Hardly Working with Brent Orrell – Details, episodes & analysis

On July 22, Brent Orrell from AEI and Tony Pipa from Brookings hosted a discussion about Casa Grande Valley Farms, an agricultural cooperative from the New Deal era that faced challenges and eventually failed. AEI's Kevin R. Kosar, who has republished a book on the project, joined the conversation to discuss the lessons this historical case offers for modern federal rural economic development, especially in the context of recent legislative investments like the CHIPS and Science Act.

Mentioned in the episode:

Tony Pipa (Brookings)

Kevin R. Kosar (AEI)

Casa Grande Valley Farms

The Government Project by Edward C. Banfield

Cooperative model

The Great Depression

CHIPS and Science Act

No Child Left Behind

USAID

Russ Roberts, President of Shalem College in Jerusalem and host of the Econtalk podcast, discusses his book, “Wild Problems: A Guide to the Decisions That Define Us. The book discusses Robert’s approach to problems that can’t be solved with normal economics analysis. In this episode, Brent and Russ also discuss the influences Russ had growing up and the advice he has for young people today.

Mentioned in the Episode

Wild Problems by Russ Roberts

Shalem College in Jerusalem

It’s a Wonderful Loaf Poem

Keynes vs. Hayek Rap Battle

The Price of Everything by Russ Roberts

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Kentucky Community College Using AI to Train Peer Support Specialists

F.A. Hayek

Milton Friedman

Deirdre McCloskey

Gary Becker

Divides between rural and urban America have their roots in longstanding demographic, economic, technological, and social factors. In a new event series, AEI’s Brent Orrell and the Brookings Institution’s Tony Pipa are hosting a series of conversations “On the Front Porch” with authors of recent research on issues facing rural America.

These discussions explore the unique challenges and opportunities facing rural America and consider policy options to promote development and opportunity. Today on Hardly Working, we bring you the first of these events, a conversation with Nicholas F. Jacobs, the author of the recent book The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America, which examines the state of politics in rural America.

Orrell, Pipa, and Jacobs consider the book’s central claim that rural Americans have in recent years combined a deep sense of connection to place with increasingly nationalized policy and political concerns to form a distinct voting bloc. They also discuss the history of rural America; the social, cultural, and economic forces that have affected it in recent years; and the popular notion of a stark rural-urban divide. Overall, they emphasize the importance of dispelling myths about rural America to overcome distrust and disunity.

Mentioned in this Episode

Reimagining Rural Policy Initiative

General Social Survey

Omaha Platform of 1892

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

Federalism

American Exchange Project

Brent talks with Tamar Jacoby on the valuable and often overlooked role community colleges play for both four-year universities and local employeers

The post Tamar Jacoby on the future of community colleges appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Can thinking through the arch of history assist modern thinkers in planning for the future? Or is the future uncertain and separate from the happenings of the past? Brent cohosts today’s episode with Albert Zambone, an Oxford University-trained historian of colonial America and the host of the Historically Thinking podcast. Together, Brent and Al interview […]

The post Future history: looking behind to shape what’s ahead appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Contrary to the popular assumption that people who engage in criminal activity at some point in their life will always be dangerous and criminally-oriented, the data show that the majority of people who leave prison will never become re-incarcerated. Brent talks to Shawn Bushway, a criminologist at the University of Albany and a Senior Policy […]

The post Once a criminal, not always a criminal: What we know about desistance appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Hundreds of thousands of workers are no longer working standard office hours in a corporate setting, but instead work freelance and gig jobs that allow for greater flexibility in hours, job type, and location. Is the future of the American labor market in gig work, and how are workers faring in the new, gig economy? […]

The post Worker without a boss: The new American gig economy appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Technology has been rapidly advancing, and along with it has come an increased reliance on artificial intelligence, algorithms, and other forms of computer programming. Can we trust these programs to uphold our values of inclusion, diversity, and fairness? Brent talks to Robert Elliot Smith, an artificial intelligence expert and author of “Rage Inside the Machine: […]

The post How computers and the algorithms that drive them influence our life, work, and future appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Nowhere was the economic shutdown caused by the spread of the coronavirus more apparent than in the nation’s the major cities that became the early epicenters of the pandemic. When cities reopen, will the people and businesses who left come back? This episode of Hardly Working is an interview Brent Orrell did with Bob Zadek […]

The post What does COVID-19 mean for the future of American cities? appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.

Policymakers and parents alike have been encouraging young people for decades to pursue STEM degrees and careers so they could become financially and socially successful. Does the data support the assumption that going into STEM fields leads to a good career? Brent talks to Dan Cox, a Research Fellow at AEI, and Kadeem Noray, a […]

The post Is STEM education and training working? And for whom? appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI.