Policy on Purpose
Policy on Purpose is a podcast produced by the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. Each episode explores a real-world, timely policy topic in conversation with leading experts from the school and from the broader policy world. The show aims to connect academic research and practical experience to the public debates shaping government and society. It is part of the Texas Podcast Network, which is produced by faculty and staff at UT Austin.
Episodes
Unpacking clean energy transition in Texas with LBJ School energy experts Doug Lewin, Emily Beagle and Joshua Rhodes
What does the future of clean energy in Texas look like? On January 28, 2025, the LBJ School partnered with Canary Media and David Roberts of Volts to host an afternoon of discussions about policies shaping the clean energy transition with top experts from academia, industry and media. LBJ faculty Doug Lewin and Webber Group […]
Meet the Mayors: Greater Manchester’s Andy Burnham on Urban Innovation and the Austin-Manchester Sister City Partnership
What does city governance look like across the pond? The Mayor of Greater Manchester shed alight on his experience for the LBJ School. Elected in 2017, Mayor Andy Burnham has led initiatives to transform Greater Manchester’spublic transportation, improve housing, and most recently, collaborated with Austin Mayor KirkWatson to establish a “sister city partnership” between the […]
Policy Leadership in the Age of AI – AI in National Security Policy
This is the fourth installment of our four-part podcast series on our Policy Leadership in the Age of AI symposium, which was hosted at the Bass Lecture Hall on October 1st, 2024. As part of UT’s 2024 initiative, the Year of AI, we brought together public, private, and academic leaders for crucial discussions on the […]
Policy Leadership in The Age of AI: AI in Teaching and Learning
This is the third installment of our four-part podcast series on our Policy Leadership in the Age of AI symposium, which was hosted at the Bass Lecture Hall on October 1st, 2024. As part of UT’s 2024 initiative, the Year of AI, we brought together public, private, and academic leaders for crucial discussions on the […]
Policy Leadership in the Age of AI – AI and the Future of Work
This is the second installment of our four-part podcast series on our Policy Leadership in the Age of AI symposium, which was hosted at Bass Lecture Hall on October 1st, 2024. As part of UT’s 2024 initiative, the Year of AI, we brought together public, private, and academic leaders for crucial discussions on the ethical […]
Policy Leadership in the Age of AI – The Future of Precision Healthcare: Perspectives on Health AI Policy
This is the first installment of our four-part podcast series on our Policy Leadership in the Age of AI symposium, which was hosted at the LBJ Auditorium on October 1st, 2024. As part of UT’s 2024 initiative, the Year of AI, we brought together public, private, and academic leaders for crucial discussions on the ethical […]
Policy Lessons from the Past: Dr. Will Inboden on the Reagan presidency and the role the United States played in ending the Cold War
Dr. Will Inboden, a national security scholar from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, masterfully describes Ronald Reagan’s foreign policy and the role of the United States in ending the Cold War, in a discussion moderated by Bill Shute, Executive Director of the LBJ Washington Center. This is […]
Policy Lessons from the Past: Dr. Jeremi Suri on America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy
Presidential historian and scholar Dr. Jeremi Suri discusses a country rebuilding itself as it wrestles with competing visions of democracy, race and freedom, in a conversation moderated by Bill Shute, Executive Director of the LBJ Washington Center. Dr. Suri shares his analysis of democracy, starting in 1865 when the Confederacy was militarily defeated and continues […]
Policy Lessons from the Past: Dr. Sarah Coleman on the politics of immigration in modern America
Historian and Texas State University professor Dr. Sarah Coleman examines the history of the battles over U.S. immigrants’ rights since 1965—and how these conflicts reshaped access to education, employment, civil liberties and more in conversation with Associate Director of Research at the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the LBJ School, Dr. […]
Policy Lessons from the Past: Dr. Peniel Joseph on American’s struggle for racial justice
Historian and civil rights scholar Dr. Peniel Joseph discusses a powerful interpretation of the ongoing struggle for racial justice, calling this period as transformative as the movements post-Civil War and during the civil rights era as outlined in his new book, The Third Reconstruction: America’s Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century, with LBJ […]
Introducing “Policy Lessons from the Past: U.S. history with a Texas twist”
Those that cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. In a special series titled “Policy Lessons from the Past: U.S. history with a Texas twist,” four Texas-based policy experts will discuss how our shared history impacts today’s political environment, spanning topics like racial justice, immigration, global confrontations and the very nature of democracy. […]
Inaugural State of the College 2021 from LBJ School Dean JR DeShazo
In this special episode of Policy on Purpose, Dean JR DeShazo recognizes the people, mission and legacy of the LBJ School in his inaugural 2021 State of the College.  Find out more at lbj.utexas.edu.
