From Bowling Alone to Join or Die: A discussion with filmmakers Rebecca and Pete Davis

“This is a film about why you should join a club.” So begins the documentary Join or Die, available to stream on Netflix, that follows the work of sociologist, Dr. Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, the Collapse and Revival of American Community, who famously argued that American civic organizations and engagement were in serious and steady decline and that this…

The Economy: Tariffs, Inflation, and American Competitiveness

From trade wars to rising prices, America’s economic landscape is being reshaped by powerful forces. How do tariffs affect U.S. industry and global standing? With inflation cooling but uncertainty lingering, where are things headed next—and what does it mean for policy and growth? Economist John Cochrane joins the Institute to explore the pressures and policies…

Civic Education and the Future of American Democracy, with Jeffrey Sikkenga

At a time when civic knowledge is in decline, political scientist Jeffrey Sikkenga makes the case that the health of our democracy depends on how—and whether—we teach American principles. Sikkenga, executive director of the Ashbrook Center, joined the O’Connor Institute to discuss A Republic, If We Can Teach It, which he coauthored with Hoover Institution fellow…

Women, Caregiving, and America’s Social Safety Net, with Jessica Calarco

At a time when many Americans struggle with economic insecurity, sociologist Jessica Calarco offers an exploration of how women have become America’s default social safety net. Calarco joined the O’Connor Institute to discuss her latest book, Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net. Drawing on extensive research and interviews, she argues that American society…

The Constitution and American Unity, with Yuval Levin

At a time when Americans seem more divided than ever, author Yuval Levin offers a compelling argument for how we can rebuild a shared national identity. Levin, the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, joined the O’Connor Institute to discuss his latest book, American Covenant, which examines the Constitutional foundations…

Rediscovering Political Leadership, with John A. Burtka IV

The story is the same across much of the globe: citizens aren’t currently wild about their leaders. As John A. Burtka IV writes in the introduction to Gateway to Statesmanship, the “examples of elite failures are so ubiquitous that there is no reason to chronicle them all here.” Better, Burtka argues, to turn to history to “rediscover…

The Art of Diplomacy, with Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat

“A magisterial tome on the international negotiations that shaped modern American history . . . Grand in scope and grounded in decades of experience, The Art of Diplomacy is a compelling work of political history aimed at the diplomatic negotiators of tomorrow.” – Foreword Reviews Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat has served in six U.S. administrations, Democrat and…

November 2024 General Election: How Are Secretaries of State Preparing Nationwide?

50 states are each in charge of their elections. Join the O’Connor Institute and National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) to learn how our nation’s elections officers are preparing for the November 5th election. How are the elected officials in charge of American elections preparing for November?

Talking Revolution, with Nathan Perl-Rosenthal

“The Age of Revolutions is a tremendous achievement that will shape scholarly and public debate for decades to come.“– Wall Street Journal There is broad scholarly agreement that our current political world owes much to what Thomas Paine was the first to call the “age of revolutions”—that is, the several late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century decades during…

The Future of Urban America

Empty office buildings. Workforce changes allow for more remote work. American downtowns are struggling. The pandemic-led changes in where and how we work and live have weakened and withered many urban cores. The office vacancy rate in Houston is some 26 percent; in Phoenix it is above 20 percent. This shift means fewer workers, fewer…