Spectacles In Conversation

-Table of Contents-

00:00 — Getting started

01:08 — Summarizing the entire triple disaster, as it played out on 3/11/11

05:42 — Why doesn't Aldrich say "natural disaster" & what do "Networks and Governance" have to do with all this?

10:15 — Does Japan's one-party(-ish) democracy have a "clientelism" problem?

18:10 — Is liberal democracy too individualistic to develop the strong communities necessary for disaster resilience?

28:45 — Do democracy's strengths still apply to Covid? Have authoritarian regimes managed the pandemic better?

38:40 — Nuclear energy: is it a matter of bad regulation or just bad technology?

45:45 — Wrapping up

Mayor Sly James | Focus Interviews

Spectacles Media — Sun, 03 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0700

Former Mayor of Kansas City Sly James sits down with us to discuss political leadership, local government, and how to restore faith in American politics.

-Important References-

The Opportunity Agenda

-Usual Links-

Read or comment on this article!

Write with us!

Listen to Spectacles In Conversation!

Angelica's blog, Taipology

Angelica Oung | Focus Interviews

Spectacles Media — Sun, 13 Mar 2022 09:00:00 -0700

-Important References-

Listen to the article we're discussing

-Usual Links-

American Public Square's website

Ambassador Allan Katz | Focus Interviews

Spectacles Media — Sun, 06 Mar 2022 08:00:00 -0700

We're joined by former Ambassador to Portugal Allan Katz to discuss civil discourse, polarization, and how this all applies to the situation in Ukraine right now.

-Important References-

Our interview with author Thomas Main

-Usual Links-

Listen to the article we're discussing.

Where's the Dollar Going? | Guest Reflection

Spectacles Media — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 07:00:00 -0700

Harry and Philip sit down with Bryce to discuss today's article from him, "The Power of the Dollar," how CBDCs are promising, who's displacing the dollar, and why China may be facing an uphill battle in popularizing the Yuan.

-Important References-

Bryce's previous piece for Spectacles, on CBDCs

-Usual Links-

Listen to the article we're discussing!

What To Do About Doctors | Reflection

Spectacles Media — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 07:00:00 -0700

Harry and Philip discuss today's Insight, "The Disease of Medical Lobbying." We talk the nature of policy fights with lobbyists, cost disease socialism, and more!

-Important References-

-Usual Links-

The book, The Rise of Illiberalism

Author Thomas J. Main | Focus Interviews

Spectacles Media — Sun, 13 Feb 2022 09:00:00 -0700

Today, we’re joined by Professor Thomas J. Main to discuss his recently released book, The Rise of Illiberalism.

-Important References-

Professor Main's Twitter

-Usual Links-

Cougars or Duplexes: Which Are Scarier? | Reflections

Spectacles Media — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 07:00:00 -0700

Last year, we thought California had killed single-family zoning. But this Bay Area enclave would rather have mountain lions than new homes.

Read, listen to, or comment on this article here!

Correction: Woodside has dropped this claim to a wildlife habitat to prevent SB9, though I would still predict other communities making other legal attempts to exempt themselves, and legal battles will probably follow.

-Important References-

Harry's previous Insight on SB9 and 10

-Usual Links-

Candidate for US Senate, Dr. Gillian Battino | Focus Interviews

Spectacles Media — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 08:30:00 -0700

Today, we're joined by a very special guest who's with us to discuss healthcare policy, democracy reform, the filibuster, campaign finance, and her dream policy for her home state of Wisconsin. Tune in for our conversation.

-Important References-

-Usual Links-

Comment on this interview!

Our chat with Benjamin Singer of Show Me Integrity, about approval voting

The Future of Peace, III: What's Next? | Bird's Eye

Spectacles Media — Sat, 18 Dec 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Harry and Philip wrap up their series on international institutions and the future of peace by discussing the decline of American hegemony and what it means for international order. Can international institutions pick up the slack? What does the future hold?

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The Future of Peace, II: IR Theories | Bird's Eye

Spectacles Media — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip as they break down three major theories of international relations. From dark and scary to bright and beautiful, they'll discuss which seems to have the best grip on things.