Eye on the Lege: Inside the 87th Texas Legislature – Episode 4: A Stunning Conclusion
This episode, the fourth in the LBJ School’s podcast series Eye on the Lege: Inside the 87th Texas Legislature, looks at the sum total of this legislative session, from the extraordinary circumstances forced upon it by COVID-19 and high-impact social issues including abortion and transgender rights to the fight between state and local governments over police budgets, […]
Eye on the Lege: Inside the 87th Texas Legislature – Episode 3: Energy, Utilities and the Texas Grid
This third episode in the LBJ School’s podcast series Eye on the Lege: Inside the 87th Texas Legislature assesses the measures in the Texas Senate and House to overhaul the state’s energy market, strengthen its electrical grid and address energy prices during the February Freeze. Varun Rai, LBJ’s associate dean for research and the director […]
Eye on the Lege: Inside the 87th Texas Legislature – Episode 2: Voting Rights and Restrictions
In episode 2 of Eye on the Lege: Inside the 87th Texas Legislature, Victoria deFrancesco Soto, LBJ’s assistant dean for civic engagement, talks with former U.S. Congressman Beto O’Rourke, now an adjuct assistant professor at the school, about the restrictive voter provisions laid out in SB7 and HB6. They discuss how the bills, which would […]
Eye on the Lege: Inside the 87th Texas Legislature – Episode 1: Criminal Justice Reform
In this episode of the LBJ School’s new podcast series “Eye on the Lege: Inside the 87th Texas Legislature,” Distinguished Senior Lecturer Michele Deitch, an expert on the criminal justice system, correctional oversight and juvenile justice, talks with Alycia Welch, associate director of the COVID Corrections and Oversight Project at the LBJ School and a […]
From a Great Society to a Resilient Society: Episode 5 – A Resilient Future in a Globally Connected World
In the final episode of “From a Great Society to a Resilient Society,” host Steven Pedigo talks with LBJ School faculty experts Patrick Bixler, William Inboden and Kate Weaver about our shared future at the intersections of climate change, national security and global development. This podcast series is a continuation of a policy toolkit released by […]
From a Great Society to a Resilient Society: Episode 4 – Public Finance
General revenue sharing has been described as “paying for teachers in Manhattan and streetlights in Buffalo.” Leading economic and public finance experts James Galbraith, Michael Lind and Martin Luby join Steven Pedigo to talk flexible funding, why successful economic policies lay groundwork for future policy changes, and if a job guarantee is part of the […]
From a Great Society to a Resilient Society: Episode 3 – Impact of COVID-19 on Society’s Vulnerable
LBJ School experts Ruth Wasem and Michele Deitch join “From a Great Society to a Resilient Society” to discuss how COVID-19 has impacted two of society’s most vulnerable populations: immigrants and prison and jail populations. Host Steven Pedigo talks with Wasem and Deitch about the conditions that led to COVID-19’s impact on these populations and […]
From a Great Society to a Resilient Society: Episode 2 – Public Health
In episode 2 of the LBJ School’s special series “From a Great Society to a Resilient Society,” host Steven Pedigo talks with the LBJ School’s Dr. Michael Hole and Professor Sherri Greenberg about resilient and healthy communities, public health and the economy, and equitable vaccine distribution. Learn more about resiliency in the age of COVID-19 at lbj.utexas.edu
From a Great Society to a Resilient Society: Episode 1 – Leadership
This is episode 1 of the LBJ School’s new podcast series From a Great Society to a Resilient Society: Building a resilient future in a globally connected world. In this six-part series, host Steven Pedigo engages LBJ School policy leaders on the future of our world through the lens of resiliency. In this episode, Pedigo is
Episode 27 – Introducing Resiliency in the Age of COVID-19
In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson shared his vision of what would become known as the “Great Society”—an America where the air and water are clean, poverty and racial injustice have been eliminated, and all its citizens can develop their full potential and share in the promise of America.  But the gap between LBJ’s aspiration and our […]
Episode 26 – U.S. Census Director Dr. Steven Dillingham
U.S. Census Director Dr. Steven Dillingham joins Policy on Purpose to discuss the 2020 census, why it counts and how students can get involved.
