We discuss the intersection of policymaking on economics and democracy, the harm of intense concentration of wealth, and the need for building durable civil society.

Alex's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1. Join an organization in your community

2. Be in community with other people

Alex Hertel-Fernandez is a labor policy scholar and the Herbert H. Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He's also the author of State Capture: How Conservative Activists, Big Businesses, and Wealthy Donors Reshaped the American States — and the Nation.

Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

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Follow Mila on X:

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Follow Alex on BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/awhf.bsky.social

Sponsor:

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Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Alex Hertel-Fernandez

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss the enthusiasm for civic engagement by right-wing women, which translates to power and victory at the ballot box.

Katie's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Research and know the issues on your ballot

2) Vote in local elections

Katie Gaddini is a sociologist, visiting scholar at Stanford University, and the author of Esther's Army: The Christian Women Who Power the American Right.

Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

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Follow Mila on X:

https://x.com/milaatmos

Follow Katie on IG:

https://www.instagram.com/drkatiegaddini/

Read Esther's Army:

https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Katie Gaddini

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss the overlooked and insidious complications from gerontocracy in American democracy.

Sam's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Think of democracy as a political form for transient human beings

2) Evangelize one of these ideas: age quotas, tax code reform, or campaign finance reform

Samuel Moyn is the Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University, the cohost of the Digging a Hole podcast, and the author of Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth – and What to Do About It.

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Follow Mila on X:

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Follow Sam on X:

https://x.com/samuelmoyn

Read Gerontocracy in America:

https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Samuel Moyn

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss the balance of influence between activists and the majority in local politics and how we can reinvigorate democracy at the local level.

Brian's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Identify the problem you want to fix in your community

2) Develop an innovative solution and advocate for it

Brian Adams is professor of political science at San Diego State University and the author of Activism, Majority Rule, and Local Democracy: Rethinking Public Influence.

Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

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Follow Mila on X:

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Follow Brian on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-adams-4b351a4/

Read Activism, Majority Rule, and Local Democracy (use code 26BKS):

https://tupress.temple.edu/books/activism-majority-rule-and-local-democracy

Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Brian Adams

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss the case for SWAMP audits, how we can truly build a multiracial democracy, and why we're going to have to fight for it.

Steve's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Find your Minimum Viable Community and engage

2) Do a SWAMP audit!

Steve Phillips is the founder of Democracy in Color, a political media organization dedicated to race, politics, and the multicultural progressive New American Majority. His new book is Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America.

Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

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Follow Mila on X:

https://x.com/milaatmos

Follow Steve on X:

https://x.com/steveptweets

Read Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?:

https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Steve Phillips

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss the hidden power inside the U.S. Constitution, what it was designed to protect against, and how it can fortify American democracy today.

Melissa's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Commit to voting and follow through

2) Make your demands clear to your elected representatives

Melissa Murray is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, co-host of the Strict Scrutiny podcast, and a legal analyst for MSNBC. Her new book is The US Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader.

Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

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Follow Mila on X:

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Follow Melissa on IG:

https://www.instagram.com/profmmurray/

Read The US Constitution: A Comprehensive and Annotated Guide for the Modern Reader:

https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Melissa Murray

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss how each of us is a node of possibility for change in the climate crisis, taking us from overwhelm to participation.

Katharine's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Keep telling the truth.

2) Join with others in the climate movement.

Dr. Katharine Wilkinson is the host of the podcast A Matter of Degrees and the author of Climate Wayfinding: Healing Ourselves and the Planet We Call Home.

Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

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Follow Mila on X:

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Follow Katharine on IG:

https://www.instagram.com/drkwilkinson/

Read Climate Wayfinding:

https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Sponsor:

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Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Katharine Wilkinson

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos

We discuss the myriad of ways to fix Congress, ranging from campaign finance reform and age limits to town hall meetings and stopping violence against members of Congress.

Maya's civic action toolkit recommendations are:

1) Engage with your member of Congress!

2) Share what matters for you and demand your member to take action

Maya Kornberg is senior research fellow at NYU Law's Brennan Center for Justice and author of Stuck: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress.

Let's connect! Follow Future Hindsight on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/futurehindsightpod/

Discover new ways to #BetheSpark:

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Follow Mila on X:

https://x.com/milaatmos

Follow Maya on X:

https://x.com/KornbergMaya

Read Stuck:

https://bookshop.org/shop/futurehindsight

Sponsor:

Thank you to Shopify! Sign up for a $1/month trial at shopify.com/hopeful.

Early episodes for Patreon supporters:

https://patreon.com/futurehindsight

Credits:

Host: Mila Atmos

Guests: Maya Kornberg

Executive Producer: Zack Travis

Executive Editor: Mila Atmos