The Cornell Policy Review Podcast: Recent Episodes
Cornell Policy Review
Join Norie Wright (MPA '24) as she sits down with Alejandro Ramos (MPA '25) to further discuss his Cornell Policy Review publication “Igniting Democracy: America’s Burning Need for Civic Education” and the obstacles facing citizen participation in American democracy today.
Join James Paterek (MPA '25) and Savannah Jolie Whitehead (MPA '25) as they talk with Basim Ali (MPA '25) and Yiming Zhong (MPA '24) about Dr. Kaushik Basu, Carl Marks Professor of International Studies at the Department of Economics at Cornell. Yiming and Basim spoke with Dr. Basu about his career path and how game theory can be used to better understand economics and corrupti
Join James Paterek (MPA '25) and Savannah Jolie Whitehead (MPA '25) talk with Lauren Nunes (MPA '97), exploring her journey in the MPA program and her career shift from the public sector to a private role at Twitch. This episode is also the official relaunch of the Cornell Policy Review podcast, with new episode formats and series coming to you from the Cornell MPA program
Jasmin Higo (MPA '23) interviews Daniel Arukwe Johansen (MPA '15) on his work with the United Nation World Food Programme (WFP) in the Yemen country office. Their conversation spans how to effectively contextualize data, the challenges and opportunities working in high-stake environments like war zones, and the remarkable resilience of both humanitarian workers and [especially] the residents of a region experiencing violent conflict. This episode additionally includes a short teaser for developments underway to improve our podcast offerings at the Cornell Policy Review.Daniel Arukwe Johansen serves as the Head of Operational Information Management and Performance Reporting at the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Yemen Country Office. He has previously worked with WFP in emergency settings in Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Syria, as well as at WFP headquarters in Rome, Italy. Daniel is a Cornell University class of 2015 Master of Public Administration (MPA) graduate (with a Government, Politics, and Policy Studies concentration), and a class of 2012 BA Development Studies graduate of the University of Oslo. Daniel is a Norwegian national, and calls Oslo, Norway home.Jasmin Higo works as a Senior Health Financing Associate at the Nairobi-based organization Financing for Health. There, she works with governments and regional institutions to design, develop and implement financing solutions to address health sector investment gaps in Sub-Saharan Africa.
MPA Fellow and CPR Podcast Manager Mahwish Khan sits down with Dr. Ramaswami Balasubramaniam to discuss how to exercise leadership to render more effective democracies in the contemporary world. They dive into a hopeful conversation about the true definition of leadership, the relationship between government leaders and grassroots citizen power, and the challenges democratic leaders face in a world of pandemics, polarization, and economic inequality.Music by Oleksandr Stepanov from Pixabay
MPA Fellow Rebecca McPettit sits down with Dr. Patton McDowell, a strategist and leader in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors to discuss what it takes to lead a thriving public-serving organization in 2023. They discuss sector trends, best practices in contemporary non-profit leadership and finance, and chart a path for personal career development applicable to anyone seeking career success in any industry.To hear more from Dr. McDowell, you can follow his podcast Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-path-to-nonprofit-leadership/id1487854841Music by Oleksandr Stepanov from Pixabay
The Cornell Policy Review invites Ranveer Chandra to discuss the role of technology in addressing future food challenges.
Ranveer Chandra is the Managing Director for Research for Industry and the CTO of Agri-Food at Microsoft. Chandra also leads the Networking Research Group at Microsoft Research, Redmond. He has published more than 100 papers and holds over 150 patents granted by the USPTO. Chandra was also recently recognized by Newsweek magazine as one of America’s 50 most Disruptive Innovators.
The Cornell Policy Review invites Professor Prabhu Pingali to discuss Food Systems, challenges being faced and ways forward.
Prabhu Pingali is a professor at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, with a joint appointment in the Division of Nutritional Sciences and Department of Global Development. Professor Pingali is also the founding director of the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI).
He is interviewed by Shivanshu Sharma, a second-year Master of Public Administration candidate at the Cornell University Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy with a concentration in International Development.