Episode 25 – Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan shares before and after story of Detroit
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan visited the LBJ School on November 13, 2019, as part of the Dean’s Distinguished Leaders Series. In this episode, Mayor Duggan talks about efforts to revitalize the city of Detroit in an equitable way.
Episode 24 – Democracy Rebellion in Texas
Hedrick Smith, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter and director of the upcoming PBS documentary Democracy Rebellion, talks about grassroots efforts in Texas to combat big money politics, gerrymandering and voter suppression.
Episode 23 – Former NYC deputy mayor Alicia Glen on future-proofing cities
Former NYC Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen joins guest host and Urban Lab Director Steven Pedigo to discuss ways policymakers can leverage public-private partnerships to future-proof cities.
Episode 22 – Special episode recorded live–2019 Outstanding Alumni Awards
The LBJ School honored two of its extraordinary graduates on Friday, Sept. 20, presenting former Democratic nominee for Georgia governor Stacey Abrams (MPAff ’98) with the Distinguished Public Service Award and Pflugerville city council member Rudy Metayer (EMPL ’16) with the Rising Leader Award in a reception that kicked off Alumni Weekend.
Episode 21 – Yamiche Alcindor, White House correspondent for PBS NewsHour, delivers 2019 graduation remarks
Before speaking to the LBJ School’s class of 2019, PBS NewsHour’s White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor joined Policy on Purpose to talk about the role and responsibility of the press when covering some of our world’s most defining moments, and how to best balance humanity and objectiveness when covering difficult topics and stories.
Episode 20 – LGBT Rights and Public Policy
Founding CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute Robert Jones joins Dean Angela Evans to discuss what the changes in religious, racial and ethnic demographies of Texas and the nation tell us about the future of politics and policy priorities.
Episode 19 – Policymaking in theory and practice
LBJ School alumnus Austin Smythe (MPAff ’80) joined the LBJ School during Admitted Students Weekend in April 2019, talking to new students about his career as Speaker Paul Ryan’s policy director (2015-2019). Smythe, who joined Ryan’s office in 2007, has served in a variety of roles, including policy director for the House Ways and Means Committee […]
Episode 18 – Opening Mexico’s oil and gas industry with guest Aldo Flores-Quiroga
Aldo Flores-Quiroga is former deputy secretary of energy for hydrocarbons at Mexico’s Ministry of Energy (2016–18), where he led a team of more than 180 government officials to implement the historic opening of Mexico’s hydrocarbons sector. Flores-Quiroga, who also served as Secretary General of the International Energy Forum, joins Dean Evans to talk about shared goals amid [̷
Episode 17 – Developments in technology and its influences on national security and intelligence
Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon visited The University of Texas at Austin for the UT Intelligence Studies symposium on March 28, 2019. She stopped by the LBJ School to talk with Dean Angela Evans about emerging technologies and an evolving intelligence community, as well as private-public partnerships with tech sectors.
Episode 16 – Royce Brooks, Executive Director of Annie’s List, on changing the faces of power in Texas politics
In 2018 Royce Brooks became executive director of Annie’s List, an organization started in 2003 to recruit, train and support progressive women running for office at both the state and local levels in Texas. Over the past 15 years, the organization has raised more than $15 million to support these candidates and has helped them win more than […]
Episode 15: A research-based approach to criminal justice
Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot is a retired judge and award-winning lawyer with more than three decades of experience in the criminal justice system, including as a felony district court judge, Dallas County assistant district attorney and chief felony prosecutor, as well as a criminal defense lawyer in private practice. He talks with LBJ […]
Episode 14: The Power of Data-Driven Decision Making, Guests include former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith and Robert Shea of Grant Thornton
In this episode of Policy on Purpose, guest hosted by LBJ Professor and the Washington Center’s Academic Director Don Kettl, former governor of Maryland Martin O’Malley, former mayor of Indianapolis Stephen Goldsmith and Robert Shea of Grant Thornton talk about how data-driven decision making can change the way governments serve people. Recorded at the LBJ […]
Episode 13 – Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel on pragmatism in politics
Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel visited the LBJ School on Feb. 13, 2019 as part of the Dean’s Distinguished Leaders Series. In this episode of Policy on Purpose, Mayor Emanuel – who has served as mayor, a congressman, a chief of staff to the President of the United States, senior adviser and campaign strategist on local […]
Episode 12 – Former President of Costa Rica Luis Guillermo Solis and VP of Nicaragua Sergio Ramirez discuss issues of democracy in Central America
Former President of Costa Rica Luis Guillermo Solis and Vice President of Nicaragua Sergio Ramirez join Policy on Purpose to discuss the current crisis of democracy in Nicaragua, challenges and opportunities in relations between the Central American nations and their neighbors to the north and the ongoing migration crisis at the U.S. -Mexico border. Dr. […]
Episode 11, Historian and author Michael Beschloss on history as a roadmap for the present and the future
Historian and best-selling author Michael Beschloss joined LBJ School Dean Angela Evans to talk about why and how drawing on history to illuminate politics and policy is critical, and what he’s learned from approaching history through issues and circumstances rather than biography.
