# Policy Punchline Created and produced by Princeton students, Policy Punchline sits down with the thinkers, leaders, and innovators defining public policy today. Each episode features in-depth interviews with leaders shaping today’s most pressing debates. We bring rigorous analysis and accessible storytelling to the issues that matter. Sponsored by the Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy and Finance and the Griswold Center for Economic Policy Studies at Princeton University. Visit us on policypunchline.com Page: Feed: --- ## [The Almighty Dollar: The Global History Behind America’s Money](https://soundcloud.com/policypunchline/brendangreeley) _2026-05-26_ What does the history of the dollar reveal about power, sovereignty, and the way money really works? In this episode of Policy Punchline, Financial Times journalist and Princeton historian Brendan Greeley joins Princeton students Alice McCarthy ’27 and Maddie Feldman ’27 to discuss his forthcoming book, The Almighty Dollar: 500 Years of the World’s Most Powerful Money. Greeley challenges the… [Listen](https://pdcn.co/e/http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2327855930-policypunchline-brendangreeley.mp3) ## [Fixing Democracy’s Bugs: Sam Wang on Gerrymandering, Ballot Design, and Congressional Bid](https://soundcloud.com/policypunchline/samwang) _2026-05-05_ What does it take to repair a democracy from the inside? In this episode of Policy Punchline, Princeton neuroscientist and NJ-12 candidate Sam Wang joins Princeton students Maddie Feldman ’27 and Alice McCarthy ’27 to discuss his unusual path from brain science to election reform. Wang reflects on the common thread running through his work: using evidence to understand systems that shape people’s… [Listen](https://pdcn.co/e/http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2315185139-policypunchline-samwang.mp3) ## [‘My State Senator is a Rocket Scientist’: A More Perfect Fusion](https://soundcloud.com/policypunchline/my-state-senator-is-a-rocket) _2026-04-14_ \[Recorded March 5, 2026\] Representing New Jersey’s 16th Legislative District while continuing his work at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, State Sen. Andrew Zwicker brings a dual perspective on how frontier research translates into real-world policy. Join hosts Maddie Feldman and Alex Tseng for a conversation about a plasma physicist-turned lawmaker working at the intersection of science,… [Listen](https://pdcn.co/e/http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2302175423-policypunchline-my-state-senator-is-a-rocket.mp3) ## [Trading on Mars: How Global Imbalances Really Work with Michael Pettis](https://soundcloud.com/policypunchline/trading-on-mars-how-global) _2026-04-14_ \[Recorded February 18, 2026\] Join hosts Maddie Feldman and Maya Chu for a conversation with economist Michael Pettis, a leading voice on global trade, capital flows, and China’s economic trajectory. In this episode, we unpack the mechanics and misconceptions of global trade, beginning with Pettis’s core distinction between the gains from balanced trade and the costs of persistent imbalances.… [Listen](https://pdcn.co/e/http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2302142969-policypunchline-trading-on-mars-how-global.mp3) ## [Search Isn’t Research: Digital Humanities with Meredith Martin](https://soundcloud.com/policypunchline/martin) _2026-04-13_ Join hosts Maddie Feldman and Ollie Braden as they sit down with Professor Meredith Martin, Faculty Director of Princeton’s Center for Digital Humanities. This conversation explores how we search, interpret, and make meaning in an increasingly data-driven world. Professor Martin challenges the idea that data is neutral and that search equals knowledge, unpacking how digital tools shape both what… [Listen](https://pdcn.co/e/http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2301878174-policypunchline-martin.mp3) ## [Inside America’s Health Engine: Expanding Access and Equity with Chiquita Brooks-LaSure](https://soundcloud.com/policypunchline/brookslasure) _2025-11-11_ What does it take to make health care work for everyone? In this episode of Policy Punchline, former CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure joins Princeton students Alice McCarthy ’27 and Aiko Offner ’27 to reflect on her years leading the agency that runs Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and HealthCare.gov for more than 160 million Americans. We explore how the U.S. achieved historic coverage gains… [Listen](https://pdcn.co/e/http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2210960969-policypunchline-brookslasure.mp3) ## [Voice Without a Veto: How to Bring Progress Back with Marc Dunkelman](https://soundcloud.com/policypunchline/voice-without-a-veto-how-to-bring-progress-back-with-marc-dunkelman) _2025-10-22_ Why can’t America build anymore housing, transmission lines, and even EV chargers without getting stuck in endless reviews and lawsuits? Marc J. Dunkelman. author of "Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress—and How to Bring It Back", joins Policy Punchline to trace the arc from New Deal “builders” to today’s overlapping veto points. We dig into NIMBY politics, environmental review, Loper Bright and… [Listen](https://pdcn.co/e/http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/2196221691-policypunchline-voice-without-a-veto-how-to-bring-progress-back-with-marc-dunkelman.mp3) ## [Jason Furman Interview with Princeton's Policy Punchline](https://soundcloud.com/policypunchline/jason-furman-interview-with-princetons-policy-punchline) _2024-11-24_ A conversation with Jason Furman, Harvard Professor and former Obama Administration economic advisor, discussing key economic policy issues. Furman shares insights on economic resilience, fiscal stimulus responses to the 2008 and COVID-19 crises, healthcare reform, the role of economic analysis in policymaking, and the future of AI in the economy. He addresses how economic indicators can be… [Listen](https://pdcn.co/e/http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1967517659-policypunchline-jason-furman-interview-with-princetons-policy-punchline.mp3) ## [Acquired Podcast's David Rosenthal: The Art of the Long-Form](https://soundcloud.com/policypunchline/acquired-podcasts-david-rosenthal-the-art-of-the-long-form) _2024-10-20_ The Art of the Long-Form: Crafting Epic Business Narratives and Creating Amazing Podcasts Every Host has a Story.... In this latest episode of Policy Punchline, we sit down with David Rosenthal, co-founder and co-host of the Acquired Podcast. From his days as a Princeton "organization kid" to becoming a leading voice in business history storytelling, Rosenthal's journey is as unconventional and… [Listen](https://pdcn.co/e/http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1938346061-policypunchline-acquired-podcasts-david-rosenthal-the-art-of-the-long-form.mp3) ## [AI publishing with human taste (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/q0GS14TzTfXK) _2024-10-20 · **Sponsored**_ Convert AI research into blogs, podcasts, and newsletters with optional human review. ## [Credit Scores, and Congress: the Front Lines of Financial Regulation](https://soundcloud.com/policypunchline/credit-scores-and-congress-the-front-lines-of-financial-regulation) _2024-03-27_ In this latest episode of Policy Punchline, we dive deep into the world of financial regulation and economic policy with our distinguished guest, Aaron Klein. Klein, the Miriam K. Carliner Chair and Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution, brings a wealth of experience from his pivotal roles in shaping U.S. financial policy. His journey—from the halls of Princeton's School… [Listen](https://pdcn.co/e/http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1785943551-policypunchline-credit-scores-and-congress-the-front-lines-of-financial-regulation.mp3)