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To comment on this episode, click here! Let us know your thoughts about these theories!

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The Future of Peace, Part 1 | Bird's Eye

Spectacles Media — Sat, 04 Dec 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip as they begin a discussion of international institutions and how they contribute (or fail to contribute) to global peace.

What are institutions? How do they emerge at the international level? What do international institutions promise?

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Bad Guys Winning or Good Guys Losing? | Bird's Eye

Spectacles Media — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip as they wade into a current debate about the global competition between autocracy and democracy. Is this really happening? Is it a decisive feature of democratic decline? Or are our problems mostly domestically rooted?

We will be looking at three articles on the subject from Anne Applebaum in Atlantic Magazine, Max Fisher in The New York Times, and Damon Linker in The Week, all linked below.

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The Problem with Districts | Reflection

Spectacles Media — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0700

Harry and Philip discuss today's Insight, "Beyond Gerrymandering" to dive deeper into an explanation of what's wrong with America's single-member district system. On the other hand, it turns out there are some benefits.

-Important References-

The recent Bird's Eye about Hungary's democratic backsliding

-Usual Links-

To read, comment on, or listen to the article we're discussing, click here.

Nominal Losses, Real Gains? | Reflection

Spectacles Media — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip as they discuss today's Insight, "A Different Perspective on Inflation" and talk over the role of the media in this situation, how poll-chasing is bankrupt, and much more.

-Important References-

Harry's recent article on popularism and poll-chasing

-Usual Links-

To read, comment on, or listen to the article we're discussing, click here.

American Backslide | Bird's Eye

Spectacles Media — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Join the Harry and Philip as they wrap up their discussion of democratic backsliding. Today, we're on the home turf—the United States. We discuss executive aggrandizement, how Congress let this happen, and what it will mean in the future.

-Important References-

The Bird's Eye episode on partisan sorting and voting systems

Harry's Insight on the lack of military accountability

Philip's Insight explaining how DACA worked

-Usual Links-

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Election Manipulation, Nicaragua | Reflection

Spectacles Media — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0700

Harry and Philip discuss today's Insight, "Ortega’s Propaganda Peddlers," and talk about Nicaragua's example of how modern election-rigging works.

-Important References-

The recent Bird's Eye episode discussing Hungary's example of similar behavior

-Usual Links-

To read, comment on, or listen to the article we're discussing, click here.

Backsliding in Budapest | Bird's Eye

Spectacles Media — Sat, 06 Nov 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Join the editors as they discuss backsliding in Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. How did Viktor Orbán find himself in a position to dismantle Hungarian democracy? What are the precise mechanism's that he is using to undermine rule of law and popular government? Tune in!

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Josh Hawley Needs Your Help | Reflection

Spectacles Media — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip for a discussion of today's Insight, "The Post-Liberal Roller Coaster," about the national conservatism movement. It's a lively one full of Twitter beefs, poking fun at Philip's high school's alum Mr. Hawley, and some disagreements between the editors. Tune in!

To read, comment on, or listen to the article we discussed, click here.

The Modern Authoritarian Playbook | Bird's Eye

Spectacles Media — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Join the editors as they discuss professor Nancy Bermeo's article "On Democratic Backsliding." What is democratic backsliding? Why do today's aspiring autocrats use different tactics than their predecessors?

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Robber Barons and Stationary Bandits | Bird's Eye

Spectacles Media — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Join the editors as they apply the theoretical and historical lessons from our past two episodes on the "stationary bandit" to the United States!

Are there latent authoritarian characteristics in the political and economic institutions of the US?

To what extent have we eliminated them, and to what extent to authoritarian legacies persist?

How can democracy both assist a political and economic rebalancing of social forces in favor of citizens over elites?

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Some Challenges to European Integration | Reflection

Spectacles Media — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 07:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip as they discuss today's Insight, "Time for Europe to Get Serious," and talk through some errors of European leadership, the shortcomings of the promises of European integration, and how this connects to our other recent articles.

