This blog post is part of AEI’s Best Podcasts of 2021 series. Click here to see other AEI podcast hosts’ favorite episodes of the year.

In “Banter,” hosts AEI President Robert Doar and Director of Media Relations Phoebe Keller interview AEI scholars on a wide range of policy topics. True to its name, “Banter” keeps the conversation fun, entertaining, and interesting for anyone with an interest in politics and policy.

Here are the top 5 episodes of Banter” from 2021:

1. Michael Strain on America’s economic outlook — Episode #432, July 7

Michael
Strain is the Director of Economic Policy Studies at AEI, where he
oversees the Institute’s work in economic policy, financial markets,
international trade and finance, tax and budget policy, welfare economics, and
health care policy. In this episode, Michael joined the show to talk about the
country’s economic recovery from COVID, the infrastructure bill, and inflation
fears.

2. Kori Schake on US defense policy — Episode #434, September 7

Kori Schake is
a senior fellow and the director of foreign and defense policy studies at AEI. She
joined the podcast to discuss US defense spending and how to maintain healthy
civil-military relations after the turmoil of the Trump years. Stay tuned until
the end, when Kori shares her thoughts on the US’ disastrous withdrawal from
Afghanistan.

3. Yuval Levin on American institutions — Episode #437, October 26

Yuval Levin is a
senior fellow and the director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies
at AEI, where he also holds the Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Public Policy.
Yuval joined “Banter” to discuss the state of America’s institutions, the
constitutional roles of Congress and the courts, and the integrity of our
elections.

4. Nat Malkus on school re-opening and education during the pandemic — Episode #423, March 2

Nat Malkus is a
resident scholar and the deputy director of education policy at AEI, where he
specializes in empirical research on K–12 schooling. Nat sat down with us to
talk about the launch of AEI’s new school re-opening tracker, the most
comprehensive source data currently available, which sorts school districts by
demographics including poverty, broadband access, voting records, and COVID-19
infection rates.

5. Chris Stirewalt on the state of American news media — Episode #433, July 20

Chris Stirewalt is a resident fellow at AEI, where he focuses on American politics, voting trends, public opinion, and the media. Before joining AEI, he was political editor of Fox News Channel. In this episode, Chris joined us to delve into the current state of American journalism, the media’s effect on the electorate, and the Republican party after Trump.

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