The Cornell Policy Review invites Professor Rick Geddes to discuss the 1.2 trillion dollar Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was recently passed by Congress on November 06, 2021.
Richard Geddes is a professor at the Cornell University Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy and the Founding Director of the Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy. Professor Geddes researches the funding, financing, permitting, operation, and maintenance of heavy civil and social infrastructure, with a focus on the adoption of new technologies.
He is interviewed by Waqar Akhtar, a second-year Master of Public Administration candidate at the Cornell University Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy with a concentration in Science, Technology, and Infrastructure Policy.
The Cornell Policy Review invites Parmesh Shah to discuss the role of technological disruptions in agriculture and food systems and how the World Bank supports this agenda.
Parmesh Shah is the Global Lead for Data-driven Digital Agriculture in the Agriculture and Food Global Practise at The World Bank. In this role, he provides leadership to the Bank’s work and supports the development of global knowledge and learning in digital agriculture to offer solutions to clients and other development partners.
Parmesh Shah is interviewed by Shivanshu Sharma, a second-year Master of Public Administration candidate at Cornell Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy with a concentration in International Development.
The Cornell Policy Review invites Dr. Luis Aguirre-Torres to discuss Luis’s role with the Ithaca Green New Deal, how sustainability practices in Ithaca, New York can be modeled elsewhere, and other timely climate topics such as the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP 26.
Dr. Luis Aguirre-Torres is the Director of Sustainability for the City of Ithaca, where he leads the implementation of the Ithaca Green New Deal, including the City’s Net-Zero 2030 and Justice50 strategies. Prior to joining the City of Ithaca, he spent 12 years assisting Latin American countries in formulating innovation and climate change legislation, sponsored by USAID and the US State Department, and providing technical assistance for the design, implementation and financing of long-term climate change and climate justice projects, sponsored by the UN Industrial Development Organization, the IFC-World Bank and the Breakthrough Energy Coalition.
He is the founder of GreenMomentum, a market intelligence and innovation firm focused on climate change and clean technology, as well as Cleantech Challenge and Cleantech Labs, the largest cleantech and hard-tech business incubator in Latin America.
He holds a first degree in Computer Engineering, a master’s degree in Computer Science and a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from University College London.
The Cornell Policy Review invites Raza Rumi to speak with us about the ongoing Afghanistan crisis and the role of the global community.
Raza Ahmad Rumi is a Pakistani policy analyst, journalist, and author. He is a lecturer at Cornell institute for public affairs. Raza is also the Director, Park Center for Independent Media and teaches in the journalism department. During 2015-2017, Raza was a scholar in residence at IC and taught courses in journalism and writing departments as well as at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, New York University. Raza has been a fellow at the New America Foundation, United States Institute of Peace, and the National Endowment for Democracy. He is a member of the think tank at the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics, Georgetown University; and a non-resident fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. He was a staff member of Asian Development Bank, United Nations, and she has served in the government of Pakistan as a district administrator.
Raza was the editor of Daily Times, The Friday Times, and a TV broadcaster in Pakistan before he moved to the United States in 2014. Raza is the author of Delhi by Heart: Impressions of a Pakistani Traveller, The Fractious Path: Pakistan’s Democratic Transition and Identity and Faith and Conflict. His most recent book Being Pakistani: Society Culture and the Arts was published in June 2018 by Harper Collins, India. He also co-edited a volume of essays entitled Rethinking Pakistan that was published by Anthem Press in September 2020.
The Cornell Policy Review invites Dr. Yangyang Cheng to discuss how science can transcend political borders in a world fractured by nations, races, and governing systems, taking a particular look at the issue of scientific collaboration in U.S. - China relations.
YangYang Cheng is a particle physicist and postdoctoral fellow at Yale Law School.
The Cornell Policy Review invites Nadia Daar to speak with us on inequality, human rights, in the Covid-19 era.
