Workers: a non-compete clause should give you pause
Policy 360
What if a single clause in your job contract could quietly shape how much you are able to get paid -- after you leave that job? And what if that same contract clause ends up limiting the places you can move for a job? Today, the hidden power of the non-compete clause. from Matt Johnson, professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University and co-authors gives insight into what the practice actually costs workers.
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Ep. 176 A Conversation with the 16th Administrator of the EPA Michael Regan
Policy 360
Michael Regan recently served as the 16th Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Previously he was Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality where he secured the largest coal ash cleanup settlement in U.S. history. And he led negotiations on the cleanup of the Cape Fear River from PFAS contamination.
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Ep. 175 AI Music is Singing Like a Canary in a Coal Mine
Policy 360
Every technology in music history leaves artists behind. What if one left them all behind? AI-generated music is severely undermining artists’ ability to make a viable living. Is it a canary in the coal mine for music and for how AI will affect the future of work more broadly? and Professor David Hoffman of the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy discuss the research they are conducting with students to address these issues. Host: Anna Gassman-Pines. This episode
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Ep. 174 Yes, the Data Center Next Door Can Be a Good Neighbor
Policy 360
Data centers hold computers and equipment that are the backbone of the digital age. They make possible the computational power and data storage needed to train AI models, store content, and operate the cloud-based services that many of us rely on. Some say that data centers and the innovations that come from them are key to solving huge issues facing the world right now, while others note major environmental concerns related to how they operate. However, a new report says data centers run by huge companies like Google called hyperscalers could actually be good for the environment in a key way...
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Ep. 173 Reforming Criminal Reform
Policy 360
In this episode: from living under a bridge to building bridges between policy and practice, CJ Appleton’s story is one of resilience, purpose, and possibility. Appleton is a new faculty member at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. After a rocky start to his academic career, including dropping out of college and becoming homeless, today he’s eager to bridge the gap between criminology scholarship and US policy. His focus is on desistance, the process of ending a criminal career. Duke Sanford interim Dean Manoj Mohanan hosts.
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Ep. 172 Will AI Prompt a New Golden Era?
Policy 360
In this episode we’ll explore AI – from deepfakes to the growing importance of social media verification. Our guest Robyn Caplan is an Assistant Professor at Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy and is currently teaching a class on the transformation of media. Her latest research considers the blue-check verification process that is used on many social platforms. Our host for this episode is Anna Gassman-Pines, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the Sanford School of Public Policy.
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Ep. 171 Gerrymandering: A New Era of Re-districting Battles
Policy 360
States have increasingly come under pressure from President Trump to redraw district voting lines now even though they are traditionally redrawn every 10 years in response to the census. In response, Democratic strongholds like California are also taking steps to redraw maps out of cycle. Our guests today are both keeping a close eye on such “gerrymandering” efforts. Duke professor Jonathan Mattingly teaches a course on the topic and was involved in a gerrymandering challenge that went all the way to the US Supreme Court. Asher Hildebrand had a front row seat to the redistricting process...
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Ep. 170 Rethinking How Americans Learn to Be Americans
Policy 360
Today’s guest, John Hillen, says that only a third of native-born Americans can pass the citizenship test that American immigrants are required to pass. He is part of a new bipartisan commission trying to change that. The goal is to revitalize the teaching of American civics and history. Hillen served as US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs in the Bush administration among many other roles. He is now teaching at Duke University in the Master of National Security Policy program. He is also affiliated with POLIS: Duke’s Center for Politics and The Duke Program in...
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Ep. 169 Tariffs, the Stock Market and Your Wallet
Policy 360
Recently, the U.S. has experienced several financial crises - all of them hard on American families. In 2008, over eight million Americans lost their jobs in the Great Recession. In 2020, unemployment was at 13 percent thanks to the COVID pandemic. By early 2025, the economy had recovered and unemployment had dropped back to the 4 percent range. Then sweeping new tariffs sent the stock market reeling. Vicki Bogan, who studies household finance, inequality and investment decision making, talks with Manoj Mohanan, Interim Dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke...
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Ep. 168 Immigrants Built America, Can We Keep Building Without Them?
Policy 360
The U.S. is a nation of immigrants, but we have a complex history on the topic. At times, the government has tried deporting large numbers of immigrants, with the goal of protecting the jobs and wages of native-born Americans. The current administration has announced plans to deport all undocumented immigrants, even some legal immigrants, as well as new travel bans. Hannah Postel researches the relationship of migration and economic development and provides a historical perspective on immigration deportations and restrictions. She talks with Anna Gassman-Pines, who leads faculty affairs at the...
info_outlineJasmine Crowe-Houston is a social entrepreneur and founder of Goodr.co. Jasmine started her journey cooking soul food for hungry unhoused people in her kitchen in her one-bedroom apartment in Atlanta. She fed upwards of 500 people a week for years with pop-up kitchens and parks and parking lots.
Then in 2017, she founded Goodr, a technology-based food waste management company that connects firms with food surpluses to nonprofit organizations that can use the food.
She has worked with organizations that have food waste issues, like the Atlanta International Airport, Hormel Foods, and Turner Broadcasting.
Today, Goodr has expanded nationwide and sponsors free grocery stores and schools. She has combined charity, innovation, and market-based solutions into a for-profit waste management company that Inc. Magazine called a rare triple win.
Guest host: Norbert Wilson of the World Food Policy Center. Their podcast is The Leading Voices in Food.
Jasmine Crow-Houston was on Duke's campus to give the 2023 Terry Sanford Distinguished Lecture. Her talk was tied in with Duke's Climate Commitment.