Danielle Allen is a MacArthur Fellow and the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University. She’s published broadly in democratic theory, political sociology, and the history of political thought, and is widely known for her work on justice and citizenship. Her most recent book is Democracy in the Time of Coronavirus. We discuss the promise of good governance, common purpose, and our moral compass in action. 

Chris Lebron is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University. His latest book is The Making of Black Lives Matter: A Brief History of An Idea. We discuss the nature of racial disadvantage, the opportunity for love to deliver equality and fairness, and the risks of racial marginalization to the future of American democracy.

Neil Roberts is Professor of Africana Studies and Faculty Affiliate in Political Science and Religion at Williams College. He’s working on a new book titled How To Live Free in an Age of Pessimism. We discuss the legacy of Charles Mills’ scholarship on the racial contract, freedom, and transforming society from the bottom up.

Anat Shenker-Osorio is a renowned communications researcher and campaign advisor, the host of Words to Win By, and the Principal of ASO Communications. We discuss how to empower voters, the impact of repetition, and the importance of being clear on what you stand for.

We’re revisiting our conversation with Mark Rank, a poverty expert, professor, and author of Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty. We discuss the true causes and systemic nature of poverty, and poverty reduction as being both moral and smart public policy.

We're revisiting our conversation with Colin Jerolmack, an environmental sociologist and author of Up to Heaven and Down to Hell: Fracking, Freedom, and Community in an American Town. We discuss the public-private paradox and the tragedy of the commons, as well as the undemocratic aspects of American property rights.

We’re sharing a curated list of podcast recommendations on abortion rights that we put together for our friends at EarBuds Podcast Collective in September 2021. All of the episodes give deeper context and background on reproductive rights at a time when the risk of rollback is very high.

Manuel Pastor is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. His latest book is Solidarity Economics: Why Mutuality and Movements Matter, co-authored with Chris Benner. We bookend our 16th season with a discussion on how solidarity economics and mutuality fulfill the promise of the social contract.

Reverend Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson is the President of Auburn Seminary, a leadership development and research institute that equips bold and resilient leaders of faith and moral courage to build communities, bridge divides, pursue justice, and heal the world. We discuss the role of faith in the social contract and in creating the beloved community.

Latanya Sweeney is the Professor of the Practice of Government and Technology at the Harvard Kennedy school. Her mission is to create and use technology to assess and solve societal political and governance problems, and to teach others how to do the same. We discuss technology design as a policy maker, data privacy, and Section 230.

Sarah Christopherson is the Legislative and Policy Director at Americans for Tax Fairness. We take a deep dive into taxes—the spark that brings the social contract to life through things like public schools, highways, and social security—and examine the fairness of the current tax code, the estate tax, and successful tax policy.

Eduardo Porter is a journalist at The New York Times and the author of American Poison: How Racial Hostility Destroyed Our Promise. We discuss the intersection of public policy and racism as well as the long-term negative outcomes of exclusionary policies in our society, regardless of race.

Saru Jayaraman is the President of One Fair Wage and Director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley. Her new book is One Fair Wage: Ending Sub Minimum Pay in America. We discuss the history of the subminimum wage in America, the inherent unfairness of the practice, and the need to end it once and for all.

Lee McIntyre is a philosopher of science and the author of How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason. We discuss the danger of science denialism, constructive dialogue techniques, and our civic responsibility to defend the truth.

Michele Goodwin is a Chancellor’s Professor at the University of California, Irvine and founding director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy. We discuss how America’s current social contract in public health affects COVID response, health outcomes in minority populations, and reproductive rights.

Keya Chatterjee is Executive Director of US Climate Action Network and author of The Zero Footprint Baby: How to Save the Planet While Raising a Healthy Baby. We discuss racial injustice at the center of the climate crisis, mobilizing 3.5% of the population for change, and disruptive humanitarianism.

Minouche Shafik is the Director of the London School of Economics and the author of What We Owe Each Other: A New Social Contract. We unpack her ideas around investing in the architecture of opportunity as well as the notions of reciprocity, risk-sharing, and mutual benefit in growing our economies.

Melissa Lane is the Director of the University Center for Human Values and politics professor at Princeton University. Her work focuses on the history of political thought and political philosophy. We discuss the origins of social contract theory, it’s evolution, and examine how it works today.

Jessica González-Rojas represents the 34th District in the New York State Assembly. We discuss the intersectionality of community issues, the value of bringing lived experiences to public policy decisions, and the political courage that’s necessary to serve your constituents.

Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez is the Executive Director of NextGen America and a former candidate for US Senate in Texas. We discuss her deep career in organizing, engaging in the big ideas, and having the courage to imagine a true democracy that works for all people.