events Podcast features Justice Michael Kirby, former chief of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea, discussing international law with AEI’s Nicholas Eberstadt. They discuss the mechanisms available under international law to hold the Kim regime accountable.

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AEI Events Podcast

North Korea’s human rights abuses: Introductions and Panel I

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In this series of AEI Events Podcasts, AEI’s Nicholas Eberstadt hosts experts and senior officials engaged in the development of human rights in North Korea to commemorate the third anniversary of the “Report of the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” They provide an expert outlook on the human rights situation in North Korea and discuss how Washington and its allies in the region can seek to improve it. AEI’s President, Arthur C. Brooks, opens the event with introductory remarks. He offers a sobering reminder that the Kim family regime maintains the most dreadful gulag system in the world.

After introductions, a panel of experts engage in a discussion on the belligerence and denial of human rights in North Korea today. Panelists include Joanna Hosaniak (Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights), Robert King (former US special envoy on North Korean human rights), Go Myung-Hyun (Asan Institute for Policy Studies), and Greg Scarlatoiu (Committee for Human Rights in North Korea). The discussion is moderated by Jung-Hoon Lee (the Republic of Korea ambassador for North Korean human rights).

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AEI Events Podcast

Carbon taxes: A problem or a solution? Remarks from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI)

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In this AEI Events Podcast, AEI’s Aparna Mathur hosts Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who present their carbon tax proposal. They discuss what their plan would entail and comment on the importance and controversy surrounding their proposal.

Following the senators’ remarks, a panel of experts discusses the possible costs and benefits of a carbon tax proposal. Veronique de Rugy (Mercatus Center) argues that the potential benefits of a carbon tax policy are complicated and minimized by the drawbacks. George Frampton (Partnership for Responsible Growth) believes that the only solution will entail bipartisan compromise. Myron Ebell (Competitive Enterprise Institute) states that a carbon tax is “all pain and no gain” due to the loss of revenue. Adele Morris (Brookings Institution) argued that the proposal is an efficient and comprehensive plan.

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AEI Events Podcast

What’s in store for Social Security? Experts discuss the 2017 Social Security Trustees Report

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This AEI Events Podcast discusses Social Security – the largest federal program, the largest tax most workers pay, and the largest source of income for most retirees. AEI’s Andrew G. Biggs hosts Social Security’s chief actuary, Stephen C. Goss, to discuss the recently released 2017 Social Security’s Trustees Report. He addresses the program’s sustainability and implications of the proposed reforms.

Andrew G. Biggs and Paul N. Van de Water (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities) provide comments on the report, moderated by Alex J. Pollock (R Street Institute). Dr. Van de Water examines the relationship between Disability Insurance and Old-Age and Survivors Trust Funds. He argues that they have complementary distributional effects and should be addressed together. Dr. Biggs addresses what is driving the drop in disability insurance and the variety of reasons why different people need disability insurance.

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AEI Events Podcast

The future of UK trade policy: Remarks from the Right Honorable Liam Fox MP, UK Secretary of State for International Trade

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In this AEI Events Podcast, AEI’s Claude Barfield and Michael Strain host the Right Honorable Liam Fox MP, the UK’s Secretary of State for International Trade, to discuss international trade policy in the wake of Brexit. Dr. Strain welcomes Dr. Fox back to AEI and delivers introductory remarks.

Following Dr. Strain’s introduction, Dr. Barfield sits down with Dr. Fox to discuss the steps the UK is taking domestically to form a sovereign trade policy and the future of UK-US trade relations. Dr. Fox is leading the effort to redesign the UK’s trade policy after the departure from the European Union. He believes the UK undoubtedly will leave the EU by March 2019 — the question that remains is the process by which it will leave.

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AEI Events Podcast

Brexit after the United Kingdom election

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In this AEI Events Podcast, leading experts join AEI’s John R. Bolton and Desmond Lachman to discuss the challenges and opportunities of Brexit after the United Kingdom elections. Ambassador John R. Bolton, senior fellow at AEI, discusses the EU’s “secular theology,” which argues the EU has brought peace and prosperity to Europe. David O’Sullivan, ambassador of the European Union to the United States, disagrees, asserting that the EU had allowed peaceful resolution of conflicts. He highlights that defining a post-Brexit relationship between the UK and the EU will take several years.

Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute, addresses the negative economic shocks the UK will face if, because of Brexit, it loses tariff-free access to Europe, its largest trading partner. Hugo Gurdon, editorial director of the Washington Examiner, pays tribute to the EU as a project for peace but argued that the UK’s history of constitutional stability and relations with the world, rather than Europe, means Brexit was the right choice for the UK. Finally, AEI’s Desmond Lachman emphasizes that the EU, especially the eurozone, faces severe economic problems associated with the risk of a breakup.

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AEI Events Podcast

Localism and social capital: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) on why federalism is key to restoring civic connectedness and faith in the American government

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In this AEI Events Podcast, AEI’s Ryan Streeter welcomes Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) to deliver a keynote address on the Joint Economic Committee’s Social Capital Project, a new initiative to study the state of life and social relations in America. Sen. Lee emphasizes that notions of federalism and localized decision-making processes are crucial to restoring a sense of civic connectedness, unity, and faith in the American government.

In the following panel conversation, experts discuss the role a federalist landscape could serve in expanding innovation, adaptation, and competitiveness in policymaking. Panelists include Lee Drutman (New America), Yuval Levin (National Affairs), and Scott Winship (Joint Economic Committee). The discussion is moderated by Joel Kotkin (Center for Opportunity Urbanism).

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AEI Events Podcast

The role of government in medical innovation

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In this AEI Events Podcast, a panel of experts gather to discuss the role of government in medical innovation. AEI’s Thomas Peter Stossel begins with an overview of the eras of medical innovation. He describes the current environment and discussed how the value gained from medical innovation has changed over the past century.

In the following panel conversation, leading health and science experts discuss the role of National Institutes of Health funding, the future of academic bioscience, the recent crisis in quality of scientific work, and the future of medial innovation. Panelists include Jeffrey Flier (Harvard University), Daniel Sarewitz (Arizona State University), Frances Visco (National Breast Cancer Coalition), and Mary Woolley (Research!America). The discussion is moderated by Thomas Peter Stossel (AEI).

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