-Important References-

Philip's article on "sleepwalking" German foreign policy

Harry's article from Wednesday on Nord Stream 2

Our recent Bird's Eye which discusses part of this topic toward the end

-Usual Links-

To read, comment on, or listen to the article we discussed, click here.

Globalization's Accidental Children | Reflection

Spectacles Media — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 07:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip as they discuss today's Insight, "Putin's 'Power' Politics," and how globalization has empowered some autocratic regimes.

-Important References-

Episode 1 on the 'Stationary Bandit' theory

Episode 2 on Portugal's Salazar, including a brief discussion of this topic & China

-Usual links-

To read, comment on, or listen to the article we discussed, click here.

Bird's Eye - The Bandit in Portugal?

Spectacles Media — Sat, 16 Oct 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip as they continue their analysis of dictatorship! This week, we turn to midcentury Portugal to apply the "stationary bandit" theory from our last Bird's Eye.

Was António de Oliveira Salazar, the autocratic ruler of Portugal from 1932 to 1968, an example of the stationary bandit? How well does Olson's theory hold up in a historical study of dictatorship? Listen and find out!

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Bird's Eye - The Stationary Bandit

Spectacles Media — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Join the editors for the first episode of our newest series, on dictatorship, democracy, and development! As an introduction, we discuss political scientist Mancur Olson's paper of the same name. Americans are increasingly wondering just how democratic their country is, and whether dictatorship might be a better fit.

Next week, we'll be looking more closely at the case of dictatorship in Portugal, so stay tuned for some interesting history and political analysis!

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Reflection - Housing Policy, Free Market, and "Good Regulation"

Spectacles Media — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 07:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip as they talk over today's Insight, "Squamish First Nation Provides a Glimpse at The City of Tomorrow." They go over housing policy, anti-development motivations and confusions, and the tensions (or lack thereof) between smart regulation and free, competitive markets.

-Important References-

Reflection - The History, Pros, and Cons of Global Trade and Finance

Spectacles Media — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 07:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip as they talk over how we got our current state of global trade and finance, its virtues, and its vices. It's a fascinating conversation in which you will certainly learn a lot.

Read or listen to Philip's Focus on Estonia

Read or listen to the Bird's Eye episode on "Small Government Visions of Liberal Democracy"

To read, comment on, or listen to the article we discussed, click here.

Bird's Eye - Making American Elections Healthier

Spectacles Media — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 08:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip as they welcome their first guest to Bird's Eye! Benjamin Singer, the executive director of the Missouri-based voting reform organization Show Me Integrity, sits down with the editors. We discuss "approval runoff," an alternative electoral system that Show Me Integrity helped enact in St. Louis, the value of political parties, and the ultimate aims of voting reforms.

Visit Show Me Integrity's website, and show them some love!

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00:00 - Intro & Housekeeping

00:32 - Recap & Today's Topic

01:28 - Welcoming Benjamin Singer

02:21 - What's the problem needs solving in our politics?

06:52 - How can reform address this?

12:49 - What is Approval voting? How does it work?

17:45 - Can we work with the two-party system?

23:06 - What is the value of parties generally?

25:28 - Is Approval voting the best, or merely practical?

28:10 - How manageable are the challenges to reform?

33:01 - Reform for moderation or for representation?

37:26 - How do these structures shape voters' and officials' behavior?

40:17 - Thanks to Benjamin Singer

41:13 - Signing off

Reflection - The Dangerous Dilemmas of Democratic Decline

Spectacles Media — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 07:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip as they discuss today's Insight, "Tunisian Democracy Sheds the Burden of Reciprocity," to learn about how Tunisian leaders made the decisions they did and why.

To read, comment on, or listen to the article we discussed, click here.

Read or listen to our previous coverage of Tunisia here and here.

Reflection - Freight Trucks in the Pacific

Spectacles Media — Wed, 29 Sep 2021 07:00:00 -0700

Join Harry and Philip as they discuss today's Insight, "As Shortages Abound, What Can We Do?", to learn some interesting things about supply chains, trucking, freight rail, global trade relations, flat screen TVs, debt peonage, and security dilemmas. It's a fun one.