Nadia Daar is Head of Oxfam International’s Washington DC office and in that capacity leads Oxfam’s engagement and advocacy on the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund. She leads a DC team working on several issues, including inequality, public services, climate change, civic space, and accountability, coordinating across the Oxfam confederation to influence International Financial Institution (IFI) policy and practice. Nadia has guest lectured on IFI trends at several universities across the United States. She is a frequent commentator in major news outlets, including Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Devex, and the Financial Times.
Before joining Oxfam in 2015, Nadia spent seven years at the Bank Information Center, where she managed the Yemen program and held several positions within the Middle East and North Africa team, promoting transparency and participation of civil society in World Bank operations. She has been an organizer and board member of multiple social justice organizations over the past 18 years. Since 2019, she has been a co-host on EQUALS, a podcast about hope in the fight against inequality.
Nadia grew up in Muscat, Oman, and holds degrees in political science from the University of Toronto and York University.
The Cornell Policy Review invited Sheila Braka Musiime to speak with us about how the World Bank is adapting to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, financial inclusion, and sustainability.
Sheila Braka Musiime is the Chief Counsel of Africa and Middle East and North Africa Practice Group in the Legal Vice Presidency Unit of the World Bank. Prior to that, she was Chief Counsel for the East Asia and Pacific Practice Group. She joined the World Bank in 2001 as a Legal Counsel. She is a graduate of Makerere University in Uganda where she obtained an LLB, and Harvard Law School where she obtained an LLM. Prior to joining the World Bank, Sheila worked as an Associate in a leading law firm in Uganda on mainly commercial transactions and property law issues. At the World Bank Sheila has worked on the World Bank's lending operations for countries in the South Asia, East Asia and Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Middle East North Africa and Africa Regions. She has also worked on policy issues for the World Bank, including on fraud and corruption matters, sovereign guarantees, and general policies for investment lending.
The Cornell Policy Review invites Professor Dorf to speak with us during a roundtable. Professor Dorf will be sharing critical insights on the process of judicial appointments to the Supreme COurt of the United States, its constitutional foundations, and overall significance for public policy in general.
Martine Kalaw is an author, speaker and commentator on the human aspect of current immigration laws and policies. Her novel, Illegal Among Us: A Stateless Woman’s Quest for Citizenship, recounts her life story and her seven-year battle in deportation proceedings, appeals to the Board of Immigration Appeals, and finally obtaining U.S. citizenship.
Over the last decade, traditional deterrence methods and immigration policies have failed to humanely grapple with the increased flow of migrant families seeking entry into the United States. In this podcast episode, Nida Mahmud, Editor-in-Chief of the Cornell Policy Review, sits down with Sarah Pierce, a Policy Analyst for the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), to discuss the immigration policies in the United States and the need for more efficient and contextually responsive solutions to the new humanitarian flow of asylum seekers.
Sarah Pierce is a Policy Analyst for the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute (MPI). Her research expertise includes U.S. legal immigration processes and actors, the employment-based immigration system, and unaccompanied child migrants. Prior to joining MPI, Pierce practiced immigration law with a Chicago-based law firm, practicing before the immigration court, Board of Immigration Appeals, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and U.S. consulate offices abroad. Pierce has also worked for and volunteered with a number of nonprofit organizations and government entities, including Human Rights Watch, the National Immigrant Justice Center, and the U.S. Department of Labor.
In this episode, Senior Content Editor Eghosa Asemota interviews Gina Livermore, the Director of Mathematica’s Center for Studying Disability Policy (CSDP), to discuss the work that the Center is doing to optimize disability policies and improve outcomes for people living with disabilities.
Gina Livermore is the Director of Mathematica’s Center for Studying Disability Policy. Her work focuses on issues related to improving the economic well-being and self-sufficiency of working-age people with disabilities and has included research on employment, health insurance coverage, and the prevalence of long-term poverty and material hardship among people with disabilities. She was formerly assistant director of Cornell University’s Institute for Policy Research and a vice president and senior manager at The Lewin Group.
CPR Associate Editor Arianna Rebancos interviews Dr. Jean-Paul Faguet, a professor at the London School of Economics, about the interplay between decentralization on development with a close examination of Bolivia.