Episode 10 – Former LBJ School Dean, Deputy Secretary of State (’09 –’11) on globalization
Jim Steinberg, former LBJ School dean and Deputy Secretary of State (2009 – 2011) visited Austin, Texas for the National Security Forum on Nov. 30. He joined LBJ School Dean Angela Evans for a conversation on globalization, U.S.-Chinese relations and an international-facing public policy education.
Episode 9 – Public Policy in the U.S. Senate: A Chief of Staff’s View
Angela Evans, dean of the LBJ School, interviews top-level female staffers from both parties in the U.S. Senate. Beth Jafari is chief of staff for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas). A Houston native, she earned degrees in journalism and political science from Texas A&M University, and her J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law before beginning her […]
Recorded Live: Mitch Landrieu visits UT Austin, urges fight against racism
In a special live recording of Policy on Purpose, former mayor of New Orleans Mitch Landrieu addresses a crowd of 300+ UT students, urging them to stay engaged with today’s most pressing issues.
Episode 8 – Admiral William McRaven talks purpose, failure and trust
New LBJ School professor Admiral William McRaven speaks candidly on lessons learned throughout his distinguished career. William McRaven, M.Sc., former UT System Chancellor and a retired U.S. Navy four-star admiral, will join the school as a professor in national security, drawing on his experiences. He helped create and launch the Special Operations and Low Intensity […]
Episode 7 – The LBJ School’s Don Kettl on the Future of Public Policy Schools
As the 2018 fall semester begins, Donald Kettl, a new LBJ School professor and academic director of the LBJ Washington Center, joins Dean Angela Evans to discuss the future of public policy schools. In this episode, they explore new challenges to public policy, how best to prepare students for cutting edge problems and the important […]
Episode 6 – Soledad O’Brien on Journalism and Public Policy
Award-winning journalist, author and philanthropist Soledad O’Brien talks all things journalism and public policy with Dean Angela Evans. From current-day tensions to the media’s influence to bridging real-life voices with policy, Soledad O’Brien talks candidly about the role of media and public policy.
Episode 5 – Abigail Aiken
Dr. Abigail Aiken, an Assistant Professor of Public Affairs and Fellow of the Richter Chair in Global Health Policy at the LBJ School, joins Dean Angela Evans to discuss a historic referendum on abortion in Ireland. Ireland’s law on abortion is among the strictest in the world. Dr. Aiken presented her research findings in testimony […]
Episode 4 – Kirk Watson
Texas Senator Kirk Watson joins Dean Angela Evans for this episode of Policy on Purpose. First elected to the Texas Senate in 2006, Senator Watson represents Senate District 14, which now covers most of Travis County and all of Bastrop County. In this interview, Senator Watson discusses his top legislative priorities, including ready access to […]
Episode 3 – Julián Castro on Housing Policy
The Honorable Julián Castro, former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, marks the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act signing by LBJ. He sits down with Dean Angela Evans to talk about how far we’ve come since the act was signed, and what challenges remain in making housing fair and available for […]
Episode 2 – Ruth Wasem on Immigration, Part 2
Ruth Wasem returns to Policy on Purpose for continued discussion on immigration in America, focusing on the four pillars presented by President Donald Trump in his State of the Union address. Wasem is a clinical professor of public policy practice at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and served as a domestic policy specialist at […]
Episode 1 – Ruth Wasem on Immigration
In this inaugural episode of Policy on Purpose, we sit down with Ruth Wasem, clinical professor of public policy practice at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. For more than 25 years, Ruth Wasem was a domestic policy specialist at the U.S. Library of Congress’ Congressional Research Service, and in this interview, she offers her […]
