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Listen Longer 12/05: Economic Inequality

December 7, 2015  • Aspen Institute Staff

This past week Aspen Institute Radio featured conversations from the Aspen Institute Summit on Inequality and Opportunity held last month in Washington, DC. This episode includes talks on the causes and consequences of economic inequality, using poetry as a tool for radical empathy, and remarks on economic inequality by Vice President Joe Biden.

Aspen Institute Radio, our two-hour radio show, airs every Saturday and Sunday on SiriusXM Insight (channel 121). Each episode dives into the topics that inform the world around us. Here in our weekly Listen Longer posts, we’ll recap each episode and show where you can read, watch, and listen to more. Don’t have SiriusXM? Try it free for a month here.  

Inequality: Causes and Consequences

Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, Heather Boushey, executive director of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, and Gwen Ifill, co-anchor and managing editor of “PBS NewsHour,” discuss potential solutions to systematic inequality.

Poetry as an Exercise in Radical Empathy

Clint Smith is a high school educator, a Harvard University PhD candidate, and a slam poet. In a series of spoken-word performances, Smith highlights inequality in American society, touching upon subjects such as black parenting and violence against young people of color. 

Right, Left, Forward, Cross: Partisan Solutions for Inequality

Former White House speechwriter and Aspen Institute Citizenship and American Identity Program Director Eric Liu, along with New York Times contributor and American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks shares his thoughts on how government bodies can facilitate equality for all constituents.

Vice President Joe Biden: Inequality & Opportunity Closing Remarks

Vice President Joe Biden addresses inequality and opportunity in the US, including why diversity is one of the country’s greatest strengths, and how to hold onto the American Dream in the 21st century.