Why are referendums ending up so different from how polls suggest? From Brexit to the FARC peace deal, there have been some shockers in referendums: the polls have very much gone one way, and the results another. So what the heck is going on? In this episode, Xander and Erik talk about how polling works, how it might be going so wrong, and what oddities are going on with direct democracy versus the representative stuff we're used to. Sources * "On Colombia Peace Vote, Pollsters Miss Again,...

If we want to learn a little bit more about Trump's path to the presidency, we can look to recent history. It's not actually totally unprecedented. Spain, going through its own very tough economic times, has vaulted the populist-left Podemos to the fore, seemingly out of nowhere. Podemos is a bunch of political outsiders with a Marxist approach to campaigning -- and they adopted this style very deliberately. They have a lot to teach us about what might become the new politics of the 21st centur...

Free speech protests continue to pop up on campuses across the United States, and everyone is getting a say on the issue, even former President Barack Obama. You may or may not yet feel strongly about this. No matter where you stand, though, now is the time to get some context. What is "harm," and what kinds of speech should still be protected even if it is harmful? Time to ReConsider. Sources and Links * Atlantic, great summary of the issue on college campuses * Diane Feinstein + Blum → U...

But seriously, why on earth do we have the Electoral College? Something about having to travel in carriages? It's a question a lot of people are asking after an election with a pretty big gap between the popular vote and the outcome. So why on earth does it exist? What's the point? Is it fulfilling its purpose? What alternatives are there, and how would we get to them? Learn all this and more, including why you don't kill your admirals, on today's episode! Sources * CNN, Election results ...

After busting some myths about US education performance and its causes, we interview renowned SF Teacher of the Year Lana Corda to understand some of the challenges facing one of the toughest school districts in the country. We learn a lot about the on-the-ground details on some of the barriers to improving student performance. Sources * Video, "Laney's Story" * SF Mayor's Teacher of the Year Award * Education Funding History (Committee for Education Funding) * Estimated average annual sa...

How's the US education system performing relative to other countries? How can we improve our own performance? There are many opinions and narratives about what to do, and in this episode, Xander and Erik dive into the data to understand which hold water, and which are swept away by facts. Sources Many of our sources are in our companion articles, which are linked below: * What Iv'e Learned So Far trying to Figure Out the Quality of US Education (Erik) * Measuring Poverty for Education (Xa...