Dr. Jean-Paul Faguet is Professor of the Political Economy of Development at the London School of Economics (LSE) and the Chair of the Decentralization Task Force at Columbia University’s Initiative for Policy Dialogue. He has published books on development, including "Is Decentralization Good for Development?: Perspectives from Academics and Policymakers", and "Governance from Below: Decentralization and Popular Democracy in Bolivia", which won the W.J.M. Mackenzie Prize for best political science book of 2012.
In this episode, Senior Content Editor Eghosa Asemota sits down with C. Dixon Osbourn, the Executive Director of the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA) to discuss CJA’s work in identifying gaps in U.S. civil and criminal law and ensuring the effective prosecution of atrocity crimes.
C. Dixon Osburn is the Executive Director of the Center for Justice and Accountability. He has 25 years of legal and political advocacy experience. He was co-founder and Executive Director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network that spearheaded the effort to repeal “don’t ask, don’t tell” and end sexual orientation discrimination in our armed forces. Mr. Osburn served as the Director of the Law & Security program for Human Rights First where he led efforts to align U.S. counterterrorism policies with the rule of law, achieving significant changes in policy and practice regarding Guantanamo, torture and armed drones. Mr. Osburn has published extensively and served as a national spokesperson in print, on radio and on television. He currently serves as an Adjunct Fellow at the American Security Project, on the Working Group for the Halifax International Security Forum. Mr. Osburn received his JD/MBA from Georgetown University and his AB with distinction from Stanford University.
In this episode, Joe VerValin interviews Jaime Pessin, the New York State Chapter Leader of Moms Demand Action, about post-Sandy Hook grassroots activism against gun violence in the United States and its impact on public policy.
Jaime Pessin is the New York State Chapter Leader of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement that campaigns throughout the United States to improve public safety and prevent gun violence. As a mother of young children, Jaime was drawn into activism in the wake of the Sandy Hook School Shooting and has since worked on a number of initiatives advocating for stronger gun laws, including the BeSMART gun safety campaign and the Mother’s Dream Quilt Project.
Creating economic security for residents of an older city with transitioning neighborhoods like New York City requires good jobs and healthy, sustainable businesses. In this episode, Minglei Gao sits down with Don Giampietro, the Assistant Commissioner of Business Incentives and Business Regulatory Reform at NYC Department of Small Business Services, to discuss his work in retaining and attracting businesses in urban areas and streamlining regulatory efforts within municipalities.
As the Assistant Commissioner of Business Incentives and Business Regulatory Reform at NYC Department of Small Business Services, Don Giampietro is directly responsible for managing several financial and business incentive programs used to attract, retain and grow commercial business within New York City. He is tasked with managing the allocation of $70 million in combined annual tax benefits to more than a thousand businesses citywide, developing policy recommendations on existing and emerging economic development issues impacting New York City and aligning the agency’s priorities and resources to address these issues. Giampietro has also helped design several key business incentives and economic development programs for the City of New York including the Energy Cost Savings Program, Lower Manhattan Commercial Revitalization Program and the New York Film Tax Credit.
Though impact investments are capable of generating benefits for impoverished communities, they are rarely launched with viable accountability mechanisms that allow the people who live in those communities to vocalize their grievances. Natalie Fields, founder and Executive Director of Accountability Counsel, sits down with Nida Mahmud to discuss the Counsel's mission to protect the rights of communities adversely affected by impact investments.
Natalie Bridgeman Fields is the founder and Executive Director of Accountability Counsel. She leads the organization of community-driven lawyers, policy advocates, and researchers working to amplify the voices of communities around the world to defend their environmental and human rights. Previously, she served as a consultant on accountability for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank Inspection Panel.
In this episode, Eghosa Asemota sits down with Christian Poirier, a senior member of Amazon Watch, to discuss the impact of mega-dam building policies on the Amazon Basin and the work that Amazon Watch is doing to advocate for and protect vulnerable people who live there.
