Featured

Access to Opportunity, the conceptual policy framework

by Bedrosian Center

In our last post, which also happened to be our first post, we introduced the Access to Opportunity project, including the first set of studies that will be undertaken as part of our larger research goals.  Though we didn’t state it, the choice of those projects was driven by a conceptual policy framework that evolved as we conducted our initial site visits in San Diego, Portland and Seattle.

by Dr. Raphael Bostic, President & Chief Executive Officer, Federal Reserve Board of Atlanta, Professor, University of Southern California, Price School of Public Policy and Sheryl Whitney, Partner, Whitney Jennings

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Featured Book Club Podcasts

American Swastika

by Bedrosian Center

In American Swastika: Inside the White Power Movement’s Hidden Spaces of Hate (2nd edition), Pete Simi and Robert Futrell look at the white power movement. Over 15 years of interviews allow the authors to use real stories to focus on white power families and the different ways the white power movement indoctrinates the next generation of white power warriors.

To listen to the Bedrosian Book Club discussion of American Swastika click the orange arrow in the Soundcloud player here on this post. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play

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Slow Philosophy & The Slow Professor

by Bedrosian Center

Inspired by the article, “In Praise of Slowness,” in the Los Angeles Review of Books, we decided to look at two books: The Slow Professor by Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber and Slow Philosophy by Michelle Boulous Walker. What might happen if we gave ourselves time (and permission) to understand and learn, rather than, or in addition to, acquire more and more skills? Is slowness the nature of wisdom?

To listen to the Bedrosian Book Club discussion of The Slow Professor and Slow Philosophy click the orange arrow in the Soundcloud player here on this post. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play

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Our American Discourse podast

Build, Baby, Build: Make the City Affordable Again

If you live in a major city, you probably know that the rent is “too damn high.” What if the city’s rental affordability crisis were in your hands? Would you do something about it? We think you might, and that’s why you’ll want to hear from the one renter who’s taking on big-city politics and showing us all how it’s done.

In this episode, we get down to the grassroots of housing advocacy with Sonja Trauss.

To listen to this episode of Our American Discourse, click the arrow in the Soundcloud player here. Or you can download it and subscribe through ApplePodcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.

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Community Engagement Post #4: On social media and online engagement

by Patricia Quintero Estades

In our previous post on community engagement, we talked a lot about innovation and how to make citizen engagement more attractive for community members. Additionally, during our first LA Civics Initiative workshop, we talked about the barriers that prevent people from becoming civically engaged in LA. One of the barriers that our attendees pointed to was a certain disconnect or feeling of apathy from Angelenos towards government or other formal institutions. Could online engagement and social media be the keys to making communities feel more interested and connected to local governance and decision-making?

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Community Engagement Post #2: On being genuine and building trust

by Patricia Quintero Estades

Building trust is paramount for genuine community engagement

As I mentioned in our first community engagement post, Arnstein’s article on citizen participation (1969) shows us that there are wrong and illegitimate ways to do community or stakeholder engagement. In my research and my classes at Price, I’ve found that the first step to a legitimate process seems to be a legitimate desire by the engager to listen to the stakeholders and take their input into account when making decisions.

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Price Projection Room

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is finally on the big screen! 

After dozens of superhero films, has director Patty Jenkins revitalized the DC universe with this superheroine? Amid all the “rep-sweats,” did the film do justice to this classic comic heroine? Why is this film so important? What do we think of the women-only showings at Alamo Drafthouse? Did we enjoy this film?

To listen to the Price Projection Room discussion of Wonder Women click the orange arrow in the Soundcloud player here, or download and subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.

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Policy at the Playhouse (podcast)

Facing Our Truth:  Ten Minute Plays on Trayvon, Race and Privilege

Facing Our Truth: Ten Minute Plays on Trayvon, Race and Privilege are the result of playwrights wrestling with the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, the trial and eventual acquittal of George Zimmerman.

The discussion ranged from how well the playwrights and actors developed their craft to portray these complex issues, to personal reactions to certain plays, to how knowledge & empathy can start a chain reaction for the betterment of society.

To listen to the Price Projection Room discussion of Facing Our Truth, click the orange arrow in the Soundcloud player, or download and subscribe through iTunes, Soundcloud, or Google Play.