New Books in Public Policy

New Books Network

Public Policy

Democracy

Climate Change

Education

New York City

Artificial Intelligence

Public Health

Homelessness

Neoliberalism

Liberal Democracy

Violent Protest

Black Lives Matter

Artist

Career Sustainability

Harm Reduction

Inequality

Labor Rights

Addiction Treatment

Creative Labor

Demographics Of Artistic Professions

This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to ... more

55 ratings

Publishes	Daily	Episodes	2147	Founded	16 years ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	Social SciencesScience

Listen to this Podcast

Guests Host Reviews Charts Talking Points

Latest Episodes

The Fog of Accountability: How Institutions Keep Voters from Holding Their Local Governments Accountable with Justin de Benedictis-Kessner (U Chicago Press, 2026)

In the United States, hundreds of thousands of elected and appointed officials serve more than 50,000 subnational governments, making important decisions about services ranging from education to infrastructure to policing. The provision of critical c... more

28 Oct 2026 • 47 min

Carceral Utopia: A Global History of Model Prisons with Gregory Salle (Polity, 2026)

What underpins the legitimacy of the prison system in the twenty-first century? Despite numerous challenges and setbacks, there is still a widespread belief that prisons can be improved in a socially progressive way. Even today, 'model prisons' are b... more

26 Oct 2026 • 46 min

Outed: LBJ’s Confidant and the Arrest that Transformed a Presidency with Timothy Stewart-Winter (U Chicago Press, 2026)

Timothy Stewart-Winter joins Michael Stauch to discuss the arrest that transformed Lyndon Johnson’s presidency. In 1964, Lyndon B. Johnson’s longest-serving and most trusted advisor, Walter Jenkins, was arrested for soliciting sex in a YMCA bathroom ... more

23 Oct 2026 • 53 min • Popular

Offshore Oildom: America’s Energy Expansion into the Ocean with Tyler Priest (LSU Press, 2026)

Offshore Oildom: America’s Energy Expansion into the Ocean (LSU Press, 2026) tells the riveting story of the United States’ quest to secure the oil riches of the sea. Drawing on a wealth of untapped sources, Tyler Priest reveals how the offshore oil ... more

22 Oct 2026 • 1 hr

Key Facts

Accepts Guests

Accepts Sponsors

Contact Information

Podcast Host

Number of Listeners

Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

The Ezra Klein ShowNew York Times Opinion

The Political Scene | The New YorkerThe New Yorker

The Weekly Show with Jon StewartComedy Central

PivotNew York Magazine

THE DAILY BLAST with Greg SargentGreg Sargent

Recent Guests

Gregory Salle

Researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research whose work spans political science and sociology

French National Center for Scientific Research

Episode: Carceral Utopia: A Global History of Model Prisons with Gregory Salle (Polity, 2026)

Timothy Stewart-Winter

Associate professor of history at Rutgers University-Newark and author of Queer Clout

Rutgers University-Newark

Episode: Outed: LBJ’s Confidant and the Arrest that Transformed a Presidency with Timothy Stewart-Winter (U Chicago Press, 2026)

Tyler Priest

Associate professor of history at the University of Iowa and author of The Offshore Imperative

University of Iowa

Episode: Offshore Oildom: America’s Energy Expansion into the Ocean with Tyler Priest (LSU Press, 2026)

Talitha L. LeFlouria

Historian of Black women, mass incarceration, and the legacies of American slavery

The University of Texas at Austin

Episode: Searching for Jane Crow: Black Women and Mass Incarceration in America from the Auction Block to the Cell Block with Talitha LeFlouria (Beacon Press, 2022)

Kathleen Bawn

Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles

University of California, Los Angeles

Episode: Parties on the Ground: A Study of Nominations for the House of Representatives with Kathleen Bawn and Knox Brown (U Chicago Press, 2026)

John Zaller

Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles and co-author of The Party Decides

University of California, Los Angeles

Episode: Parties on the Ground: A Study of Nominations for the House of Representatives with Kathleen Bawn and Knox Brown (U Chicago Press, 2026)

David Turner

Professor of history at Swansea University and historian of disability in Britain

Swansea University

Episode: Disability: A History of Resistance with David Turner (Random House, 2026)

Dixie Dillon Lane

Historian of education, homeschooling mother of four, and associate editor of Hearth & Field Journal

Hearth & Field Journal

Episode: Skipping School: A History of American Homeschooling and How It Went Mainstream with Dixie Dillon Lane (Eerdmans, 2026)

Pankhuri Agarwal

Sociologist researching work, migration, technology, and slavery; lecturer and Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow

King's College London

Episode: Fictions of Freedom: Migration, Modern Slavery and Bureaucracy in India with Pankhuri Agarwal (Cambridge UP, 2026)

Host

Dr. Christina Gessler

Host of Academic Life; frequently contributes scholarly discussions across topics.

Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars from 55 ratings

Ezra Klein probably gets not a few show ideas by listening to THIS podcast.
1300 Episodes!!
This is the podcast the other podcasters listen to.
Apple Podcasts
5
atom_box
United States2 years ago
Great Public Communication
I’m so happy to see academia communicating with the masses. I think it is an important thing that doesn’t happen very often, and this podcast does a great job.
Apple Podcasts
5
Colindro "THE DAMAGER"
United States4 years ago
Too long
Interesting but why is it so long
Very long 10 min it’s enough
C’est trop long shorten and efficiency
Apple Podcasts
1
Adrienlegrand
France5 years ago
Too long
Interesting but why is it so long
Very long 10 min it’s enough
Apple Podcasts
3
Adrienlegrand
France6 years ago
Audio
Could be improved
Apple Podcasts
1
Nick741
Australia7 years ago

Embed These Reviews on a Website

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some find episode length excessive and voice quality variable, suggesting production improvements.

The breadth of topics from health care to AI governance is well-received by academics and practitioners alike.

High-quality guest lineup consistently provides deep, policy-relevant insights.

Listeners appreciate the rigorous, book- and theory-informed discussions.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts	#87	United States/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#39	United Kingdom/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#114	Canada/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#152	Australia/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#12	India/Science/Social Sciences
Apple Podcasts	#17	Colombia/Science/Social Sciences

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Down and Out in Utopia: Unemployment as Moral Education in Norway with Kelly McKowen (U Toronto Press, 2026)

Q: Do we have a sense of what the impacts are of these sorts of interventions? Do they actually work?

McKowen is skeptical that jobseeker courses consistently return people to work, but says they can build social connections and help participants recognize common experiences across differences.

Down and Out in Utopia: Unemployment as Moral Education in Norway with Kelly McKowen (U Toronto Press, 2026)

Q: What does it mean to be unemployed in a place that does have social security, does have a system for unemployment?

McKowen says comprehensive benefits limit material hardship, but unemployment can still disrupt daily rhythms, social connections, and pension accumulation, while creating moral pressure to seek work and contribute to society.

Immoral Traffic An Ethnography of Law, NGOs, and the Governance of Prostitution in India with Vibhuti Ramachandran (Cambridge UP, 2025)

Q: How did this growing anti-immigration sentiment come up in the different sites that you studied?

Suspicion about Bangladeshi identity and documentation affected women's treatment in inquiries and shelters, adding surveillance, xenophobic abuse and delays to procedures. Women could be treated simultaneously as trafficking victims and as suspected illegal immigrants, while repatriation procedures often left them in limbo.

Immoral Traffic An Ethnography of Law, NGOs, and the Governance of Prostitution in India with Vibhuti Ramachandran (Cambridge UP, 2025)

Q: What were the tensions that you observed with these quote-unquote victim witness testimonies in Delhi?

NGOs sought testimony to support prosecutions, but women often did not testify because they had been forcibly rescued, distrusted authorities, lacked information about traffickers, faced threats or financial offers, or feared repatriation and lengthy court proceedings. Even a successful conviction and compensation did not necessarily improve a survivor's life.

The Technocratic International: Experts and the Making of a World from Nowhere with Jan Eijking (Oxford UP, 2026)

Q: To what extent does claiming these ideas of the expert, of the international, does that work to change or influence the project of the Suez Canal?

Eijking explains that presenting the canal as an international project helped attract investment by framing it as technically feasible and impartial. The commission's selection reflected personal and financial ties, and Egyptian engineers were excluded in part because their preferred route threatened the project.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About New Books in Public Policy

What is New Books in Public Policy about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Thoughtful, academically rigorous conversations that survey public policy, governance, health, housing, and democracy through the lens of recent scholarly work. Episodes feature university professors, researchers, and policy experts examining how institutions shape society—from health care reform and AI governance to urban policy and social justice. Listeners likely include students, researchers, and professionals in policy, public affairs, and academia who want well-contextualized analysis and actionable ideas from leading scholars. A notable strength is the breadth of topics across social sciences and public policy, paired with in-depth book or research-based discussions and real-world case studies.

Where can I find podcast stats for New Books in Public Policy?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for New Books in Public Policy. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to New Books in Public Policy and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does New Books in Public Policy get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for New Books in Public Policy, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for New Books in Public Policy?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for New Books in Public Policy, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does New Books in Public Policy have?

To see how many followers or subscribers New Books in Public Policy has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to New Books in Public Policy?

These podcasts share a similar audience with New Books in Public Policy:

1. The Ezra Klein Show
2. The Political Scene | The New Yorker
3. The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
4. Pivot
5. THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent

How many episodes of New Books in Public Policy are there?

New Books in Public Policy launched 16 years ago and published 2147 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact New Books in Public Policy?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for New Books in Public Policy?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for New Books in Public Policy from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for New Books in Public Policy?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of New Books in Public Policy. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on New Books in Public Policy?

Recent guests on New Books in Public Policy include:

1. Gregory Salle
2. Timothy Stewart-Winter
3. Tyler Priest
4. Talitha L. LeFlouria
5. Kathleen Bawn
6. John Zaller
7. David Turner
8. Dixie Dillon Lane

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.

Try it free for 7 days