Having coordinated the Brazil Program since 2009, Christian Poirier leads the organization's efforts to encourage a shift toward non-hydro energy alternatives in Brazil's electricity matrix. While managing Amazon Watch's Paris office, he partnered with European NGOs on Corporate Social Responsibility campaigns. He has over sixteen years experience in the fields of international development and advocacy focusing on environmental, agrarian, and social justice issues. Prior to joining Amazon Watch, Christian assisted Brazil's Landless Workers Movement and managed rural development and microenterprise projects in West Africa.
In this episode, Joe VerValin interviews Dr. H. Elizabeth Peters, a labor economist, demographer, and senior fellow at the Urban Institute’s Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population, about the impact of social policy on the structure of the family in the United States and the role that policymakers play in the development of the family unit.
Dr. H. Elizabeth Peters is a Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute’s Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population and has more than 30 years of experience in social and family policy research. Dr. Peters is currently a professor and scholar-in-residence at the School of Public Affairs at American University and is a member of the Association of Public Policy and Management. Before joining the Urban Institute, Dr. Peters was a professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University and was the Cornell Population Center’s founding director.
With underserved groups unable to access the same educational opportunities as their more privileged peers, inequity in higher education is a pressing reality. Dr. Julie Ajinkya, the Director of Applied Research at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), sits down with the Cornell Policy Review to discuss the Institute’s mission, its approach to achieving equity in higher education, and how the Institute transforms its research into practice.
As the Director of Applied Research, Dr. Julie Ajinkya directs the Institute's projects that focus on increasing degree completion at the metropolitan and regional levels. Prior to joining the Institute, Dr. Ajinkya worked at the Center for American Progress (CAP), where she focused primarily on underserved populations and the impact that demographic change has on a diverse portfolio of policy issues. Her work at the Center culminated in the production of a book titled, “ﾠAll-In Nation: An America That Works For All”, which argues that equity is the best model for economic growth and lays out a federal policy blueprint to close gaps between racial/ethnic groups and meet America’s future workforce needs. Dr. Ajinkya also serves as a visiting professor of government at Cornell University's campus in Washington, DC, where she teaches an advanced undergraduate seminar on race, inequality, and public policy.
Understanding that the opioid crisis cannot be fixed with punitive measures, a District Attorney's Office in Western Massachusetts is responding to drug-related offenses with treatment instead of incarceration. Kathleen Egan, Senior Managing Editor of the Cornell Policy Review, interviews Daniel Carey, Director of the Drug Diversion and Treatment program at the Northwestern District Attorney's Office to discuss their approach and the necessity of treating the opioid crisis as the public health issue it is.
Kaushik Basu talks to Cornell Policy Review about corruption, governance and economic development. Kaushik Basu is Professor of Economics and the C. Marks Professor of International Studies at Cornell University, and former Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the World Bank (2012-16). From December 2009 to July 2012 he served as the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) to the Government of India at the Ministry of Finance. He is currently President of the International Economic Association (2017-2020).
Ranissa Adityavarman interviews Christopher Painter, former cyber diplomat for the U.S. Department of State, about cyber diplomacy and the rise of cyber threats.
This interview was made possible by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies at Cornell University. Mr. Painter was awarded the 2017-2018 Bartels World Affairs Fellowship, which resulted in his visit to Cornell. Special thanks to Heike Michelsen, Associate Director for Academic Programming of the Einaudi Center, for her collaboration.
With a global trend towards renewable sources of energy, the U.S is expected to collaborate with international stakeholders in encouraging sustainable energy. How does this impact geopolitics? Will it affect U.S foreign policy and how does the current administration shape America's progress towards energy independence?
Arpit Chaturvedi interviews Norah Babic on the role of Inter-Parliamentary Union in institutional building in new and transition democracies. @IPUPresident @PT1962
Arpit Chaturvedi interviews Gligor Tashkovich, former Minister for Foreign Investment in the Republic of Macedonia, about foreign direct investment in the country.
Arpit Chaturvedi interviews Almas Haider, activist and storyteller, about a variety of subjects including community activism, minority rights, Islamophobia, and protest as a tool.