274 episodes

No Jargon, the Scholars Strategy Network’s monthly podcast, presents interviews with top university scholars on the politics, policy problems, and social issues facing the nation. Powerful research, intriguing perspectives -- and no jargon. Find show notes and plain-language research briefs on hundreds of topics at www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/nojargon. New episodes released once a month.

Scholars Strategy Network's No Jargon The Scholars Strategy Network

    • Government
    • 4.7 • 208 Ratings

No Jargon, the Scholars Strategy Network’s monthly podcast, presents interviews with top university scholars on the politics, policy problems, and social issues facing the nation. Powerful research, intriguing perspectives -- and no jargon. Find show notes and plain-language research briefs on hundreds of topics at www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/nojargon. New episodes released once a month.

    Supporting the Needs of Refugees

    Supporting the Needs of Refugees

    Border crossings coming into the United States are at some of their highest levels in recent history. Cities like Chicago and New York are struggling to provide services while the immigration system is running out of funding and faces a massive backlog of asylum applications. The situation is looking tough for many asylum seekers, but what happens when individuals make it through the system and are granted refugee status?
    Enter refugee resettlement agencies – organizations that provide food, shelter, and of course, job placement to newly arrived refugees. But according to sociologist Dr. Nicole Kreisberg, their current strategy of job placement is deeply flawed: prioritizing immediate yet low-wage work over long-term reliable employment. In this archive episode, originally released in August 2022, Kreisberg spoke to us about the harms of this strategy and what needs to be done to truly support incoming refugees.
    For more on this topic:
    Check out Nicole Kreisberg’s SSN brief, co-written by Els de Graauw and Shannon Gleeson: Refugee Settlement Should Look Beyond First Job Placements Read their research paper: Explaining Refugee Employment Declines: Structural Shortcomings in Federal Resettlement Support

    • 29 min
    MLK's Contested legacy

    MLK's Contested legacy

    Martin Luther King Jr. holds a special place in the American consciousness and is one of the few people to have a federal holiday celebrating his legacy. But what exactly is MLK’s legacy? From immigrants rights groups to gun rights activists to politicians, the history of the civil rights movement and MLK’s work and words have long been used, and contested, by many different people. Drawing from her new book, Professor Hajar Yazdiha explained why MLK holds such a prominent place in our shared memory, how politicians and social movements have used his legacy for their own causes, and how all this has impacted policy decisions.
    For more on this topic:
    Read Yazdiha’s book, The Struggle for the People’s King: How Politics Transforms the Memory of the Civil Rights Movement
    Check out her opinion piece in TIME Magazine, The Problem With Comparing Today’s Activists to Martin Luther King Jr.
     

    • 25 min
    The Year of Strikes

    The Year of Strikes

    From healthcare strikes to auto workers strikes to the Writers Guild and Hollywood actors strikes, 2023 was an eventful year for union activity. Professor Nathan Wilmers examined the implications of that activity and what it may mean for the future of the labor movement as employees fight for fair wages, equality, and protection in the workplace. Importantly, Professor Wilmers highlighted the history of the labor movement over the past few decades – as it may provide some answers for the future. 
    For more on this topic:
    Read Wilmers’ paper, co-written by Maxim Massenkof: Economic Outcomes of Strikers in an Era of Weak Unions. 
    Read his SSN policy brief: Does Union Activism Actually Raise Wages?

    • 30 min
    The Rise and Risks of AI

    The Rise and Risks of AI

    Since the emergence of ChatGPT in late 2022, new artificial intelligence models have captured the attention and fascination of the world. Some Americans are still acquainting themselves with the tools while for others, these models are already becoming an essential part of their workplace. Professor Jim Samuel explained what generative AI is, how it functions, and its ethical concerns. Importantly, Professor Samuel laid out why AI tools like ChatGPT require more transparency and regulation–and what that should look like. 
    For more on this topic:
    Read Samuel’s SSN policy brief: The Critical Need for Transparency and Regulation Amidst the Rise of Powerful Artificial Intelligence Models. 
    Read his other SSN brief: A Call for Proactive Policies for Informatics and Artificial Intelligence Technologies.

    • 31 min
    The Long History of Conservatorships

    The Long History of Conservatorships

    While news over Britney Spears’s 13-year conservatorship turned what was a largely unfamiliar term into one most Americans now know, involuntary care over adults with certain types of disabilities or severe mental illness is nothing new in the United States. In fact, the contentious battle between civil rights and health care needs goes back decades. Professor Alex V. Barnard explained the history of conservatorships in the state of California, examined the government’s role in overseeing involuntary care, and proposed ways the conservatorship system can be improved for those it seeks to help.
    For more on this topic:
    Check out Barnard’s recently published book, Conservatorship: Inside California’s System of Coercion and Care for Mental Illness. 
    Read his OpEd on this topic: California needs new rules as it forces more mentally ill people into treatment.

    • 26 min
    Ignoring Women's Pain

    Ignoring Women's Pain

    With abortion bans passing in states all over the country since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, women experiencing miscarriages have been turned away from hospitals because doctors deemed that they weren’t in enough clear danger to receive abortion care. Meanwhile, many women experiencing fibromyalgia continue to have their social security disability claims denied because they are not able to provide concrete evidence that their condition severely disrupts their quality of life. According to Professor Dara Purvis, what links these two examples is that many doctors do not believe women who say they are in pain. She explained the role that courts can play on this issue and laid out what needs to happen so women’s pain does not continue to be ignored. 
    For more on this topic:
    Check out Purvis’s OpEd: All the Ways Alito’s Opinion Might Criminalize Pregnancy 
    Read her law review journal article: Clinical Evidence as Gendered: Fibromyalgia Social Security Disability Claims

    • 22 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
208 Ratings

208 Ratings

Jill C ,

I love it!

This is a podcast that views everything through a liberal filter which is such an affirmation for me. It’s an opportunity to listen to news that I agree with, without having to tolerate the things that I don’t. The variety of guests is fantastic. The only drawback is that the hosts sound a little like teenagers.

K.sardine ,

Amazing info & insightful speakers

Love to share this podcasts with my friends on what’s going on in U.S. policy. Every month a new episode is released that details a topic in plain language that’s interesting, up-to-date and super informative. Love listening to this + using it for school papers.

Nickname1792804 ,

Concise, Academic, Interesting, and Accessible

This is the type of podcast that appreciates thoughtfulness and bringing academic consideration without the jargon. I would suggest this podcast to anyone looking for an interdisciplinary podcast to social science without the language that can make most scholarly subjects inaccessible to everyone but the professional researcher. No Jargon simultaneously balances this with not talking down to their audience.

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